66 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
the former in time for decomposition — lor, if not 
in time, the crude vegetable matter will produce 
by iermentation a vacuum and heat which will 
give disease to the young and tender cotton 
plant. 
Some agricultural philosophers of the present 
day, upon the new doctrine of the radical fecal 
exudation of plants, would explode the necessi- 
ty of rest. They contend that with a judicious 
rotation, and the application of manure, land 
wants no rest Irom cultivation, and will not tire 
or exhaust. But let it be remembered that the 
culture ol cotton differs materially from the 
grain* or corn crop, where that doctrine is pro- 
mulgated. ' 
The culture of cotton is one of long continu*- 
ance, requiring numerous plowings and hoeings 
to bring it to maturity, constantly exposing new 
surfaces to the action of the sun. On the other 
hand, their grain or corn crop is generally 
broad-cast, and requires but little or no cultiva- 
tion, after planting it, to bring it to perfection. 
I have known a sandy soil, notwithstanding a 
rotation from cotton to corn, become too porous 
for cotton, from long cultivation so as to admit 
the sun, and excessive moisture to the roots of 
the cotton plant, and rest for consolidation and 
a closer adhesion ot the particles ol the soil was 
considered the only remedy. It may be said a 
loose, sandy soil, wasnot adapted to. the culture 
ol cotton, but our experience teaches us that a 
rich, sandy soil, is perhaps the mosl suitable 
land lor that culture. 
In resting land much exhausted,, it is very de- 
sirable to assist it in getting early a vegetable 
coat, not only to protect it from the sun,, but also 
to add to its vegetable and gaseous accumula- 
tion. For this purpose, the Pea plant cannot 
be too highly recommended. First, it is well 
adapted to our climate and country, and grows 
upon land too poor to produce any other plant 
to advantage. Second, it does not exhaust but 
enriches the soil j it has small roots and large 
leaves, drawing more lood from the atmosphere 
than the soil, and affords a covering Irom the 
sun. Third, it may be sown upon th.fi land 
when the planter lays by his crop, an interval 
between that and harvest time and as it is of 
rapid growth, it has time to mature. 
Qn the subject of mai'ures, allow me to im- 
press upon you the advantages of mark You 
truly reside in a marl district. It is in this sec- 
tion abundant on the rivers, creeks and branch- 
es, and irom its ingredients, when it is compos- 
ed in due proportions oi lime, clay, animal, and 
vegetable matter, and marine substances, in a 
state of decomposition, is a rich manure as the 
production of the good marl soil demonstrates. 
But some marl has an excess of lime or silex, 
and will not make a good manure, without ma- 
king a compost to supply its defects. Neither 
silex nor lime improve of itself,, or conjointly a 
soil farther than the silex, to. make it more open 
and less retentive oi moisture, and the lime to 
act more as an absorbent and a stimulant to 
vegetable matter in the soil. Upon a worn out 
and exhausted soil, which is the escape in the 
way of gas of its vegetable matter, lime would 
form a most important ingredient, united with 
vegetable matter in a compost. 
The cotton planter has a great abundance of 
cotton seed, which, from its oily nature, can be 
converted into the richest manure. 
The cotton seed, if suffered to be exposed to 
the action of the sun and rains, looses by evap- 
oration of its gases more than half of its value ; 
if sheltered, would hold its germinating power, 
and would not only be troublesome to the grow- 
ing crop, but loose much of its strength and val- 
uable qualities. To prevent these effects, it 
readily occurs to the mind of an, observant far- 
mer, that it should be covered with a thick coat 
ot lime or marl, or with a vegetable mould or 
earth, obtained from the branches, ponds or low 
grounds, most accessible and convenient, which 
will not only protect it from evaporation, but 
make important additions to it. 
Professor Liebeg, speaking of volatile parti- 
*lii England used for wheat. 
cics of manure, in relation to stable manure, 
says what will with equal propriety apply to the 
subject under consideration : 
“ The ammonia emitted from stables is al- 
ways a combination with carbonic acid, carbo- 
nate of ammonia, and sulphate of lime, cannot 
be brought together at common temperatures 
without mutual decomposition. The ammonia 
enters into combination with the sulphuric acid 
and the carbonic acid with the lime ; forming 
compounds which are not volatile, and conse- 
quently destitute of all smell. Now if we strew 
the floors of our stables from time to time with 
lime, they will loose all their offensive smell, 
and none of the ammonia which is formed can 
be lost, but will be retained in a condition ser- 
viceable as manure.”^ 
“ The manure,” says a writer, “^produced by 
the farmer’s own stock, naturally the most valu- 
able, is yet the most mismanaged of all the fer- 
tilizers to which he has access. This bad man- 
agement has been not alone chargeable to mod- 
ern cultivators^ for, from the earliest period, 
when man began to cultivate the earth, there is 
evidence that the manure of his cattle has been 
generally wasted, often neglected, and common- 
ly mismanaged.” Cato, the Roman, in his ag- 
ricultural writings, gives admonitions to his 
brother farmers on this subject — he says, “ stu- 
dy to have a large dung hill, keep your com- 
post carefully,” — meaning, I presume, that it 
should be protected from waste and evaporation, 
by the enclosure and covering. 
The atmosphere abounds with the finest and 
richest manuring particles provided by a kind 
Providence in a gaseous state for the use of 
plants, which descend upon the earth in the way 
of dew and rain. “ Several chemists have prov- 
ed the existence ot saline matters and organic 
substances in the air. The falling rain carries 
down with it salts of ammonia, ot lime, and a 
flocky organic matter floating in the air.” Some 
plants absorb largely their f(X)d from the atmos- 
phere, some from air and water, others almost 
exclusively from the earth, whilst all plants in 
general, from all these sources. By a wise 
economy of nature, plants absorb most freely 
those gases that are deleterious and destructive 
to the health and life of man, and emit most free- 
ly those gases that promote his health and ener- 
gy. Carbonic gas derived from the atmosphere, 
is said to be absorbed by the leaves of plants; 
and nitrogen from the same source enters into 
the soil, and with other combinations forms 
ammonia, which is taken up by the roots of 
plants, but which is so volatile as easily to be 
drawn up into the atmosphere by the operation 
of the sun, and dispersed by the air and wind. — 
It should, therefore, be the study of the farmer, 
so to prepare and cultivate his grounds, as to 
preserve its attractive and retentive power for 
those atmospheric gases, and to give a healthy 
growth and action to the plants, to attract and 
absorb them also. 
And this can be effectually done by frequent 
working. 
Some agricultural philosophers, so infatuated 
with the idea ot atmospheric manure, seem to 
think but little else is required, to preserve the 
fertility of a well constituted soil, than to keep it 
in a fit state to receive, absorb, and retain what 
gaseous matter may descend upon it. Of all 
plants the cotton is the most dependent for its 
growth and healthy action, as well as for the 
length, strength, and fineness of its wool, on the 
influence of the atmosphere. The sea-island 
cotton is well known to degenerate as you leave 
the sea-board, and thirty or forty miles beyond 
that region, although the climate, and length of 
season may be favorable, the atmosphere will 
not admit of its successful cultivation, and a 
coarser cotton has to be substituted, commonly 
called upland. 
We cannot refrain from noticing the prospec- 
tus in a valuable periodical published at Au- 
gusta, for the sale of a patent to make manure. 
The ingenious patentee, Mr. Bommer, propo- 
ses to furnish the secret and system for making 
manure for a garden, for the sum of ten dollars ; 
and for a larger quantity of ground, a propor- 
tionate increase of compensation. 1 presume 
the secret lies in the u.se and application of 
chemical agents to facilitate the decomposition 
of vegetable or woody matter, and thereby con- 
vert raw and crude matter into wholesome and 
valuable manure. Matter must, after all, be 
the basisof all manure, and he that will not pro- 
cure that matter, might as well look for manum,, 
with as little l ope ot prospect, as the farmer for 
a crop, who neither sows the ground, nor be- 
stows eultivatfon upon it. I would not, howev- 
er, be understood as speaking disparagingly of 
any process by chemical combinations, to fa- 
cilitate the conversion of crude, and otherwise 
indigestible substances, into a fit and suitable 
pabulum for plants. For instance, sulphuric 
acid sprinkled on calcareous substances,, would 
form sulphate of lime, a valuable manure. So 
might be found other chemical agents to con- 
vert silicious or other substances, by fermenta- 
tion into manure and hasten decomposition, 
which would tire the patience, and disappoint 
the expectations of the farmer, to wait for the 
slow process ol unassisted nature. 
In just referring to atmospheric manure, 
brings me to speak of, and to impress on you^^ 
the advantages of fall ploughing, usually de- 
nominated flushing of land, before immediately 
preparing it for the reception oi the seed. It 
has, no doubt, struck yourobservation, as it has 
mine, the great benefits derived from it. It ren- 
ders the land more easily managed during the 
growing crop, and it pulverizes clay or stiff soil 
by exposing its surface to the action of the frosty 
which, in many seasons during the crop, could 
not be pulverized so as to admit the setting of a 
crop, or the growing of the young and tender 
plant. 
The soil, as has been already observed, de- 
rives much of its productive property from the 
atmosphere. Constantly to expose new surfa- 
ces to the action of the atmosphere, and to keep 
it in a soft and spongy state, is to give it more 
attractive power for the gaseous matter floating 
in the air, and more absorbent power to retain it 
when dropped upon it. For instance, “ much 
greater quantity of carbonic gas will be absorb- 
ed by a given surface of earth, if the earth is. 
frequently stirred, than if it were to remain with, 
a single saturated surface and with a hard; 
and imporous surface,, the gases would alight 
upon it to be extracted and taken up by the 
morning sun ; whereas, otherwise, they would 
be incorporated with the earth, and form combi- 
nations to enrich it. 
Fall ploughing is very serviceable in aiding 
the draining of clay or stiff soils, as well as to 
render sandy or silicious soils subject to drought, 
more retentive ot moisture. It renders the land 
less troubled with grass and noxious weeds, by 
more effectually burying their seeds from the ac- 
tion of the oxygen in the atmosphere, so essen- 
tial to their power of germination. It also 
largely contributes to the destruction of insects. 
Insects more particularly, that infest cotton of 
late, may be attributed chiefly to the sickly or 
filthy condition of the plant, arising from the 
poverty or wetness of the soil— its exhaustion, 
for that particular plant, by long succession of 
cropping, or by negligent management during 
the season, and the influence of the atmosphere 
acting upon these causes. It is true, and ex- 
perience teaches us, that a particular state of 
the atmosphere is more fruitful in generating 
insects, but experience has also shown and pro- 
ven, that a soil worn out and exhausted or bad- 
ly prepared, and negligently cultivated, is at all 
times, and on all occasions, much more subject 
to be infested with them. 
Upon all lands, more particularly those which 
have been at rest or recently cultivated in com, 
there will always be an accumulation of grass 
and weeds. To turn them under by fall plough- 
ing, allows time for their decomposition; which, 
if neglected until for immediate preparation for 
planting, such vegetable matter would not have 
time to rot, and in its crude state would not on- 
ly be indigestible to plants, but poisonous to 
them. Hence, the awful necessity of burning 
off the trash to prevent disease, more particular- 
