THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
149 
MANURING COTTON LAND. 
The following we copy from the South Wes- 
tern Farmer, and we presume it is Irom the pen 
ofM. W. Philips, Esq., one of its editors. It 
illustrates as strongly as a single experiment 
can, the incalculable benefits ot manuring cot- 
ton lands. We commend it to our readers; 
We feel disposed to give some description of 
the portion of our cotton crop that was manured 
this season ; not believing the present appear- 
ance sufficient, to induce our brother farmers, 
to go into the manuring business, on tlie ground 
that there may be some peculiarity in the sea- 
son that has made the crop more favorable, or 
the manured portion may not even yet give such 
a yield as the residue. 
We hold one thing proper in farming, no ex- 
periment should be considered valid until tried 
three years at least, and then the exact returns 
should be given ; though there can be no excep- 
tion taken to one who gives his opinion from 
present experience, thereby putting one on his 
guard, as much as selling property and rel us- 
ing to warrant soundness. 
On giving this part of our crop its last plow- 
ing on the 8ch of July, it was done at some in- 
jury, from the unavoidably breaking of some of 
the limbs that had in many portions of 
it met across the rows. There are portions of 
the field, of the same row, frequently at a less 
distance than 6 feet, that one stalk has not as 
many bolls or forms as a limb has on its neigh- 
bor, where manure had not been applied. On 
a very poor piece, where what little soil ever 
was has been gone for ten years, the cotton will 
show with any on the place ; and yet portions 
of it, where the manure was accidentally not 
spread, is now not over a loot or a loot and a 
half high: a halt dozen large bolls would quite 
break down the plant. In other words, where 
the manure was sufficient, the crop promises lor 
a rate of 15 to 20 hundred weignt, and within 
10 leet, the crop planted same hour, and worked 
always the identical time and manner of the 
other, will not, cannot, produce 500 lbs. per 
acre. We have shown it to a number of per- 
sons, who have favored us with their company. 
They agree that appearances speak in the loud- 
est manner in favor ol manure. 
Our object in speaking of it at the present 
time is, that all who have such land, can com- 
mence so soon as their present crop is olf hand, 
to prepare manure, and that they may come and 
judge for themselves. When we used the ma- 
nure on our land, it was prior to the appearance 
of Dr. Cloud’s article, and was done to improve 
the piece of land (24 acres) that we design for 
an orchard, though fully believing the gain of 
the crop would amply reimburse. Not prepar- 
ed for so great a dilference, we did not give 
room enough ; nor haying a present return so 
much at heart, we did not use care in scattering 
the manure. 
We have a small portion of this same field, 
that was manured in ’40, ’41 and ’42 — and no 
portion of it but what shows a marked improve- 
ment. A and friend mysell counted on the 15th 
of July, 12 distinct lorms and bolls on one limb, 
on the land where manured in ’41 — whereas on 
an adjoining row, we entertain no doubt 15 to 20 
was not on a plant. 
We have even now been preparing for ma- 
nure, and would be happy, if we could know 
that our neighbors every where had buried 
enough grass to “do likewise’’ — but fear cotton 
picking will catch some of them burying the 
thing. Take warning friends, and the next 
year buy two horse-plows, and good single 
lows ; though they may be heavy and require 
ard w’ork. Yet you will gain sometimes a 
month’s work in July and August, besides hav- 
ing your crops in good order earlier. We an- 
ticipate not to run a plow after the 19th or 20th 
— though we would if we could, not to injure 
the cotton — by breaking it. 
We give this not as any thing new, and only 
to awaken attention to the matter ; were we to 
advise, we would say use manure in abundance 
to a corn crop; it is an essential one; follow 
this crop w'ith cotton, having the corn stalks 
buried with a two-horse plow; this plan would 
give the cotton crop great advantage, and would 
ensure a bountiful crop of corn, which would 
feed more stock, make more manure, and thus 
enable you to give land its due — an occasional 
feeding. 
THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL, &c. 
We recollect when but a boy, seeing an old 
plantation on the Catawba river, containing 
some two or three hundred acres. It was then 
regarded as exhausted land, and consequently its 
fences were suffered to rot, or were burned, and 
for many years it lay out as forsaken. But at 
length it fell into other hands, and an effort was 
made to reclaim it. About one hundred acres 
were first enclosed, and with a large two horse 
plough it was thorougly broken up, early in the 
iall, turning under all the vegetable matter while 
green. In this condition it lay until about the 
first of February, when it was again well broken 
up, with the same big plough, after which it was 
prepared and planted in corn for one year, and 
produced probably as fine a crop as most n. w 
land with the first crop. We believe there was 
very little, if any manure, put on this land the 
first year. After the corn crop was gathered, 
this field was sowed in small grain, and pro- 
duced a veiy fair crop ; when this came off, the 
land was broken up as at the first, and lay thro’ 
the winter as before. What method has since 
been pursued with this land, we are not able to 
say. But after being in constant cultivation 
now, for fifteen years, when we last saw it, 
about eighteen months since, it still produced 
equal to the best Catawba lands. All the old 
fields belonging to the plantation had long since 
been brought under the same treatment, with 
the same success ; and some two years ago, this 
same land, which when a boy we were taught 
to regard as worthless, sold for S’JO per acre, 
thus showing what may be done with proper 
skill, combined with persevering industry. In 
this instance our heart was made glad to see 
the noble forest, still standing almost entire, in 
the neighborhood of these once old fields, that 
were now’ “covered with the smiling corn.” 
Much has been said against “book fanning,” 
and we very w'ell know that book knowledge 
will not make corn grow’, but w’e also know that 
agricultural Knowledge, united with agricultu- 
ral industry and perseverance, w’ill, as it has 
done in many cases, convert the barren desert 
into a fruitful field; while industry without 
skill, W’ill certainly convert the most fruitful 
field into a barren waste, as we have seen in 
hundreds of instances over the upper part of our 
fair Carolinas and Georgia. 
We suppose that old Virginia family, w’here 
that time honored rock has been kept from gen- 
eration to generation, to be put in one end ot the 
bag when they go to mill, are an industrious fa- 
mily, and yet w’e ventuie to say they have never 
converted an old worn-out, ihrowm-aw’ay field 
into a fruitful garden, smiling with an abund- 
ant harvest. They are still poor, hard-working, 
and we have no doubt, honest people. But why 
do they continue to use that old shaft plough ? 
Why are their horses still fed In a manger out- 
side of the gate, a hobble put on them, and they 
required to graze, exposed to the w’eather, where 
nothing is to be procured ? Why, in a word, is 
that old rock still kept in that industrious fami- 
ly? We suspect they have never read the 
Southern Planter, published at Richmond, Va., 
nor any other Agricultural periodical. They 
are ignorant of the principles of Agriculture. 
They have not the knowledge requisite for til- 
ling the ground to advantage, and therefore their 
toil is misapplied, consequently they are still 
poor, notwithstanding all their industry, it is 
not long since, we heard a man say of another, 
“ what a difference betw’ixt that man and his 
father. I knew his father w’ell, he was a very 
industrious mechanic, he worked hard, early 
and late, he understood his business well, that 
is, the mechanical part of it ; he was also a so- 
ber man, and that man lived and died a poor 
man. But there is his son, f llowing the same 
trade. He never seems to be in a hurrv. You 
seldom see him work w’ith his own hands, he 
always appears to be at his ease; and yet that 
young man has managed to acquire a large for- 
tune in a few years,” VVe asked what caused 
the difference. The answer was, “ the one had 
industry without management, the other com- 
bines management with industry,” We are 
proud to say that young mechanic is now one 
of the wealthiesi, and most respectable men of 
the place. Let us apply this to tilling the soil, 
either as Planters or h’armers, and we will soon 
find the true reason why so many industrious, 
hard-worki' g men, labor so hard on poor land 
to so little purpose. 
It is an old, but very true saying, “knowledge 
is power,” no matter to what branch of science 
or profession or business it is applied ; and we 
hold that the power of knowledge is as import- 
ant to the profession of Planting, as it is to Med- 
icine, Law, or anything else. Would that the 
culiivators of the soil would lay this to heart, 
more than they do. But whence is the requisite 
knowledge to he derived ? This, we confess, is 
a very important question, and our only answer 
is, from experience. Experience is said to be a 
good teacher in all things, and we wouldsuppose 
it especially so in Agriculture. But the objec- 
tion here is, “most ol us have no time, no means 
to make experiments.” Experience is general- 
ly a very dear and slow teacher. Then we 
would say, let us avail ourselves of the experi- 
ments of others, those of our own country and 
age, as well as of other countries and past ages. 
But to do this, W’e must read Agricultural pa- 
pers. Very well ; but this w’ill cost us some- 
thing! bo it W’ill — a few dollars a year ; but if 
by that means }’ou raise a better horse, cow, 
sheep or bog, at less expense, you will not lose 
by the operation. But then we have no time to 
read newspapers ! To this w’e would say, it is 
more agreeable to devote an hour or two in the 
week to the perusal of an interesting newspaper 
than to do that much extra work in the field; 
and if the knowledge gained by one hour devo- 
ted to the paper, w’ill save tw'o hours of hard 
w’ork in the hot sun or pinching cold, you will 
certainly be the gainer by it. We would there- 
fore say, by all means take an Aricultural pe- 
riodical. 
But, as we have been led on by this subject, 
far beyond our original design, we will here 
close for the present. 
S. C. Temperance Aevoccie. 
Tomato Ketchup. — Bake your tomatoes ripe 
and peeled, in a brown earthen pan, in a cool 
oven; then press out the juice and pulp through 
a sieve. Next to each quart of juice and pulp 
add i lb. of salt, 2 oz. of shallots (or onions) 1 
oz. of ground black pepper, \ of an oz, mace; 
the same weight of allspice, ginger and nutmeg. 
Pound the spices together and boil them with the 
tomato pulp half an hour; then pass the mix- 
ture through a sieve, and when cold bottle it 
This will keep good for years. 
Tomato Pickles. — Take tomatoes when two 
thirds ripe — prick them full of holes with a fork; 
then make a strong brine, boil and skim it. — 
IVhen cool, put ycur tomatoes in: let them re- 
main eight days, and then take out and put i 
them in weak vinegar. Let them lay 24 hours; , 
then take them out and lay a laying of tomatoes, i 
then a thin laying of onions, with a teaspoonful 
each of cinnamon, cloves and pepper, and a 
tablespoonful ol mustard ; then pour on sharp 
vinegar. You may put them in jars, if you 
like . — Michigan Far. 
How many hundreds of human beings in this 
world, have died in poverty and wretchedness, 
from the fact of their being taught that labor 
degrading? Oh! what a shame, and still we see 
this iaea taught in the 19ih century. — Ten. Agr. 
