Felspar and Granite as a Manure—JJew Variety of Cotton—The Cow Pea, 
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There is, however, in our vicinity, an inexhaustible 
Store of this alkali; though not hitherto thought of as 
a manure, nor in its present hard and durable state, fit 
for the purpose. If slate and dunstone contain potash 
enough to fertilize their soil, felspar comprises it in 
much larger proportion, about 17 per cent, of its 
weight; and felspar is the basis of Dartmoore granite. 
This granite may contain about 10 per cent, potash 
(varying, of course, with the proportion of felspar), in 
too hard and compact a state to yield to the weather, 
fast enough for the purposes of manure. But this 
hardness is not difficult to reduce. By turning it whilst 
red hot, into water, it is rendered quite brittle and 
crumbly; and being then mixed with fresh lime and 
water, is made much more susceptible of decomposition; 
and easily yields part, at least, of its potash. The sur¬ 
face granite, already softened by the weather, will not 
do, having already lost a part of its alkali; China clay, 
apparently decomposed granite, is almost entirely desti¬ 
tute of potash; and the soils formed upon granite are 
, unproductive, probably from the same cause. 
The chippings and fragments of the solid stone accu¬ 
mulating at the granite quarries, may be heated with 
turf, in the common lime kilns, and raked down into 
water, as fast as they get red hot; in which manner 
many tons yer day may be done in one kiln. Thus 
rendered brittle, it may be rapidly crumbled by a water 
power crushing mill. And as turf and water power 
are both plenty about the granite, this rough powder 
might be sold to the farmer at a lower price than lime. 
A ton of this powdered granite mixed with a ton of 
fresh lime, being heaped on a thick bed of earth, and 
closed in all round with earth, leaving the top open; 
water is to be poured on gradually, enough to slake the 
lime entirely, and then all covered in ; the bed of earth 
at the bottom being one or two feet thick, and round 
the sides eight or nine inches; making good the cracks 
produced by the swelling of the lime in slaking. After 
two or three days it may be uncovered; the granite 
and slaked lime well mixed up with water, to a soft 
mortar; and again all covered in close with earth. In 
this state it may be left two or three months at least, 
and better if longer; keeping it wet and soft. When 
wanted to use, the whole heap should be well mixed 
together, including the earth, which will be impreg¬ 
nated with solution of potash. It is then fit for 
spreading. 
Two hundred weight of granite will contain as much 
potash as a good acre of wheat (say thirty bushels) in¬ 
cluding the straw. Hence a ton, prepared as above, 
might do (reckoning the time required for decomposi¬ 
tion, and the other manures employed,) for two or three 
acres of light soil, once in four or five years. Loamy 
and dunstone soils are not likely to want potash so 
often. But in an article yet untried, we cannot recom¬ 
mend proportions with much confidence. Experiments, 
at first in a small way, with different proportions, on 
different parts of a field, exhausted of potash, but not 
of humus, and not over-limed, giving the whole about 
one hundred weight of bone dust per acre, or a ton 
night-soil, that the crop might not fail for want of 
phosphates, would furnish some indications for future 
guidance. Its durability must be determined in the 
same way; of course the faster it is decomposed, the 
greater will be its early effects, and the less its per¬ 
manency. 
The object is to convert the hard crystalline alumino¬ 
silicate of potash into a crumbly calcareo-silicate of 
potash, much more susceptible to moisture and to the 
weather. Thus prepared, it yields its potash very 
slowly ; and if required more active, it may be melted 
in a reverberatory, with 10 per cent, of salt; but this 
would add so much to the cost as to pay only where 
granite or felspar requires long carriage, and where 
fuel is cheap. In general it would be better economy 
to make up the activity by quantity, and thus get dura¬ 
bility at the same time. 
Basalt, or any other rock rich in potash, will answer 
the purpose where granite or felspar is too distant for 
carriage. I am, &c. 
October 4th, 1842. J. Prideatjx. 
A new variety of Cotton.— We have upon our 
table a specimen of an improved kind of cotton, which 
is the result of experiments with the Oceana, Mexican 
and Egyptian, of which it is a mixture. Dr. Lovelace 
of Wilkinson county, who is the propagator, furnishes 
with the specimen, only a few of the particulars with 
regard to the plant, which we would be glad to know. 
He says:—“ The hybrid plant, which for the sake of 
distinction, I have taken the liberty to style Polycarp, 
possesses many peculiarities, some very remarkable, a 
more particular account of which will perhaps be given 
to you at some future day. I will merely remark here 
that, it differs very strikingly in the shape of the stalk, 
leaves, pods, quality and length of fibre of the cotton, 
from either of the other varieties. One of my neigh¬ 
bors says that, “ it is the most beautiful cotton plant 
that he ever saw, and that he would like to cultivate it, 
if it were for its beauty only and another, after ob¬ 
serving the vast number of bolls and squares upon it, 
“ that it came up exactly to his idea of perfect cotton.” 
This cotton has been put into the hands of judges , who 
pronounce it to possess the requisites of fine cotton, but 
express a doubt about its productiveness. Its strength 
is sufficient, its evenness is its best recommendation, its 
fibre finer and longer than the common cotton, but not 
in either respects equal to the Sea Island, and its color 
very good. It is, apparently, a green seed. We are 
told that for length of fibre and other qualities of the 
best cotton, the old Black Seed is preferred, but it does 
not produce enough to make it profitable. This then is 
the desideratum, to get a kind uniting the qualities of 
the finest with the necessary proclivity to yield. The 
Dr. speaks in another part of this letter of the necessity 
of trying this seed another year, in better hand, to learn 
whether it will be profitable to plant. If he finds its 
“vast number of bowls and squares” mature to a large 
size and open well, he will have occasion to congratulate 
himself on the result of his experiments. We bespeak 
a sample of the next season’s product, if he meets suc¬ 
cess, with an account, at length, of his whole experi¬ 
ment. Will some correspondent who has the Chinese 
cotton, give us the result so far ascertained, of the trial 
now making with this plant .—Southern Planter. 
The Cow-Pea. —Probably some of our planters do 
not attach sufficient importance to the cow-pea as a 
means of preserving the fertility of their land. The 
experience of our oldest planters proves that its culti¬ 
vation is a matter of the first importance. Mr. Michael 
Cordy, of Bayou Sale, informs us, that his land has 
been under cultivation for twenty-eight or thirty years, 
and during the time it has deteriorated very little. He 
has devoted great attention to the cultivation of the 
cow-pea, which has been the principal means he has 
used for resuscitating his land. He informs us that he 
recently got from New Orleans a new species of pea 
which he considers far superior to the common cow-pea. 
He sows it half way between each hill of cqrn, when 
the latter is quite low, and it does not spread so fast as 
the cow-pea, leaving for a considerable time, plenty of 
room to work the com. About the time the corn is 
ripe, it spreads most rapidly and luxuriantly, and yield 
