196 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
and tea percljers was 4 tons of good millet hay. 
In the Agiist following, I plowed again to sow 
timothy seed, and loiind the soil completely 
changed in texture, yielding to the share ol the 
plow as does a rich cheese to the knile ol the 
cheeseman. The yield of timothy during the 
four years that I alterwards remained on the 
place was always good, ranging from 1^0*2 
tons per acre. Prom this experiment, I am sa- 
tisfied that stiff clays can be more lastingU^ me- 
liorated by sand than by manure, for while the 
one acts permanently and serves to change the 
texture of the soil, the other only acts partially, 
and makes but little if any change upon its tex- 
ture. The sand by cross-plowing becomes in- 
termixed with the clay, disintegrates it, so as to 
admit the influence of sun and air, aids the wa- 
ter in percolating through the soil, and prevents 
its remaining to become stagnant to the injury 
of the roots of the growing plants— and, in a 
word, renders the soil much easier to work, and 
more profitable for all the purposes of culture. 
In connection with this lot, 1 will remark, that 
when I put it down in timothy, I spread sixty 
bushels ol lime on it, which was harrowed in 
with the seed-” 
“ Wrmld vou recommend the littering of hog- 
pens'?” 
“I am glad you have mentioned this to me, 
as 1 should otherwise have forgotten this part 
of the economy of a farm. I know no part in 
the arrange nents of the farmer, where more or 
better manure may be made with as little ex- 
pense. Whatever is given lo the hog-pen, whe- 
ther coarse tussocks, cornstalks, weeds or mould 
and leayes from the woods, is sure to be mani- 
pulated into excellent fertilizing manure. Ten 
hogs, penned the year round, if well supplied 
with materials, would make 60 loads of good 
manure in that period, i’he pen should be 
cleaned out and re-supplied with materials every 
few weeks. That vt hich may be taken out, 
should be regularly formed into a heap, made 
so as to turn the water, and have plaster strewn 
over it, layer and layer about, which heap 
would be the better if covered over a few inches 
deep with earth of some kind, to prevent too ra- 
*' pid decomposition.” 
“ Your plan of saving manure is certainly a 
good one, but I fear it would prove too costly 
to be carried into practical eflect.” 
“ You act under a delusion as to its effect. No 
thing can be said to be ^Hoo cosily" which returns 
a remunerating interest for the outlay of money. 
The object of every one who toils is, or should 
be, to be rewarded by a generous return for the 
labor bestowed and capital invested, and cer- 
tainly it is the part of wisdom, to give his labors 
that direction which promises the most certain 
and richest rewards. Without a farmer takes 
the pains to give his lands, in manure, a quan- 
tity of nutriment equal to that which is annual- 
ly extracted from it by the growing crops, he 
must soon expect to see it robbed of its fertility, 
his products yearly getting less and less, and he 
becoming poorer and poorer. Even a large 
farm, if not cultivated with an eye to improve- 
ment, will make a rich man poor, as it is not the 
extent of an estate, but its capacity tor produc- 
tion which adds to his comforts and wealth. If 
proper care were taken to convert every thing 
on a farm into manure that is calculated lor it, 
there is no farmer but might increase its fertili- 
ty. Nay, a few years devoted in the way I have 
mentioned, would enable the owner of a poor 
farm to make it rich, and instead of harvesting 
3 or 4 barrels of corn, or 7 or 8bushels of wheat, 
he would get 8 barrels or more of corn, and 20 
bushels and upwards of wheat. These results 
have been produced and can be again, by any 
one who will make up his mind and resolutely 
pursue the proper course to increase the fertili- 
ty of his land. But he that crops every year, 
contents himself with taking every thing out of 
the land, and putting nothing into it, must ex- 
pect sooner or later to find it and himself im- 
poverished. It is as necessary to feed the land, 
as it is to feed the beasts with which it may be 
tilled, as neither can maintain their strength 
without food.” 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
For the Souihern Cultivalor. 
GOOD AND BAD MANAGEMENT. 
Mr. Editor:— How happens it, when two 
young planters set out in life with equal pro- 
spects— one having as fair a chance as the other 
— that we often find one of them steadily 
pursuing his occupation, and yearly making 
additions to the stock he commenced with; at- 
the same time that we see the other, though appa- 
rently engaged steadily about his plantation 
concerns, gradually getting behind hand — or if 
that is not his case, certainly making no addi- 
tions to his original property? 
Some persons maintain that this difference 
arises from “ good luck.” 1 have heard it fre- 
quently remarked, such a one “was born with 
a silver spoon in his mouth,” as it seemed he 
was lucky ! Well, we all believe, more or less, 
in “good luck,” and desire it; but an egg must 
be produced, before a chicken can be hatched! 
Others believe in a particular destiny lor each 
one of the human kind— taking the day of the 
month on which he or she was born — and re- 
ferring to the book of Proverbs lor the reading 
of that destiny : the 2lst chapter lor ihe males, 
and the 31st for the females. 
Now, permit me to a.ssume the position, and 
undertake to prove it, that the difference in the 
two cases, as above alluded lo, in most instan- 
ces, arises from good or bad management, in 
all the various branches connected with the vo- 
cation of.a planter or farmer. 
I shall draw a few simple figures, {some of 
which may, perhaps, he thought insignificant,) not 
merely for argument sake, but lo illustrate the 
position I have taken. I shall present the two 
characters in this communication to the readers 
of the Cultivator, as being both menof families, 
and in the possession of prudent wives. 
First: one will have a place for everything, 
and eyerything in its place ; while on the plan- 
tation of the other, may be seen scarcely any- 
thing where it should be. A plow left in one 
field, a hoe in another, a broken cart or wagon 
lying by the way-side ; and when this, that, or 
the other tool is wanted, there is a hand or two 
sent in search of it or them. 
One, if he goes in debt at all, keeps a strict 
account of his indebtedness; keeps his wife ad- 
vised of all his transactions, consults her in all 
important affairs, gives her the best opportuni- 
ties within his power to progress with her house- 
hold concerns, and assists her in all her under- 
takings when she is governed by prudence. 
She, in return, will never be found wanting in 
returning like favors. 
The other goes in debt, and keeps no account 
thereof; and the larger his debts get to be, tak- 
ing the greater care to hide the fact from his 
friends; does not tell his wife frankly of the 
difficulties he is getting in to, nor advises with her 
as to the best ways and means to extricate him- 
self; and makes contracts to large amounts 
without consulting his friends or wife. 
While one is plowing or hoeing, overlooking 
his interest, the other is hunting oT fishing, or 
lying at his ease, perhaps asleep under some 
pleasant shade. One attends in person to all 
his stock of every kind j the other sends his boy 
or servant to look alter it. One takes, and 
reads, agricultural papers, and improves there- 
on ; the other cares for none of these things , but 
pursues the course that will afiord him the most 
ease. One so arranges his affairs as scarcely 
ever to be under the necessity of borrowing any- 
thing; while the other is always compelled to 
avail himsell of that means of supplying him- 
self and family with indispensables, until final- 
ly he is forced to borrow almost everything from 
his more thrifty neighbor. When this kind of 
business is carried on, in nine cases out of ten, 
both the borrower and lender is pul lo inconve- 
nience — the lender rarely bettered. 
One prepares his land well for the crop he is 
about to plant; plants no more than he can tend 
well; gets out his cotton early ; gins and gets 
it to market early ; sells for the best price he 
can get; and if he owes any debts, pays forth- 
with — frequently before they are due : while 
the other neglects his business; gets behind hand 
in the start; prepares his land badly; plants 
more land in a crop than he can manage with a 
bad start, and consequently gets “ heels-over- 
head in the grass;” gets his cotton out late; has 
it to take to market when the roads are in bad 
order; neglects to sell; creditors become rest- 
less and begin to dun him ; finally they become 
distrustful of him, and order suits; cost and in- 
terest are added to the principal of his debts; he 
frequently begs indulgence in good times until 
hard times come on him, when it will take two 
or three time's as much property to pay his debts 
as would have been required at some previous 
time. 
One keeps his fences in good order, is never 
troubled with his own or neighbors’ stock get- 
ting into his fields to harrass him at a busy time : 
while the other neglects the repairing cf his ; 
will run the risk of trying another crop with his 
fences as they are, and by the time his corn is 
in the ear, cattle breair in and cause him a great 
deal of perplexity and loss of time, to say no- 
thing of the loss he may have sustained in his 
crop, and the loss of friendship of some good 
neighbor. 
One will make a fair trial to accomplish this, 
that or the other object. If he fails, he will try 
again and again, and will not rest satisfied 
without success. The other will make a partial 
trial : if he succeeds, he will exult, and wonder 
why other men have not done thus and so; but 
if his first trial fails, the object is given up, and 
he will console himself, in the presence of his 
neighbor, with the remark, that he had tried 
hard to have these things, but by bad luck he 
had failed ; he expected to have a fine patch of 
turnips, but the seed was bad, or if they came 
up the fowls had ate them up: and so on with 
other matters, without trying the second time lo 
have the things so much desired. 
I might introduce many more items to esta- 
blish the position 1 have taken ; but believing 
I have said enough to establish my point, I will 
come to a close, by further saying, that there 
are too many planters that are ever procrastina- 
ting as to the commencement of this, that or the 
other improvement, until some of them come 
within the bounds of an anecdote I heard some 
years ago, viz “ A farmer employed a man to 
