CANE-BRAKE LAND*!,. 
339 
tlaborate view of the electricity of the atmosphere, 
and its various phenomena, including the feu d’Elmo, 
ihe Castor and Pollux, &c. The professor next 
axaminec( critically, the reported experiments of Dr. 
Forster, and laid before his audience the results of a 
number of researches on artificial electro culture. 
We have not space to follow Dr. Bachhoffner through 
his able lecture, but we may conclude by telling our 
agricultural friends that we were convinced, and so 
we deem was the vast audience, that man cannot, by 
an)’ of his paltry efforts, give to vegetation more of 
the electro-vital principle than nature has already 
taken means to supply.” John P. Norton. 
Edinburgh , Sept 2, 1845 
To the above pleasant letter of our intelligent cor¬ 
respondent, we will add, that more than a dozen of 
our friends in this vicinity have made experiments in 
electro-culture in their gardens and fields the past 
season, without the slightest benefit—so far as our 
knowledge extends—to any crop whatever. It is 
possible, however, that electricity may be beneficially 
applied in a very few instances to certain plants. 
CANE-BRAKE LANDS. 
As many persons in this State and Louisiana, 
greatly to their own loss, and that of the States in 
which they live, are deterred from purchasing or im¬ 
proving cane-brake lands held by them, from the 
impression that the improvement of them is tedious 
and expensive, I will state for their information and 
encouragement, a few facts, and give a few rules I 
and estimates, with which an establishment of twen¬ 
ty-one hands, made this season in T. 14, R. C. West, 
on Deer Creek, has furnished me. 
I reached Deer Creek on the 19th of December last, 
with twenty-one hands—ten men and eleven women 
—and a young man of energy for overseer. The 
three first days of the ensuing week were spent in: 
preparing work, and the three latter given for holi¬ 
days. On the 28th the hands began regular work, 
and by the 14th of February cut 225 acres of cane. 
Between the latter date and the 29th of March, on 
which day the cane was splendidly burnt, they pre¬ 
pared and planted, in cotton, 150 acres of land be¬ 
longing to the heirs of the late Dr. Tenquite. That 
time would have been sufficient for fencing the 225 
acres, had their exposure to stock rendered it necessa¬ 
ry. These hands have planted and cultivated the 
225 acres in corn, the 150 in cotton, and have an 
excellent crop. Since the crop was laid by, they 
have cut 100 acres more, to be burnt in October. 
These latter 100 acres will* in my opinion, be in 
better condition the ensuing season for cotton or corn, 
than the 225 cut last winter, burnt in the spring, and 
cultivated one year. As soon as the cotton is picked 
out, of which they have as much as they can pick, 
these same hands will cut 100 acres of cane for corn, 
which, added to the 325 mentioned, will give 425 
acres on my own place for the second year. For the 
cultivation of the 425 on my own place, and the, 
150 on the Penquite, making together 575 acres, an 
additional force of some ten hands will be required, 
which I shall send from the hills. 
From this it would appear that a force of any size., 
reaching the cane-brake by the 15th of December, 
can erect the necessary cabins, and open in the cane 
as much land as would be wanted for cotton and corn 
the first year. With respect to the production ol 
new cane lands the first year, in cotton, much differ¬ 
ence of opinion exists. This I attribute to the vary¬ 
ing circumstances of season, size of cane, time of 
cutting, kind of burn, elevation (dryness) of the 
ground, quantity of timber, and method of cultivation. 
My own experience, derived from opening three plan¬ 
tations in the cane, is decidedly in favor of a produc¬ 
tion seldom falling below 1,000 lbs. of cotton to the 
acre. As a greater number of acres, then, can be 
cultivated of new cane than worn lands, the produc¬ 
tion ought to exceed (to the hand) that of the hills, 
a result I should confidently expect. As the plow 
would not be required till the third year, a heavy 
expense for the two first would be avoided—a very 
great matter, and one not to be forgotten. 
My statements and estimates may seem extrava¬ 
gant, but when 1 shall have explained the course or 
system pursued, perhaps they will no longer appear 
so. Knowing that the little progress usually made 
in the cutting of cane, so much complained of and 
dreaded, was mainly ascribable to the defective 
method of measuring the tasks, or of not measuring, 
I prepared the work by squaring on three sides, with 
roads 30 feet wide, straight as possible, the fronton, 
and parallel to, the creek, a body of cane of conve¬ 
nient size, for measurement. The front was acci¬ 
dentally made 960 yards. This I afterwards found 
was fortunate, for I prefer oblong to square tasks. I 
directed the overseer to pair his hands, and taking 
them of mornings to the corner of the body of cane 
blocked out, run the front of 960 yards, dividing 
it into ten tasks of 96 yards front each, ordering the 
pairs successively to cut the side lines by his return. 
After running down the whole front, he returned and 
measured the side lines. A cane or pole 8 yards or 
24 feet in length, thrown ahead, was found the most 
expeditious method of measuring. In this way, tasks 
amounting to ten acres were laid off in a few minutes 
without any trouble to the overseer, or loss of time 
to the hands. On finishing the tasks, the hands 
straightened the back lines by the eye, and thus pre¬ 
sented a new front daily. For the first week or ten 
days, which time was required for acquiring skill, 
familiarity with the rules of cutting, and becoming 
hardened to the new work, a quarter of an acre to 
one, or half acre task to two, was given, after which 
half an acre by each, or an acre task by the pair, 
was cut with great ease by 4 to 5 o’clock. 
Without having prepared the work as stated, the 
method or rules for cutting the cane adopted, could 
not have been practised. They were these: on re¬ 
turning to the front from cutting the side lines, the 
swifter of the two hands took a strip, of say, four 
feet, and turning his right arm to the body of the 
cane, which was kept invariably in that position , 
caught with his left hand, the palm out, the cane (or 
two, if very close), next the road or opening, and 
bending it a little, shivered the joint at or just above 
the ground. The slower hand followed, throwing 
with his own any cane cut and left standing by his 
leader, entangled at the top with his. By observing 
the rule of keeping the right arm to the body of the 
cane, they were compelled to move the body laterally , 
thus saving the time that would have been lost in 
changing the position frequently, from a face to a 
half face to the right, and back again. These things 
are made more clear by a diagram. 
