VoL. I. AUGUSTA, Ga., DECEMBER 6, 1843. No. 25. 
From the S. C. Temperance Advocate. 
RUFFIN’.S REMARKS ON THE INDIAN PEA, 
And o La ’ f Manuring Crops and Forage Crops. 
To Ih- F rmers’ Society of Pendleton: 
Gzn’Ur.isn — When at your called meeting on 
the last., you requested me to deliver an ad- 
dress at your approaching annual meeting, 1 
was coaipelled to decline the honorable service, 
by several considerations, which it is unneces- 
sary to rej’eat. But though unwilling to at- 
tempt, .it such short notice, and amidst other and 
uncertain calls ol duty and business, to under- 
take so formal a matter as a regular address, it 
has occurred to me that possibly I may in some 
degree meet your wishes in another mode, in 
which the absence ol all pretension to the dig- 
nity ut form or manner, will at least serve to 
prevent that disappointment which would be 
produced by the performance falling below your 
too favorable and too high expectations. I will, 
therefo' C, hastily as my position and time com- 
pel, and in such plain manner as our recent per- 
sonal conference was conducted, repeat in writ- 
ing, or enlarge upon, and endeavor to more 
strongly impress some of the subjects of my 
then verbal remarks — and also, present some oth- 
er cursory views which seem applicable to your 
own agricultural position and circumstances. 
Among the great and peculiar blessings of 
South Carolina, are the two important products, 
or rather the capacity of climate and soil, for 
producing them, the sweet potate and the many 
varieties of the Indian or field pea. And al- 
though both these crops are cultvated on almost 
every plantation in the State, and generally to 
great extent, and though one •r both are used 
largely every where to furnish food to man and 
beast— still I venture to assert that the value of 
these products have not been yetlully apprecia- 
ted by one of their cultivators. As the sweet 
potato belongs less to your neighborhood than 
to the lower country, I will pass it by, with no 
further remark than that I deem it a far more 
valuable root crop than any other produced in 
the United States; and that even on plantations 
where there is the most use made of this root, 
its value will not be fully availed cf, while 
there shall exist any scarcity ol those dairy and 
live stock products, which are elsewhere ob- 
tained from much less nutritious roots, as tur- 
neps, beets, carrots, Irish potatoes, &c. 
For the pea crop, the climate and soil of this 
region may perhaps be also somewhat less pro- 
pitious than those of the lower country. But no 
where else have I met with better growths of 
peas than I have seen recently here; and no 
where such modes of raising the crop, (though 
but in few cases.) to serve for hay or lor ma- 
nure to the land — and of which peculiar and as 
yet very limited practices, I wish to induce 
your adoption and extensive use. 
The almost universal mode of raising the pea 
crop in South Carolina is by planting among 
corn. The length of the summer permits this 
planting to be done after the corn is well ad- 
vanced in growth, and for the peas to have time 
to perfect their growth after that of the corn has 
ceased. Universal experience seems to have 
confirmed the value and profit ol the pea crop 
thus made. But this mode, however advanta- 
geous, seems to me of far less benefit, than either 
of several other modes. Of one of these I 
have myself had large and satisfactoiy experi- 
ence, under a less favorable climate — and others 
I have but just seen in this neighborhood, or 
elsewhere in this State. 
Whatever may be the amount of product, or 
ol profit, from raising peas among corn, as a 
secondary cultivated crop, it is attended with 
much trouble in the planting, and separate til- 
lage. 
Peas, (like red clover, which is also a plant 
ol the pea tribe,) draw sustenance very largely 
from the atmosphere, by their system of broad 
leaves, compared to what they draw from the 
soil. Hence such plants take less from the 
land, and return more to it, than any others, and 
therefore are the best of manuring or meliora- 
ting crops, to be alteriiated with the more ex- 
hausting grain and tillage crops. In this re- 
spect, red clover has stood unrivalled, because 
in the moi'e northern and improved lands, where 
its adimralde manuring and cleansing qualities 
have been fully expenenc.'d, peas cannot be as 
well raised. From some trials made here, there 
is good reason to hope that red clover may be 
raised to great advantage, even without lime, 
the application of which would ensure its per- 
fect success. But, even if this were not so, the 
pea crop sown broadcast is scarcely less valua- 
ble than clover as a manuring crop, and superi- 
or to it in several other respects. And the great 
ground of recommendation of the pea crop, is 
that it may be introduced after either of seve- 
ral diffeient grain crops, and to fill longer or 
shorter intervals of time, which would other- 
wise be fruitless for melioration, or serve to fill 
the land with foul weeds and depredating insects. 
In this manner, peas may be advantageously 
used to improve and add to any scheme of rota- 
tion of crops — lessening the exhausting opera- 
tion and destructive effects of the worst rota- 
tions — or making one really improving and ex- 
cellent, which, without the addition of peas, 
would be more exhausting than meliorating. 
The principal experience which I have had 
of peas as a manuring and cleansing crop in 
my own practice, was the sowing the field broad- 
cast, upon a good and clean plowing, and har- 
rowing in the seed, (of the cow pea, or some other 
variety producing much vine and leaf,) about 1 J 
bushels to the acre. The crop at or near matu- 
rity of the more forward pods, should be well 
plowed under about a month before the time to 
sow wheat. The wheat should be sown on the 
same furrow, and covered by the harrow. This 
is an admirable preparation, serving by the 
thickly covering and shading and smothering 
and subsequently killing of the peas, well to 
cleanse and also to manure the land, and to pro- 
duce a much better crop of wheat than can pos- 
sibly follow corn, cotton, and still more wneat 
itself or other broadcast grain. The sole ob- 
jection to this preparation is the cost of the 
plowing for the pea seeding; and this perhaps 
may be often saved by a new practice of which 
I have recently learned something elsewhere. — 
The black pea, and also a dark red pea, will 
lie upon the ground, or remain covered therein, 
through winter without rotting, and will germi- 
nate and grow in the spring. Availing ol this 
property, these peas have been successfully 
sown both late in autumn, (or early part ol win- 
ter,) with wheat, and in spring with oats. The 
peas grow but little until the grain crop is re- 
moved, and then grow rapidly, and soon form a 
good cover. It is not to be supposed that this 
plan will always succeed. But it has done well, 
on a small scale of operations, for three years, 
as conducted by Wm. R. Davis, Esq., in Fair- 
field, and for six years on a larger scale, byMaj. 
J. Littlejohn in Union. 
If it be not desired to use the broadcast pea 
crop to prepare for and manure for wheat — or 
if it be prelerred to save the crop for hay — then 
the latter may be done, as I had the benefit of 
seeing but a fi-w days ago, on the neighboring 
plantation of one of your Society, the Hon. J. 
C. Calhoun. The crop of peas was mowed by 
the scythe; and after lying a few hours in the 
sun, and without being turned, the vines were 
put up in high and narrow cocks around a stake 
5 or 6 feet high, to stand until cured enough to 
be stored in the house. This plan (which, by 
the way, with smaller cocks, is the best mode I 
have ever known of curing all kinds of grass for 
hay,) saves the trouble of turning the hay with 
forks, and the loss by such turning, causing the 
dropping of the leaves and shedding the ripe 
peas, as w'ell as too much sunning the hay. — 
The provender thus saved is excellent, and the 
land is left clean for any succeeding crop. In 
this case, the cow pea was the variety used, and 
the sowing was in May, at the rate of two and 
a half bushels to the acre.* 
A still moi'e admirable plan of raising peas I 
saw' on part of the s me plantation. The seed 
had been sown broadcast (one bushel to the 
acre) in the corn land at the last plowing, which 
was in July. The crop of corn w'e suppose may 
be 25 bushels to the acre; and the peas (as seen 
on the 26th of Sept.) formed a thick and rank 
cover of the whole ground. 
I will now suggest the application of what 
appear to be the advantages oflered by the pea 
crop, to the increase of the general improvement 
to attained from rotation, or alternate crop- 
ping. 
The great benefits to be attained from a pro- 
per system of rotation of crops, including rest 
to the land, or of manuring crops alternating 
with the exhausting, would seem scarcely to be 
known in South Carolina, as nearly all existing 
practice is in opposition to, or disregard of, the 
principles of rotation. In the lower and middle 
districts, where cotton and corn a re the great and 
all important crops, and w'here there is scarcely 
any broadcast crops, there is also scarcely any- 
thing like rotation practised. In the upper dis- 
tricts bordering on the mountains, and where 
cotton ceases to be a principal crop, and wheat 
(or oats) becomes so, there is in use an imper- 
’It was not nntil after this communication had beea 
sent to the President of the Society, that I saw another 
mode of harvesting pea hay, which is still more safo 
than that described above, though requiring more labor. 
Stack poles 12 to 15 feet long, and about 4 inches in di- 
ameter at the larger end, are set firmly in the ground, 
where wanted. At about 4 and also 8 feet from the 
ground, the pole has an auger hole, 2 inches in diame- 
ter, bored through, and a strong, round stick, five feet 
long, passed through each hole. The pea-vines are 
pulled up, or cut, when there is no moisture remaining 
on them frorri rain or dew, and after lying part of a day, 
or otherwise immediately after being cut, (according to 
weather and other circumstances,) the vines are stack- 
ed around the pole There ought to be some open rulJ 
bish on the ground as a loundation; but even this 
rarely provided. The stack ought to be 5 feet in ^ajn-. 
eter, until near the top, when it is brought to a poinU 
and a slight cap of straw put on, if designed to, status 
long. The sticks serve to admit atr, and to prevent too 
much of the weight of the stack pressing o» the lower 
part. The provender is thus well cur^ and entirely 
saved. This method was first introduced ifl, this neighs, 
borhood by Mr. Thomas M. SloaH) who has practised i.t 
successfully fer eight years. 
