THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 207 
excel it) the inanufaciure of their carpeting, 
will hjivl such a sley a great auxiliar}'', and so 
far as the home manufacture of these articlcg 
can contribute to our independence anti comfort, 
we can accomplish it, and I hope that our 
wives and daughters have both industry and na- 
triotism sufhcient to make the effort, provided 
they are seconded in their exertions by their 
husbands aud fathers. 
Yours, respectfully, 
Ansku.m Anthony. 
To the Editors of the Lou 'sviUe Journal: 
Gcn’.Lcmon , — riaving noticed in your paper a 
call on the larmer.s to send you their experience 
of this year in the different branches of farm- 
ing ana of the improvement of the soil, 1 will 
proceeu to give you mine in the raising and 
ploLigning under of broadcast corn. We had a 
field of thir:y-seven acres which had previously 
and the year before been cultivated in corn, and 
the soil of which required renovatingjand, believ 
ing nothing could be sown which would speed- 
ily accomplish the end proposed than broad- 
cast corn, 1 proceeded accordingly. The field, 
previously to being sown, had not been broken up 
and tne old stalks still remained upon the 
ground. 
Aocut the latter part of April! commenced 
sowing. Upon thirty acres I sowed two bushels 
of coin per acre, and upon the remaining seven 
three bushels per acre, and ploughed the whole 
under, old stalks and all, two inches deep. 
It came up and all grew equally until about 
two feet high, when a marked difference began 
to present itself, and at the age of maturity that 
which was sown thick had scarce reached five 
feet high, whilst the other had attained the height 
of seven or eight feet. Hence we see, for two 
reasons, a decided advantage in favor of thin 
sowing; first, because it requires less corn; 
and, secondly, your stocks v/ill grow both larger 
and taller, and from rny own observation I may 
add that less than two bushels per acre would 
perhaps be advantageous. And now comes the 
ploughing under. Finding it impossible, with 
the aid of a log-chain reaching from the beam 
of the plough to the end of the double-tree, to 
turn it under as well as desired, I determined to 
seek some other mode, and for that purpose 
knew of nothing better than the roller, which 1 
accordingly procured, and commenced rolling 
it down by lands of suitable width for the 
plough to follow. The roller is of such weight 
that when drawn by two horses it will mash the 
stalks dowm fiat with the ground, and 1 can un- 
hesitatingly say that stalks, even ten or twelve 
feet h gh, may in this way be completely turned 
under to the depth of four inches without inju- 
ry to the horses. 
Were my only object the rapid improvement 
of the soil, within the shortest space of time, I 
would not seek further or better means than first 
sowing down thick with rye, which I would 
plough under just before the time of ripening, 
to prevent its seeding the ground, and upon 
which 1 v/ould sow one bushel and a halt of 
corn per acre; thus, in the same season, plough- 
ingunder a heavy coat of rye and corn, which, 
in the short space of twelve months, will equal 
if not surpass any benefit which can be derived 
from clover in two years. 
Though last, not least, another important ad- 
vantage to be taken into consideration is, that 
by this double process your land is less exposed 
to the deteriorating effect of the sun’s rays, 
when a rye crop is ploughed under in June and 
corn sowed broadcast, than when with corn a- 
lone you would be compelled, if sown early to 
plough under in August, and consequently your 
land would be left exposed to the scorching in- 
fluence of an autumnal sun. 
October 12, 1843. 
2^ Virtue maketh men on earth famous, in 
their graves illustrious, and in Heaven immor- 
tal. 
From the Albany Cultivator. 
VALUABLE TABLE. 
Messrs. Gaylord tf* 'Fvclcer : — A few days ago, 
I was much in want of some dry measures of 
capacity, as 1 have often been before ; but this 
circumstance had never led me till then to ihink 
of the vast numbers of house keepers, especially 
farmers, who suffer inconvenience from the same 
cause ; in fact, 1 do not believe that I should err 
in rating them at ninety-nine m every hundred. 
Why they continue to do so, they themselves 
can best tell ; but it occurred to me that I rnigl t 
render them an acceptable service by publishing 
a list of boxes in a square form, which I made 
out lor my own use, to contain the following 
quantities : a barrel, half barrel, bushel, half 
bushel, peck, half peck, gallon, half gallon, and 
quart. The square shape was preferred, as be- 
ing far easier, both to make and to calculate, 
and the list was immediately sent to my friend 
Mr. Ruffin, editor of the Farmer’s Register. 
But, as many read your Cultivator who never 
see his paper, 1 now send the same statemenf to 
you, that you may publish it, if you think it 
may be useful. A similar table is not to be 
found in any book that I have ever seen ; al- 
though it is perfectly obvious to every body that 
it is much wanted. The advantage of buyers 
especially, would be considerable ; for they 
could always ascertain whether they received 
their proper quantity of any thing sold by dry 
measure, if they would only carry the table in 
their memories, or on a memorandum, together 
with a small rule in their pockets. 
table. 
A box 24 inches long by 16 wide, and28 inch- 
es deep, will contain a barrel, or 10,725 cubic 
inches. 
A box 24 inches long by 16 wide, and 14 inch- 
es deep, will contain a half barrel, or 5,376 cu- 
bic inches. 
A box 16 inches long bv 16 8-10 wide, and 8 
inches deep, will contain a bushel, or 2,150 4-10 
cubic inches. 
A box 12 inches long by 11 2-10 wide, and 8 
inches deep, will contain one peck, or 537 6-10 
cubic inches. 
A box 8 inches long by 8 wide, and 4 2-10 
deep, will contain a half peck, or 268 8-10 cubic 
inches. 
A box 7 inches long by 4 wide, and 4 8-10 in- 
ches deep, will contain a half gallon, or 134 4- 
10 cubic inches. 
A box 4 inches long by 4 wide, and 4 2-10 in- 
ches deep, will contain one quart, or 67 2-10 cu- 
bic inches. 
These measures all come wuthin a small frac- 
tion of a cubic inch of being perfectly accurate, 
as near, indeed, as any measures of capacity 
have ever yet been made for common use; the 
difficulty of making them with absolute exact- 
ness has never yet been overcome. 
in addition, gentlemen, to the motive already 
stated for making this communication to you, 1 
offer it as some small return for the instruction 
and entertainment w'hich I have already receiv- 
ed from your highly useful paper; and beg you 
to accept my very sincere w'i.shes for its future 
prosperity. 
I remain, gentlemen, very respectfully, your 
obedient servant, James M. Garnet. 
From the Southern Planter. 
GALLS AND GULLIES. 
Mr. Editor . — From the wretched system of 
cultivation in many parts of Virginia, the farms 
present an uncomely aspect from innumerable 
galls and gullies. Experience has taught me 
that these may be stopped without any very 
great labor. Every one in the field intended 
for corn, ought to be stopped. It is the more 
necessary, because observation will soon teach 
one that w’hen the hill sides are deeply ploughed 
and kept well cultivated, that but little super- 
fluous water passes down the gullies ; and hence 
there is less danger of their washing out alter 
having been filled up. The best time for the 
operation is as soon as the land thaws after a 
severe freeze; or during some wet time when it 
would not be proper to work in the fields. I 
commence b}' running a two horse plough up 
one side and'down the other, so as to throw the 
I dirt into the gully. The horse next the gull}'' 
i should be c mpled to the other by a long cord, 
aud that to the trace of the other below the at- 
tachment of the backhand. This precaution 
will be found necessaiy, so that if he fall in he 
may not pull his fellow afier him. The gully 
is a convenient deposit for any thing that may 
lie in the way, such as logs, stumps, rocks, 
brush, &c., but they are by no means essential 
for the success of the operation. 
It is generally necessary to have some hands 
with hoes, mattock.s,&c. as there are many pla- 
ces that the plough cannot reach in consequence 
of the zigzag form of the gully, until some dig- 
ging be done. Also many have forks, or prongs, 
so that the ploughing cannot be done until a 
crossing place be made near the main gully. — - 
I am in favor of continuing the operation only 
until the place becomes such that a single horse 
plough can cross with ease, and then leave the 
balance to the gradual washings of after years. 
When I have arrived at this stage 1 cover 
the whole place well with manure and sow 
small grain, (or peas,) and turn in the manure 
and small grain together, and then sow a mix- 
ture of different kinds of grass seeds with plas- 
ter of Paris, and cover the whole with straw. — 
In a few days the grain will put up through the 
straw and hold it so closely to the earth that the 
most washing rain will not remove it, I pre- 
fer a mixture of red clover, herdsgrass and 
greensward seeds. 
In the subsequent cultivation of the field the 
gullies should remain untouched by the plough 
or hoe; and in a little time the grass will form 
such a sward as to catch a sufficiency of dirt, 
during the washingof rains, to render the origi- 
nal gully nearly level. 
Those who have not tried this plan may be 
incredulous ; but such as doubt, may examine 
my farm and see for lhemselve.s, that gullies 
thus treated, have seldom been injured by wash- 
ing rains. It is often the case that less time 
will be required to stop a gully than would be 
lost in turning the plough during the cultivation 
of the crop. 
Every farmer ought to get clear of his gul- 
lies in four or five years, according to the num- 
ber of shifts he may have on his farm. 
I can say but little of the efficacy of hill side 
ditches to prevent gullies from washing out, but 
do not doubt their usefulness. I should have 
tried them if my professional engagements 
would have permitted me. 
If the foregoing shall not benefit any one, it 
may serve to elicit inlbrmation from some per- 
son more competent to instruct. 
R. D. Palmer. 
October 28, 1843. 
HINTS TO YOUNG FARMERS. 
Culture of the Mind. — You know well that 
one piece of land, a garden for instance, yields 
vastly more than another piece of ground of 
equal natural fertility. And you know equally 
well, that one man abounds more in knowledge 
and usefulness, than another to whom nature 
has been alike bountiful. It is culture — it is the 
industry and perseverance of man exerted in 
one case and not in the other, that produces the 
marked contrast in both. The cultivator is sure 
to be rewarded in his harvests, for the care and 
labor which he bestows upon the soil — and the 
reward is no less certain to him who devotes 
his leisure hours to the culture of the mind.— 
The soil administers to our annual wants.— 
Knowledge not only greatly assists in supply- 
ing these wants, but is the primary source of 
intellectual wealth, which dollars alone cannot 
give; and when consorted with good habits, 
tends to refine, elevate and distinguish men a- 
bove their fellows. Talent is not hereditary. — . 
You will see on looking around, that some of 
the most distinguished men of our country have 
sprung from the humblest parentage, They 
