THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
iamenar : 
150 
C O M M U N I CATIONS. 
SEED. 
CONALAGGA, MaCON Co., Ai.A., ) 
August, 1843. 5 
Seed is the deciduous part of a plant compri- 
sing the rudiments of a new plant. It is the 
new plant in its embryo slate containing tne 
germ of the future plant, and the parenchyma 
which nourishes the young plant until its roots 
seek nourishment in the soil. The ultimate ob- 
ject of the growth of plants is the perfection of 
seed ; consequently, every thing which hinders 
or injures the perfect growth of the plant, must 
derogate from the perfection of the .seed. This 
is as plain as that cause produces eflecl. As 
the seed is the rudiments of the new plant, of 
course the plant partakes of every imperfect 
quality of the seed, with which will be combined 
in the new seed further impei lections, the re- 
sult of injuries sustained in its present growth. 
These combining in the lineal descent Afect 
from every extraneous cause, every one have a 
tendency to lessen the perfect growUh of the 
plant, and to hasten its degeneracy, which seems 
to be a natural con-sequence. Some seed ma- 
ture w'ell on any soil; others are more choice, 
and require their peculiar soil, to which they 
are adapted. Cold ivet land is injurious to the 
perfection of any seed, before the soil becomes 
incorporated and its rankness neutralised, the 
seed does not mature well. This and many 
other varieties of soil produce results different 
in germinating seed; but to discourse these 
particulars, would protract this article to too 
great length— suffice it to say, that light mellow 
soil, to which the sun has access, produces the 
best seed cotton— it is well known to mature 
best on a sandy loam — corn and small grain on 
a clayey loam. Climate seems to be the parent 
of the genus of plants producing its peculiar 
kind, which may be reproduced in the same 
climate without diminution, but when produced 
in foreign climes, it must suffer either a change 
of kind degeneracy, or destruction. The inci- 
dents attending the grow'th of plants, which are 
injurious, and which detract from the purity of 
seed, are very much rain at a certain time, giv- 
ing to the stalks too luxurious a growth, scat- 
ters and prevents the assimulation of the fecun- 
dating matter — noxious weeds and grass crowd- 
ing near, drawing the nourishment from the 
soil, preventing the gradual and uniform exten- 
sion of the roots— wounds of the stems or 
branches prevent the regular flow of the juices 
— cutting the roots when the plants commence 
to bear seed, curtails the resources of the plants 
and diminishes the supply of matter so essential 
in the ultimate purpose, the perfection of seed. 
To raise seed to perfecthm, or as near as may 
be allowed, we should have peculiar regard to 
the selection, choosing the heaviest and most 
perfect, plant them at a proper time, upon soil 
judiciously selected, nourish it well, give every 
help to its growth, top off its superfluous branch- 
es, remove every thing tvhich would operate 
against its growth or healthiness, gather the 
seed when perfectly matured, which may be as- 
certained by the dryness of the stem, and put 
them away perfectly dry. I am aware that 
perfection is hardly attainable in any thing, for 
accidents will occur, though we strive assidu- 
ously against them. Yet, if we endeavor to 
carryout these principles, by applying judici- 
ously all the means within our power, though 
accidents may occur tending to blast our efforts, 
their effect will be lost in the succession by its 
strong tendency to perfection, and an improve- 
ment will be attained upon the common stock, 
and a reward for our toils. 
William Todd. 
CULTURE OF COTTON. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker — I perceive 
from your last number that Dr. Cloud’s plan of 
cultivating Cotton, or at least his statement of 
its results, is received generally with small fav- 
or and less faith. While those of “little faith” 
aiid perhaps of smaller works, are condemning 
his plan and discrediting his statement, it is but 
lair that those who have adopted similar modes 
of cultivation, with similar results, should give 
him and the public the benefit of their testimony. 
In the ni'inths of January and February, in 
the year 1841, I had a lot of fiv'e acres opened at 
intervals of 34 feet, with furrows down to, and 
sometimes into the clay. In these furrows I 
deposited stable manure at a rate not less than 
400 bushels per acre, and running immediately 
upon each .side of these furrows witli a turn 
plow, I buried the manure. Thus my beds for 
cotton were partly maae: the superincumbent 
soil prevented, at least in part, the escape of the 
volatile portion of my manure, w'hich being put 
deep, and the soil gradually accumulating over 
it in the process of cultivation, it was kept at 
all times properly moist, wdthout which it does 
but little good. 
Cotton being a tap-rooted plant, I doubt not 
that it would be an improvement upon the 
above plan, to open with a coulter plow, the 
clay or subsoil in or rather under these furrows, 
before depositing the manure; to the end that 
the soluble pordon of the manure might subside 
gradually to a .still greater depth. The lot 
which I manured upon the above plan, was 
originally a thin soiled chestnut ridge ; had been 
cleared between forty and fifty years, and was 
of course completely exhausted. Indeed 200 
lbs. of seed cotton per acre, would have been 
considered a good crop for such land, upon the 
usual plan of cultivation without manure. — 
About the last of March, I put two additional 
furrows wdth a turn plow, which completed my 
beds. The.se beds I opened with a coulter, 
sowed the seed in the usual manner, and cover- 
ed with a board. This lot, thus manured and 
planted, received no extra care in the after cul- 
ture, was treated in every respect like the bal- 
ance of my crop. The result was 4,430 lbs. of 
seed cotton from the lot, or 886 lbs. per acre. 
But as I sowed this lot in vvheat in the fall of 
that year, and before the cotton had been all 
neatly gathered, I may fairly set down the yield 
of the lot at 4,500 lbs. or 900 lbs. per acre. Here 
was an increase of between four and five fold the 
first vear, and as I have planted upon land sim- 
ilarly treated, and gathered a second crop equal 
to the first, I consider myself as yet m the midst 
of an experimert, the final result of which can 
alone determine the full amount of benefit to be 
derived from a single application of manure. 
It will be at once observed that my plan differs 
in several points from Dr. Cloud’s. I drill at 
3| feet, and chop out m the usual way, leaving 
the stalks as nearly as possible from 18 inches 
to two feet apart : while he checks at three by 
five feet. Thus he gives to each plant an area 
of 15 square feet, while I do not give an average 
of 7. He spreads and plows in 300 bushels of 
manure per acre, broadcast, while 1 apply none 
in that way. His was a deep sandy soil, with 
clay at a depth of 2 or 3 feet ; mine a very shal- 
low, stiff, red soil, with a very firm red clay, 
lying at various depths, from 0 to 6 inches be- 
low the surface, with an abundance of white 
flint or quartz rock upon it. The 300 bushels 
of manure which he applied broadcast, was 
doubtless of great advantage to his crop, and 
would in all probability have doubled mine. In 
other respects, I think his plan the best for his 
land ; and mine, with a little more space to each 
plant, the best for mine. 
The incredulous wdll of course con.sider this 
experiment of mine as lending no countenance 
to Dr. Cloud’s statement ; Dut w'hen every cir- 
cumstance is fairly considered, I think it dees. 
My experience, however, does not stop here. I 
cultivated the same year another small lot about 
85 yards long and as many wide, or 7225 square 
yards, which is 1 477-968 acres, or rather less 
than an acre and a half. This lot, in its primi- 
tive state, was of precisely similar quality with 
the 5 acre lot. About one-third of an acre of 
this, certainly not more, had been for several 
years a stable lot ; the balance of it, descending 
from this by a considerable declivity, 1 cultiva- 
ted, believing it may have been benefitted b}' 
washings from the stable lot portion. The sur- 
face soil had been nearly all washed away for 
years. The manure upon the stable lot portion 
had been carefully scraped up and removed, so 
that the manure left vms such only as had been 
absorbed by the soil. To the other portion no 
manure was applied. This lot was broken 
up deep and planted about the last of March, 
and the rows running horizontally around the 
declivity, were from 3 to 4 feet wide, according- 
ly as the land was considered poor or otherv ise. 
From this lot I gathered 1,707 lbs. cotton in the 
seed. Of that I set down 1,400 lbs. to the stable 
lot portion, leaving to the balance 307 lbs, which 
1 am sure is a liberal allowance. But little of 
the weed on this lot, except on the stable lot 
portion, attained a height of 18 inches — much 
of it not even 6 inches. The stable lot portion, 
had attained an average height of 6 feet by the 
last of July, and was so much interlocked that 
it was impossible to pass through it without 
doing great injury to the branches. By the 
middle of August, the weed on this portion 
ceased growing and the whole vegetative energy 
of the plant seemed directed to the development 
and maturity of bolls, of which there were vast 
numbers. This cotton suffered much from two 
causes. It was too much crowded, which caus- 
ed a very great number of the earlier or bottom 
bolls to rot for want of sun and air. Towards 
the latter part of August, a wet spell of weather 
of several weeks duration set in, which produ- 
cing a second growth of the weed, caused vast 
numbers of furns, blooms, and young bolls to 
fall off, which a moderate season would have 
matured Under all these disadvantages, there 
was still a yield at the rate of 4,200 lbs. per 
acre. 
I have only room to add that I highly approve 
of Dr. Cloud’s plan, and that my own experi- 
ence and observation forbid that I should dis- 
credit the general correctness of his statement. 
I have long been of opinion that it would be of 
great service to the cotton region of South Car- 
olina and Georgia partiularly, to divert at least 
one-third of all the labor employed in raising 
manure. The result would be equal crops of 
cotton at leastj upon a greatly reduced number 
of acres; the improvement and renovation of 
our worn lands ; larger crops of corn and grain; 
more hogs, cattle, sheep, horses and mules rais- 
ed at home — our country, in short, adorned, 
beautified and enriched. 
Very respectfully, yours, 
S. Fouche. 
Taliaferro Co., Ga., June 23, 1843. 
Southern Cultivator. 
Blackberry Syrup. — The following direc- 
tions for preparing this article, pleasant for the 
taste, and the best remedy for the summer com- 
plaint among children, we find in the Maine 
Cultivator. To two quarts of the juice of black- 
berries, add one lb. of loaf sugar, half an ounce 
of nutmeg, half an ounce of cinnamon pul veriz 
ed. To this add half an ounce of cloves, and 
quarter of an ounce of allspice, pulverized. Boil 
all together for a short time, and when cold, add 
a pint of proof brandy. Bottle carefully, and 
keep in a cool place for use. 
