THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
151 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1843. 
Back Numbers. — All new subscribers to the 
•‘Southern CultPv^ator” can be supplied with the 
back numbers. 
•L THE CROPS. 
The prospect ot ihe corn crop is indeed most 
flattering, from every section ol the Union Ifom 
which we have any intelligence, and leads to the 
conclusion, that the crop will be very abundant. 
Of our own great staple, however, the prospect 
is not so cheering to the heart of the husband- 
man. Although it may be justly regarded too 
early to speculate with any degree of certainty 
as to the growing crop of cotton, yet all concur 
in the the opinion, that the late spring, and the 
continued rains of July and Augu.st, which were 
general throughout the cotton growing region, 
have operated so prejudicially, that the most 
favorable fall ever known could not produce as 
large a crop as that ol'last year. Nor is this in 
our opinion desirable, yet we should be pleased 
to see a fair average crop, which we think will 
be produced, if the frost keeps off till the 15th ol 
October — provided the weather continues favor- 
able for the maturing of the staple till that 
period. 
WILKES COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
In the Washington News we find the follow- 
ing jiouce of the proceedings of this Society, at 
a meeting held on the 7th inst. We also learn 
from the News, that the amount of the pre- 
miums to be awarded by the Society, wi.l be 
regulated by the state of the treasury at the 
time. 
Resolved, That premiums be awarded for the 
following stock, to be exhibited on Friday, the 
20th of October next, in Washington : 
For the best Horse. 
“ Colt, under one year old. 
“ Cow. 
“ Native Cow, which if she be the 
best cow exhibited, may take 
both premiums. 
“ Bull. 
“ Boar. 
“ Sow. 
It was further Resolved, That none shall com- 
pete for the premiums who have not become 
members by paying the admission fee of one 
dollar’, and signing the con.stitution; though all 
persons are invited to attend and exhibit their 
stock. 
The semi-annual meeting of the Society will 
take place on Friday, the 20th of October, at 
which time a public address will be delivered 
by a member of the Society. 
It has been our purpose, and our constant ef- 
fort, since our attempt to establish an agricultu- 
ral paper at the South worthy of the patronage 
of Southern planters, to I’ender it the fit and 
proper medium of communication for whatever 
pertains to the progress of agriculture around 
us. We have therefore felt some surprise that 
the officers of the few Agricultural Societies in 
Georgia, should seem studiously to avoid giv- 
ing to us, directly, any information connected 
with their respective .societies, their progress, 
&c. &c. In the absence of which, we have been 
compelled to glean whatever of their proceed- 
ings we have from time to time published, from 
our exchange papers — papers not devoted as- 
ours, exclusively to the cause of Agriculture. 
We mention this fact in no spirit of complaint, 
but simply to notify the officers of the respective 
societies, that we deem our paper the appro- 
priate medium for communicating their pto- 
ceedings to their brother planters, and shall al- 
weljs take pleasure in giving them a place, to- 
gether with any interesting or valuable facts 
they may feel disposed to communicate. It is 
true, every Society has an undoubted right to 
give its proceedings publicity through whatever 
medium it may choo.se, or deem most fit and 
proper — a right which we .shall not controvert, 
or of the exercise of which complain. Yet at 
the same time, we feel that something is due to 
us from those in whose behalf we are devoting 
our energies, and while we express a willing- 
ness to give place to such items of intelligence, 
the withholding of them by the officers certainly 
savors of a disposition not to second us in our 
efforts. Wetherelore hope that the Agricultural 
Societies throughout the State, as well as those 
in South Carolina and Alabama, who may feel 
disposed, will in future avail themselves of our 
columns as the proper medium through which 
to give their proceedings publicity. 
GAPES IN CHICKENS. 
The following is an extract of a letter receiv- 
ed from a friend in Caroline : 
“It writing to you, it will probably not be 
amiss to communicate a fact which will be of 
some interest to the lovers of fried chickens , — 
Some of my neighbors have entirely prevented, 
and others have speedily cured that destructive 
malady, the gapes in their chickens, oy mixing 
a small quantity of spirits of turpentine in their 
food. From five to ten drops, added to a pint of 
meal to be made into dough, are the propor- 
tions used. I have no doubt of the universal 
and certain succe.ss of the remedy, relying, as I 
do, upon the character of those who have com- 
municated it to me. Yours, 
Benj4Min Anderson. 
Southern Ptanter. 
Neatness.— “A place for everything, and 
everything in its place.” This should be the 
motto of the farmer. Neatness, of all virtues, 
is the most commendable, for without it no oth- 
er virtue can long exist. Supposing a farmer 
has a slatternly wife— can he, think you, be as 
good a husband as though his helpmate was 
neat and tidy 7 Assuredly not. There will be 
so many crosses — so much of provmcation and 
annoyance, and so little of uniformity and sys- 
tem in her domestic arrangement, that he will 
sometimes find fault, and vent the fullness of a 
ju.st indignation in censure “loud and deep.” 
This is always unpleasant — always disagreea- 
ble, what every one whose “ combativeness ” 
is not the ruling passion, the predominating 
characteristic of his mind, will by all means 
labor to avoid. On the other hand, a slack, in- 
dolent husband — given to much smoking, horse- 
racing or tavern-haunting, will destroy the feli- 
city, and break down the energies of the best 
w'ife in the land. There is nothing, perhaps, of 
which woman-kind are more invincibly tena- 
cious, than of their dome.stic emolument; those 
little rights and privileges which pertain exclu- 
sively to the “realm within;” and whenever 
these are wantonly invaded — no matter w'hether 
by an act of sheer indolence on the part of the 
offender, or by brutal aggressions arising froih 
a vain and capricious spirit of causeless inter- 
ference, the harmony ol the “marriage state ” 
vibrates into discord, and the whole machine is 
at once thrown out of gear. A quid of tobacco 
in the batter pan, or a pipe full of a.shes in the 
stew-dish, is enough to destroy the equanimity 
of any woman ; while dishes never washed, 
^eds never made, and floors never clean — with 
all the other innumerable and unmentionable 
negligencies which add to the repulsive cata- 
logue of a slut’s offences, are sufficient to upset 
the equanimity of a stoic, and unhinge the pa- 
tience of Job himself. To a person thus cir- 
cumstanced, 
“There is ’na luck about the house.” 
No matter how prosperously the world may 
go without, all within will be strife and discord, 
and the “latter end of such, ten to one, will be 
more wretched than the first.” — Maine Cul. 
WORK FOR SEPTEMBER. 
As much of the success of next year’s labors 
will depend upon the manner in which the work 
of this month may be executed, we feel that we 
cannot too urgently impress upon our agricul- 
tural brethren the necessity of paying particular 
attention to every duty now devolving upon 
them, and to see that whatever may be done, 
shall be performed in the best possible manner, 
and that no delay which can be avoided be per- 
mitted to take place as to the time of its perfor- 
mance. With this brief introduction, we shall 
proceed to point out what ought now to be at- 
tended to ON THE FARM. 
Fall Ploughing for Grain. — Many of you 
have doubtless commenced this work. To such 
we say, push on with your labors until you shall 
have completed them. To those who have not 
begun, our actvice is, to begin without another 
day’s delay ; and on both we would urge the 
propriety of observing care as to the manner of 
ploughing. Let your furrows be ploughed deep, 
and the slices so laid as to bury all vegetable 
matter and pulverize the soil ; for, believe us, 
these are objects of the very first importance. 
Seeding Rye. — In putting in this crop see that 
you commit your seed to soil calculated to re- 
munerate you for your labor, as it is fruitless 
to be expending your force and time on land too 
poor to yield a compen.sating return. Where 
the ground may be really poor, by the applica- 
tion of a bushel of plaster and two bushels of 
salt, or four ol ashes per acre, you may place 
the soil in a position to make moderate amends 
for its lack of fertility, as these substances will 
absorb nutriment from the atmosphere, assimi- 
late with it, and dispense it to the crop, as well 
as maintain a healthful moisture throughout the 
season. Be sure, too, to get your Rye in early, 
and to sow at least five pecks to the acre. It is 
scarcely necessary for us to remind you, that no 
land should be seeded before it is finely pulver- 
ized by repeated harrowings, and that after the 
seed is in, it should be again harrowed and fin- 
ished by rolling. 
Seeding Wheat. — We last month endeavored 
to impress upon you the propriety oX early seed- 
ing, and we will here repeat, that we believe 
much danger may be avoided by getting in this 
grain much earlier than you have been in the 
habit of .sowing it. We will sum up our advice 
in a few brief rules: Sow early— sow-plenty of 
seed, not less than Into bushels to ihe acre — soak 
your seed in salt brine or ley, for 12 or 24 hours 
before soieing, and as you take it out to sow, dry it 
in lime or ashes — if your land has not been limed 
or marled, sow thereon five bushels of lime per acre, 
after ihe seed is in — if your land is not -rich, sow 
over each oxre a bushel of plaster and. two of salt. 
Indeed, whether rich or not, we think you will 
find your interest promoted by sowing the plas- 
er and salt over it, as we believe it would have 
he tendency of not only fixing the ammonia in 
he soil, but of retaining it in .store, to be fed 
