THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
143 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1844. 
II^Numeroiis complaints have been made 
by the Farmers in Putnam county, and other 
places, during the past month, that gypsum 
(plaster of Paris) no longer acted beneficially 
upon their land. The reason ofthis is thus ex- 
plained by Leibig: — “When vve increase the 
crop of grass in a meadow by means of gypsum, 
we remove a greater quantity ot potash with the 
hay than can, under the same circumstances, be 
restored — hence it happens, that after the lapse 
of several v^ears, the crops of gra.ss on the mead- 
ows manured with gypsum diminish, owing to 
the deficiency of potash.” From this extract, it 
will be seen that nothing is wanted but the ap- 
plication of ashes or potash to the land, when 
plaster will again act upon it with its former 
good effects. Plaster will also be lound benefi- 
cial again after manures have been used for a 
few years, more especially when made of an in- 
termixture of swamp-muck or peat-earth. 
|;^It is stated, in the Albany Cultivator, that 
Ireland contains about 15,000,003 of acres of 
land under cultivation — only 4,000,000 more 
than the State of New York; yet Ireland, with 
a population of about 10,000,000, exports annu- 
ally more grain than the whole territory of the 
United States. From government surveys late- 
ly made in Ireland, it is stated there is yet re- 
maining five millions of acres, unimproved, ca- 
pable of profitable cultivation. 
It is also stated there are 15,000,000 of acres 
of a similar character in England and Scotland; 
so that it cannot be supposed that those coun- 
tries, notwithstanding the vast advances they 
have lately made in agricultural improvement, 
areas yet anywhere near the highest limit of 
production. 
WOOL. 
We see it stated in the Tennessee Agricultu- 
rist, that Messrs. Buger & Chappell, of New 
Qrlearis, advertUe lor Sl,000,000 lbs. of Wool, 
which is de.stined for the French market. This 
will open a new era in the agricultural business 
of some parts ot our country, ad pted to wool 
growing, as it is said the demand for the new 
market thus opened will be permanent and in- 
creasing. 
It has been thought heretofore, pretty gene- 
rally, that a cold climate was necessary for the 
production of fine wool, but it would seem that 
this conc’usion does not rest on a good founda- 
tion. Some specimens purchased by the above 
house, at Nashville, Tenn,, have been pronoun- 
ced by the agent the finest samples of wmcl he 
had ever seen in this or any other country. 
H^Rheumatism having once seriously attack- 
ed sheep, the malady will seldom be completely 
eradicated- -so kill the ilisea^e ai once. Theie 
are a thousand prooE (says the Na-hviile Agri- 
culturist) of the existence of this complaint in 
sheep. It is particularly prevalent in low mar- 
shy countries, in exposed situations. It princi- 
pally attacks old sheep and }'oung ones. It 
somelimes appears as an inflimma'ory com- 
plaint, and fever accompanies it ; and at other 
times it has all the characteristics of a chronic 
disease, the walk of the sheep or lambs being 
stiff and cautious, marking the rheumatic pa- 
tient. 
|:il=An exchange paper very truly says, sen- 
sible men and women never sneer at mechanics 
and others who earn their livingby their labor 
But self-styled gentlemen and ladies not unlre- 
quentlyd'i. We have heard of a “lady” who 
once left a ball-room becnuse a mechanic enter- 
ed. She married a basket-maker, and died a 
washerwoman. 
O’The best kind of field-bean is of small 
size, plump, round, and slightly oblong in shape, 
and ot a white color. It iscommon in the East- 
ern States, and one of the finest samples of it is 
now being distributed over the country by that 
indelatigable friend of agriculture, the Hon. H. 
L. Ellsworth, Commissioner of the Patent 
Office. 
LUCERNE. 
In no former period (says a correspondent of 
the Mark-Lane Express,) have I experienced 
the value ol lucerne, as during the present pro. 
tracted drought. I have now nearly finished 
my first crop, which I have been cutting green 
for hoises and cows, much of which measures 
in height 36 inches, and very thick. My second 
crop is new from S4 to 26 inches high, and as 
thick as the first. I am now about cutting this 
for hay. It does not appear to be in the least af- 
fected by the .severe drought, which I attribute to 
the very great dejith the roots run down. I 
would again urge all farmers to try to grow lu- 
cerne ; lor of all summer food lor horses, this is 
the very best. I am inclined to say, likewise, 
nothing can be better food for cows, for my own 
have lived entirely upon it the last three weeks, 
my feeding pasture being quite burned up for 
want of rain, and have produced a full quantity 
of batter. 
SALT AND SOOT. 
The effect ol salt, (says the Boston Cultiva- 
tor,) when combined with scot, is extraordina- 
ry. The Rev. E. Cartwright found, that in one 
row manured with this mixture, he obtained 
two hundred and forty potatoes ; while in an ad- 
joining row of the same length, treated with 
lime, the yield was onlv one hundred and fifty. 
flj=ltis stated mai me ship Orpheus, at Balti- 
more, from Chili and Peru, brought 400 tons of 
guano. A few more such importations will re- 
duce the price of the article materially. 
H^George Bancroft, Esq., the historian of the 
United States, is to deliver the annual address 
before the New York State Agricultural So- 
ciety. 
Value op Toads. — A person lately opened 
a load in a wheat fiell, and lound sixteen bee- 
tles in its stomach, which the patient ani.mal had 
probably snapped up while they attempted to 
cross the path. 
From Uie Ameiic<iii Farmer. 
TABLE OF SOIL.S. 
Thaer, a very eminent agricultural writer, 
one who is of received authority, thus classifies 
various soils and their adaptations to the seve- 
ral crops enumerated — from which persons who 
may be improving their lands may judge of the 
quantities of manures, vegetable, animal and 
mineral, necessary to be applied, having first 
.ascertained, by analysis, the constituent ele- 
ments of which their lands to be improved cop-= 
sist of. 
Systematic Names 
Usual ijame. 
& 
c. 
c V 
Pc 
ra 
^ Cu 
9 
x 
Humous Clay soil, 
Srong wheat soil. 
74 
io 
IR 
Strong Humous 
81 
6 
4 
(4 li 4. 
79 
10 
4 
6^ 
Rich .Marley 
44 (4 44 
4U 
22 
36 
4 
Humous loose 
Mead, or green ) 
14 
49 
to 
27 
pasture soil, ^ 
“ sandy 
Strong barley soil 
20 
67 
3 
to 
Rich Clay 
Strong wheat “ 
5-! 
36 
9! 
4 
Marley 
Wheat “ 
56 
30 
12 
2 
Clay 
44 44 
60 
33 
> 
2 
Loamy, 
44 44 
48 
50 
< 
2 
(4 (4 
6S 
30 
2 
u 
1 class bailey “ 
08 
60 
T5 
2 
> 44 44 4i 
3:3 
60 
2 
Sandy Loam 
a 
> (4 44 44 
2- 
70 
-3 
2 
Oat “ 
m 
75 
3 - 
u 
Loamy Sand 
Rye “ 
ISi 
.14 
80 
85 
' Si 
Sandy “ 
9 
90 
p 
1 
44 (( 
6 years rye “ 
4 
95 
r. 
i 
0 years rye “ 
2 
97i 
COCKl.E BURR. 
We gave in our first number a fact, (says the 
Mississippi Farmer,) communicated to us by 
James Gluesenberry, one of our subscribers, re- 
specting the poisonous effects ofthis weed upon 
hogs. The editor of the Southwestern Farmer 
giv'es an instance of a friend of his who lost his 
entire stock of hogs by eating the eoekle-burr. 
J. A. Hamilton, a correspondent of that paper, 
gives the following case, which is entitled to the 
highest credit, and it confirms the opinion of 
our correspondent, Mr. duesenberry, that the 
cockle-burr is poison, at the time it is swelling 
and sprouting to grow, although at other times 
it may be harmless. 
“ We ha’-e had a similar disease among hogs 
in this neighborhood to that in Hinds. 1 ^ave 
heard several complain ot losing their hogs; but 
none can give the cause of their death. 1 have 
i'cen more unfortunate with Mr. Affleck’s hogs 
this season than 1 ever was with hogs belbre, 
but cannot aiiribute it either to coit.m seed or 
peas, for they had not access to either. When 
1 came here in November, the hogs were run- 
ning in a sweet potato field, and corn field ad- 
joining it; were fine and fat : when the potatoes 
were gone, I turned the hogs into a different 
field, which was intended for their pasture, and 
had been let grow up in cockle burrs last year, 
and led the u bountilully wu'th corn. They 
seemed to do well until the burrs began to come 
up, when they commenced dying, in fine order. 
Having heard, from some source or oihei, — I 
do not recollect where— that young burrs would 
kill hogs, I turned them into another field that 
had no burrs in it, and fed them on boiled cotton 
seed, and, to my satisfaction, I lost no more hogs 
until 1 turned them again into the burr- field: af- 
ter they had been there about a week, they com- 
menced to die again. I then turned them into a 
held of green oats, where they have been ever 
since, without losing any more of them. From 
thistiial, I am induced to believe that young 
c.'Ckle-burrs will kill hogs.” 
Drink for Haying. — Let farmers who are 
now hard at woik haying, have for drink, milk 
porridge with corn meal in it. This keeps off 
fever in the stomach, and is better lor allaying a 
feverish thirst than aloijst any other beverage. 
