THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
15 
Agricultural Societies.— Again and again 
have we urged the necessity oi terming Socie- 
ties and Clubs in every county and neighbor- 
hood ; and we are pleased to observe that in 
several counties, a proper spirit has been aroused. 
There are, however, too many counties in 
which no move has been made on the subject. — 
This state of things should not continue, par- 
ticularly in a community where there is so much 
necessity for improvement ; and we therefore 
repeat our solicitation to the friends ol agricultu- 
ral improvement, to organize Societies. Let 
not the indifference of a lew self-conceited farm- 
ers, who think that “ nothing can be taught them 
about farming,” dampen your ardor in the good 
cause. You who are willing to profit by the ex- 
perience and counsel of others, know the advan- 
tages to accrue from such Societies, and you 
should not laulter in the good work. 
While on this subject, we beg leave to intro- 
duce the following very just and sensible re- 
marks of the “New Genesee Farmer,” which 
we commend to the attention of every friend of 
agriculture. 
How TO Sustain County Societies. — Those 
v/ho desire to see their County Agricultural 
Societies increase in numbers, and in spirit and 
usefulness should take pains to increase the cir- 
culation of agricultural papers among the farm- 
ers of their county. In no other way can the 
object be so easily gained. All experience and 
observation have shown that reading farmers 
are the only ones that can be relied on to sus- 
tain and carry forward these grand means of 
improvement. Take your horses, then, ye 
friends of agriculture, and spend a day or two 
in calling on the farmers of your town or coun- 
ty, and induce them all to become reading farm- 
ers — they, or their children, will thank you for 
it hereafter. 
Progress of Improvement. — From “E. W.” 
of Narcoochee, Habersham county, we have the 
following flattering evidence of the lively inter- 
est which the subject of Agriculture is exciting 
among our citizens, from which we confidently 
predict the most satisfactory results. No citi- 
zen in Georgia has a finer opportunity to com- 
pete with the Kentuckian, in a large yield of 
corn, than “ E. W.” and we rejoice to see that 
he “ loont stay beat.” This is the right spirit, 
and augurs most favorably for the cause of ag- 
ricultural improvement. We hope he will en- 
ter fully into the rivalry, and give us, at the ex- 
piration of the year, the actual result— having 
accurately measured the land and its product. 
We concur fully with our correspondent, in 
the propriety of converting much of the land in 
the Northwestern part oi Georgia, into meadow 
lands and the culture of grasses. It is certainly 
a reflection upon our home industry and enter- 
prise, that a large portion, (in fact, quite all,) of 
the Hay consumed in the Southern and Eastern 
sections of Georgia, particularly in the c ities, is 
supplied by New England. The same remark 
will apply with nearly equal force in reference 
£o Butter and Cheese. It requires time, howev- 
er, to correct these things ; and we doubt not, a 
few years hence, the hardy yeomanry of our 
Northwestern counties will supply many of the 
articles which are now obtained from abroad. — 
If we mistake not, “ E, W.” is a most worthy 
son of New England, and therefore speaks ad- 
visedly of the capacity of the “ Mountain Hills” 
to produce Irish Potatoes. We think he might 
also have added, with great propriety. Apples 
and, perhaps, Pears. For all of these articles, a 
large amount of money is annually sent abroad 
— which, by a judicious S3'stem of economy and 
well directed agricultural industry, should be 
kept at home. 
AVe hope “£. AV.” will frequently seek our 
columns to communicate his well digested prac- 
tical views. 
Mr. Editor : — 1 am pleased to receive the 
first number of the second volume of the “South- 
ern Cultivator,” — a paper which no Planter 
should be without. It is exceedingly gratifying 
to hear, through the “Cultivator,” what our 
brother farmers, in this and other States, are do- 
ing. Our friend in Kentucky beat me at rais- 
ing corn last year, but I leont stay beat. AVe 
have lands in Georgia which will yield equal to 
their best in Kentucky. In 1842, 1 had a swamp 
cleared, containing about 20 acres: it was late 
in May before it was ready for planting; and, 
notwithstanding, there was much vvet weather, 
(which prevented our cultivating it as it should 
have been,) it yielded from 80 to 100 bushels to 
the acre — besides, a fine crop of pumpkins and 
melons. 
From many year’s experience, 1 am convin- 
ced we should plant less, and cultivate our lands 
better. For years, I gave my attention to the 
raising of corn; but I find our lands can be used 
much 'mere profitably, and at less expense — not 
in “digging” them up for gold, oh no ! — but in 
sowing- grass, and turning them into meadows. 
AVe can make as good hay, and as.much as can 
be raised on their best meadows in the New 
England States. Off of 10 acres, we can make 
hay enough to winter 300 head of cattle and 
mules. The “Mountain Range,” which is free 
to all, is inexhaustible, affording fine grass for 
cattle and horses from April to December. 
A good farmer should have at least 50 milch 
cows, and make Goshen Butter and Cheese 
enough to supply your city. — Our mountain hills 
grow \he genuine Irish Potatoes, equal in quality 
and quantity, to the Potatoes raisea in Maine. — 
AVe ought, by all means, to send, from Haber- 
sham county, 1000 barrels Potatoes. Theques- 
tion is, why don’t we do it? E. tV. 
Curing Corn. — The impoitanceof this crop 
renders the subject of the best method of gath- 
ering and curing it, one of deep interest to the 
planter, AVe have, therefore, copied into this 
number, an article from the “Cultivator,” which 
expresses a decided preference for the plan of 
cutting off the stalk at the ground, and curing 
stalks, corn and fodder all together. AA'hile we 
regard this plan as of very doubtful propriety at 
the South, where the crop generally ripens in 
September, long before frost, we nevertheless 
deem it of sufficient importance to give the 
views of the editors, and invite the attention of 
our planters to their consideration, with the hope 
that some of them will attest their applicability 
to this climate by actual experiments. 
Fine Hogs. — J. D. Copeland, of Cracker’s 
Neck, Greene county, writes us as follows ; — 
On the 28th December last, I killed a couple 
of “ Land Pikes,” or Common Stock Pigs. On 
the day I butchered them, they were just 21 
months and 8 days old, and they weighed as fol- 
lows— 604 and 441 lbs., making together 1045 
lbs, neat pork ; and saved from both 207 lbs. ol 
first rate lard. My manner of raising them is 
quite simple— they ran in my kitchen yard as 
pets until they were probably 6 months old; I 
then put them in a lot, and fed them on corn and 
slops from the kitchen occasionally, until some 
4 weeks before I killed them — I then put them 
in a close pen, and fattened them on com meal. 
From the above experiment, 1 am fully convin- 
ced that our native stock is good enough, if well 
attended to. 
Best Method of Curing Corn. — Our Indi- 
an corn crop is one of the most valuable, if not 
the most valuable crop cultivated in the United 
States, and every thing relative to the best meth- 
ods of g"owing and securing it are proportion- 
ably important. In si-curing Indian corn, two 
methods are commonly used; tne first, is to top 
the corn, by cutting ihe stalk immediately above 
the ear, and this is usually done as soon as the 
grain is glazed, though some farmers scarcelj" 
wait for this. The second is to cut up the corn 
by the bottom as soon as the ear is glazed, bind 
the stalks and ears in small bundles, set them 
up, and let them stand till thoroughly' cured, In 
the first method only the upper j art of the stalk 
is saved for fodder, but the corn ripens finelyq 
and nothing can be more beautiful than a field 
in which the husks have fallen from the ripened 
graia, and the thick golden ears give a promise 
of the rich harvest at hand. Still w'e prefer the 
second method, and that from ample experience 
of L oth. AVe have our corn cut up by the bot- 
tom, because in that way we save the whole 
ef the stalks for fodder, and that is no unimport- 
ant matter to the farmer. In topping, only the 
poorest part of the stalk is saved, for il cut and 
cured properly, there is no more nutritious food 
for animals than the stalk of corn. It is true 
when very large, cattle and sheep are unable to 
eat them; but if converted into chaff by a cut- 
ting machine, as they can easily be, there is no 
food eaten more readily, or with more profit. It 
is not hazarding much to say that there is more 
value in an acre of cornstalks cut by the bot- 
tom and properly fed out, than in an acre of or- 
dinary hay', and no farmer can afford to dispense 
with such an item in providing for his stock. 
Bui the saving in the stalk is not all; experi- 
ments show that there is a gain in the grain of 
nearly 20 per cent in cutting by the bottom, in 
preference to topping. Experiments made by 
Mr. Clark, Judge Buel, and others, and record- 
ed in the volumes of the Old Genesee Farmer 
and the Cultivator, place the m.atter bey'ond a 
doubt. In one made by Mr. Clark, he found 
the yield per acre of the corn topped, to be 47 
bush. 18 lbs., and the untopped 60 bush. 8 lbs. 
From some experiments instituted by' ourselves 
several years since, it was ascertained that there 
w'as no diflerence of consequence in the pro- 
duct, when the corn was left on the untouched 
stalks till harvest, and w'hen they w'ere cut by 
the bottom after the corn was wmll glazed, but 
that both these methods gave a greater product 
than when topped in the usual manner. It is 
said that when corn is topped, and after the corn 
is gathered, that cattle will eat all that is valua- 
ble of the stalks as they stand in the field. This 
is certainly a mistake, as the most nutritious 
part, the main stalk itself, is generally left un- 
touched by them. If the corn crop is well ma- 
nured, as it should be, the cultivation of the 
season is an excellent preparation for wheat, 
and some of the best farmers of our countiy 
use the corn crop for this purpose. In this case 
cutting up by the bottom is indispensable for 
the getting in of the w'heat propeily; and if it 
is intended to follow the corn with spring crops, 
as is frequently done, such as W'heat, oats m 
barley, it will be found that the absence of the 
large stalks that disfigure corn grounds when 
only topped, wdll greatly facilitate both the put- 
ting in, and the harvesting of these crops. For 
all these reasons, and the additional one, that it 
is only' by' cutting at the bottom that corn can be 
saved from the effects of early frosts when they' 
occur, W'e are decidedly of the opinion that the 
corn crop of the country might annually be in- 
creased in value, w’ere the method of cutting it 
by the bottom as soon as the grain is fully glaz- 
ed, to become general.— fflZ-cwy CuUixator. 
