386 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
tiller —throw off those innumerable seed- 
stalks from a single seed—which by tasking 
its powers at the root, prevents for a time, 
and till this object is accomplished, the rapid 
upward growth, and the formation and ripen¬ 
ing of the berry. 
Time of Sowing.—The earlier sown after 
the frost has fairly left the ground, the bet¬ 
ter. But it may be advantageously sown 
till the middle of April, or perhaps even the 
' first of May, in latitude, 41°; and good 
crops have been grown when not put into 
the ground before the last of May. But late 
sowing renders the crop uncertain. The 
earliest sown is most likely to escape rust. 
Quant Hi/ of Product per Acre. —Spring 
wheat seldom produces as largely as winter 
wheat, though crops have been alleged, 
sometimes, to overrun 50 bushels per acre. 
We have numerous instances of premiums 
from our agricultural societies having been 
awarded, where the product came up nearly 
to 40 bushels per acre, and this, too, of 
heavy wheat, Mr. Eels, of Oneida County, 
has produced it weighing 64 pounds to the 
carefully-measured bushel. 
Its Intrinsic Value for Human I ood is be¬ 
yond that of winter wheat, as it produces 
move of gluten—the flesh and muscle form- 
ingprinciple—and more is nearly analagous 
to meat. An analysis of good English winter 
wheat, yielded only 19 per cent, of gluten, to 
24 from spring wheat, though the proportion 
of starch—the fat forming principle—was 77 
per cent, of the former, to 70 of the latter. 
The Merchantable Value of Spring Wheat 
is usually about 10 per cent, below that of 
good winter wheat, as it yields a smaller 
proportion of white flour. But for all bene¬ 
ficial purposes, it may be considered fully 
equal to winter wheat. 
For the American Agritculurist. 
WHICH IS THE BEST FORM OF HARROWS'? 
I have used and seen used many of the 
kinds most in vogue in our region, and un¬ 
hesitatingly reply, that so far as my obser¬ 
vation and experience goes, the square har¬ 
row, without joints or hinges of any kind, 
seem to do the best work on land moderately 
free from stones and hillocks. There seems 
to be a stiffness (if I may so express it) 
about it that pulverizes the soil to a greater 
extent than any other form I have seen used. 
Indeed, it seems to do the work up about as 
it should be, to put three horses on a thirty- 
tooth harrow of this description, and then 
have a good lively hand at the reins. By 
the way, I am inclined to think that very 
much of the efficacy of doing the work well 
depends on the speed. I have seen a plow 
yoke of oxen on a good harrow doing very 
poor work—they ought never to be used at 
this business. Wm. J. Pette. 
Lakeville, Conn., Feb. 19th, 1855. 
We entirely agree with our correspondent 
in the use of a heavy, inflexible harrow, 
with a strong and quick team. One such 
harrowing is worth a dozen with a slow, 
weak team. But till the team is provided 
and applied, it is useless to get a heavy thir¬ 
ty-tooth harrow, as a slow team will do no 
more nor better work with a heavy than 
with a light harrow. It is rather the speed 
than the weight of the harrow that does the 
work. Yet the size and weight has this fur¬ 
ther advantage, that with teams enough to 
secure quick work, the deeper and wider it 
works the better. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Wildwood, Miss., Jan. 26, 1855. 
This county, Bolivar, extends in lat. 33° 
N., some 70 miles along the course of the 
Mississippi river. The land is a deep, warm 
alluvial deposite, which is perhaps as fertile 
a body of land as any in the world. The 
back lands run something like 40 miles until 
the land rises into hills and assumes another 
character, being red and yellow clay, and not 
being as productive as the bottom lands. 
The timber of the low lands consists of 
cottonwood, buckberry, ash, elm and some 
oak; while on the bayous and sloughs are 
found a quantity of valuable cypresses. 
There are large tracts of land which is nearly 
destitute of timber, but covered with a mass 
of heavy canes as high as thirty feet. These 
are the easiest lands to clear, as the cane is 
cut down in the summer with heavy knives, 
and left to cover the ground. By the next 
winter it is perfectly dry, and it is then fired. 
The flames are very fierce, and destroy 
everything] within reach, large trees, old 
logs and every thing is burnt off clear, leav¬ 
ing a fair field for the farmer. These are 
considered the best lands. 
The majority of the inhabitants are en¬ 
gaged in the cultivation of cotton, which here 
produces better, and is subject to less casual¬ 
ties than any other portion of the cotton¬ 
growing region. There are many persons, 
however, who are engaged in preparing 
wood for sale to steamboats, and this is 
one of the most profitable pursuits which 
is followed. A hand will cut from a cord 
and a half to two cords per day; and this 
readily sells at $3 per cord. It would be a 
more pleasant business if these persons who 
follow the chopping of wood for a living 
were of a different stripe ; but they are of 
the most low and worthless character, with 
an entire lack of principle, perfect wander¬ 
ing Arabs, whom it is well to avoid. They 
are continually wandering along the river, 
getting jobs and running off in debt to their 
employers. The per cent realized at some 
wood-yards is enormous for the amount of 
capital invested. I have known some to make 
200 per cent. 
The lands produce corn finely. I have 
known 75 bushels per acre made without 
manure. I believe wheat would grow well. 
Potatoes do very finely, and I have no doubt, 
that with judicious cultivation, 3 or 400 bush¬ 
els might be made per acre. Fruit of all 
kinds does well; the most splendid peaches 
and pears I have ever seen have been raised 
here. 
There is the greatest chance to make 
money by raising stock. Mules, horses and 
cattle range in the canebreaks almost wild, 
with no one to care for them or look after 
them except to brand and mark the young, 
and to salt them. In the depth of winter 
the animals retire into the thick canebrake, 
which has a soft undergrowth, and there 
they stay until they are driven forth. The 
weather, however, is not very severe, the 
ground seldom freezing deeper than one inch. 
Hogs are easily raised. I have seen an esti¬ 
mate made somewhere, that pork costs the 
producer 5 cents a pound. This may be 
true as regards the pork raiser at the North, 
but here it is not so. At six weeks the pig 
is generally marked and turned out ; he 
stays around the plantation eating cotton 
seed, and ranging about until summer, when 
he retires into the swamp and seldom comes 
up until the mast is exhausted; in the fall, 
late, they are called up, and a few ears of 
corn fed to them to tame them. When about 
14 months old, they are penned for slaugh¬ 
tering, and after being fed a few weeks, killed, 
weighing then from 150 to 175 lbs. If they 
are kept until the next year they will fre¬ 
quently go over 300. 
Three years ago lands could have been 
purchased for $5 to $7 per acre on the river, 
but now they are held at $30 to $50. Back 
lands sell for $3 to $10, according to loca¬ 
tion. It has often been a matter of surprise 
to me, that so many men would cultivate the 
bare and sterile land of New-England, when 
they could easily make a home on such 
lands as these, and in a few years become 
wealthy. I know a person who purchased 
three years since 1,100 acres on the river, at 
$10 per acre ; he has since refused $30 per 
acre. The county is well leveed, and is 
bound to be one of the greatest agricultural 
counties in the State. As yet, there is not a 
grog-shop or store in it. But we stand in 
need of good, industrious mechanics ; those 
we have are not to be depended on at all. 
Good carpenters, and a blacksmith, would 
do well; wagons have to be sent to Memphis 
for repair. As I presume I have tired you 
out, I will close. Ozark 
For the American Agriculturist. 
RELIEF FOR THE STARVING POOR. 
In America, no one need starve for bread; 
and those who have any energy and vim, and 
are not notoriously lazy, but willing and 
ready to labor as well as - they can, and to 
labor for what they can earn, never will suf¬ 
fer for food and the necessaries of life. I 
am aware that this is a sweeping assertion; 
but it is as truthful as it is sweeping; and it 
requires but little reasoningto make it appear 
plausible, and to substantiate the fact beyond 
a doubt. 
What is the grand cause of so much suf¬ 
fering and destitution at the present day, in 
our cities and towns ? Is the present quan¬ 
tity of provision, throughout the country, so 
nearly exhausted that there is just ground 
for apprehending the complete consumption 
of all articles of food before an other harvest 
arrives? No. Notwithstanding the great 
diminution in the quality of grain, the past 
season, by reason of the drouth, it is confi¬ 
dently believed, that, were distilleries 
stopped, there is grain and flour enough on 
hand, to support the inhabitants, should there 
not be one bushel raised the present year. 
How many scores of farmers have now on 
hand their crops of corn and wheat, for 1853 
and 1854. Are the markets so completely 
glutted, that there is no longer a demand for 
mechanical productions ? By no means. 
Why are so many of our manufactories 
closed at the present time ? Is there any 
just ground for apprehending that the supply 
of articles manufactured will greatly exceed 
the demand ? Far from it. Has the cultiva¬ 
tion of the soil—the various branches in the 
agricultural department—arrived to such a 
degree of perfectibility, that but few hands 
are required to carry on the operations of 
the farm ? Diametrically the opposite. I 
have never seen the day—and I speak the 
mind of the majority of farmers—in summer 
nor in winter, in spring nor autumn, when 1 
could not have employed, to a good advan¬ 
tage, two or even three work hands, at a fair 
price, where only one was employed. I say, 
at a fair price : I mean to be understood, as 
much as a laborer is capable of earning. An 
active, intelligent farmer is always able to 
compute his debt and credit, loss and gain ; 
and to tell pretty accurately how many dol¬ 
lars and cents a given piece of labor will 
cost. But, when he is obliged to pay double, 
treble, or quadruple to raw hands, who are 
notoriously lazy, careless, and willful, it is 
the part of wisdom to plan no more than he 
is able to execute with his own hands, and 
