i itih l ra P s - 
COTTON CULTURE: 
Its Actualities ond Possibilities. 
BY J. R DODGE. 
The most unmitigated nonsense has been 
so often written concerning cotton and its cul¬ 
ture, generally by politicians, sometimes by 
agriculturists, that the public may well de¬ 
spair of getting at the truth. Short-sigh Usd 
political economists saw a huge thing in cot¬ 
ton, because it happened to he sent abroad 
instead ofbeing used at home ; despising the 
while the hay crop, though worth twice as 
much, because it was used on the farm or in 
the neighborhood, rather than by distant 
foreigners. Now, a hundred millions of dol¬ 
lars in cheese is of .just as much importance 
to the country as the same value in cotton ; 
and the same, amount of either sold at home 
is of equal value to the individual producer, 
and of greater benefit to the nation than if 
sent abroad. 
It was bo huge a thing in the dazzled eyes 
of cotton-worshipers, that the South seemed 
whitened with the downy fiber, and no Sout h 
ern landscape was areal picture of the sunny 
clime without a thousand acre field of the 
coveted plant; but the actual fact was, in 
the day of its power and glory, that of the 
four hundred millions of acres in the ten cot¬ 
ton States, but three per cent, of them were 
planted in cotton ; of the one hundred and 
eeventy-five millions of acres in farms, less 
than seven acres in every hundred; and of 
the forty-six millions in nominally “ im¬ 
proved ” land, but little more than one acre 
in four. 
All the cotton of 1860 was grown upon an 
area little more than a third of the surface of 
Mississippi. The fact is, the South always 
was comparatively a wilderness, and if the 
one-idea culture continues to prevail, it al¬ 
ways will be. It is folly to talk of the limit 
of area suitable for cotton culture, when the 
requirements of manufacturing will probably 
never reach that limit. There is land enough 
to produce filly millions of bales, (the present 
wants of the trade being about three mil¬ 
lions,) and still leave three-fourths of the 
total area (valuable still, if less fertile,) for 
other purposes, ll is sincerely hoped that 
such undue proportion will never be attained. 
The welfare of the South now depends, nut 
on growing less cotton, but on producing fur 
more of other crops. 
Misconceptions of the extent of cotton 
acreage, and of the average product per acre, 
do great, injustice to the character of the soil 
for fertility. The wildest views arc present¬ 
ed to the public, doubling tin; actual breadth 
planted, and depreciating correspondingly 
the actual rate of production. The most 
egregious blunders recently noticed, are in a 
series of articles for a political paper of New 
York City—the World—under the caption, 
“ Will the production of cotton be increased ?” 
Under the head of *' Improved Lands in 
Farms,” in the ten cotton States, the aggre¬ 
gate is swelled from forty-flue to Jlfty-one 
millions of acres, by giving Florida nearly 
six millions too many acres, or just, fm time* 
the actual number ymn in the census report of 
1860! It is assumed that all this area was 
then actually under culture; whereas, in the 
older States, two-fifths or more, and in those 
more recently settled from one-fourth to one- 
third, was lying fallow or uncultivated; and 
a fourth assumption makes the acreage of 
cotton just two-thirds of the entire acreage, 
in Florida and Mississippi alike; in North 
Carolina and Tennessee, without regard to 
climate or special industries; making live 
entire cotton area 84,196,224 acres, including 
4,369,475 in Florida, a State that possessed 
but 654,213 acres of improved land in all! 
and placing the number of acres to each bale 
at sixty-seven! upon which the astute com 
piler remarks, as a "very important fact,” 
that it is shown in the table that it took sixty- 
seven acres to produce a bale, and yet one 
hand produced over a bale, — an evidence of 
wonderful industry in an average Florida 
negro, after attending to an equal area in 
corn, sugar, rice, peas, potatoes, oranges, 
lemons and other fruits ! 
The same table gives North Carolina a 
larger acreage in cotton than Mississippi, 
while the former State produced less than 
one-eighth of the quantity, and actually oc¬ 
cupied scarcely one-sixth of the area of the 
cotton in Mississippi, The following is this 
singular estimate: 
Alabama.. ...... ..1,2,VMM 
Arkansas. 1.332,209 
Florida. 413(59,476 
Georgia.6,376,172 
Louisiana.. 1 JVM ,739 
Mississippi . . .'(,377.170 
North Carolina. 4,344,856 
South Carolina... 8,Ws,04ft 
Tennessee.4,530,22s 
'I exits. . .... ..... 1,767,IBS 
Arrmin Acres to the Bales 
Colton- bnlo. par liauil. 
,257,150 4.3 3.4 
.322,209 3.5 4.9 
[369,475 67 1.09 
,375,172 7.65 2,27 
,801.739 2.H2 3.5 
,377,170 2.8 4.1 
,344X56 29.fi 65 
048,0411 8.6 1.3 
530,225 15.2 1.6 
767,188 4.9 3.79 
This makes an aggregate of thirty-four 
millions of acres ! Deducting four millions 
for the trifling error in Florida, thirty mil¬ 
lions remain, when the highest possible ag- 
A gregale never exceeded t welve millions. The 
* following statement is very nearly accurate 
as the acreage of the great crop of 1859: 
Rule#. 1 A cr*o. 
Alabama. SMMfcS 3*260,OOQ 
Arkansas . 867.3931 650,000 
Florida..... 65,153 200.100 
Georgia,. 7ftlji40 1,800.000 
Louisiana. 777,738 1,200.000 
Mississippi. l,2tK.Mrr]2,760.0[5 
North Carolina. 145,5141 4A.MW0 
South Carolina. 353,412 KLMJj 
Tennessee.. . 296,464 7fiO,W) 
Texas. 431 Awl 775,000 
This makes 11,600,000 acres; and Mis¬ 
souri, Virginia and Illinois nearly complete 
the twelve millions. Louisiana shows just 
the superiority in yield that her fertile river 
lands entitle her to ; and Texas and Arkan¬ 
sas, with their Red River and Mississippi 
alluvion, are greatly in advance of North 
Carolina, or Georgia even. The census 
authorities estimated, in 1850, five millions 
of acres in cotton; with a crop nearly half 
that of the last census. 
Now 1 wish to show, beyond possible 
cavil, that 2,230,622 bales, or nearly half of 
the crop of 1859, viz:— 5 , 380,052 hales, 
actually grew on less than four millions of 
acres, or one third of the twelve millions 
estimated above. In sixty three counties 
(named below,) not only was that quantity 
of cotton produced, but 45,367,334 bushels 
of corn (nearly one-fourth of the corn crop 
of the cotton States,) and an immense quan¬ 
tity of other products, while the entire area 
of improved land in those counties was but 
.8,564,067 acres, and scarcely 7,000,000 of that 
was actually cultivated, half of which, or 
3,500,000 was in cotton. Allowing a higher 
percentage in that, crop than any one State 
possessed, the total of 4,000,000 acres could 
scarcely he reached. These counties are of 
the following States, and their record will 
give a very different impression of Southern 
lands from that conveyed by current statis¬ 
tics of political farmers: 
Mtmdsstppi.~- Yazoo, Hinds, Madison, Lowndes, 
Noxubee. Marshall, Monroe, Holmes, Issaquena, 
De Soto, 1,057,061 “ improved ” land in farms (re¬ 
member that large bodies of “rostiug" litnds in 
the only system of rotation practiced, nro to be 
deducted); 490,873 bales of cotton; 9,914,099 bush¬ 
els of corn. 
Alabama. — Dallas, Marengo, Montgomery, 
Greene, Lowndes, Wilcox, Perry, Harbour, Ma¬ 
con, Russell, 2,518,107acres; 513,937 halos; 11,609,- 
011 hufihols. 
Loufcrfana.— Tensas, Carroll, Concordia, Ra¬ 
pides, Madison, Bossier. Nnehitochos, Point. Cou¬ 
pee, 7111,233 acres; 468,689 bales; 4,877,801 bushels. 
Ho much of this ts very fertile river lands, that 
there is less idle or rest! up area than in any other 
State, and the production, in tbo absence of In¬ 
sects and overflow, is enormous, as in Tensas.-— 
117,358 acres; 141,493 bales; 579,050 bushels. Near- 
ly all was in cultivatiOD; ft smaller area than 
the average elsewhere was in com, and yet the 
cotton must have averaged at least a bale and a 
half (or 600 Ills.) to the acre—the largest result in 
the United Mates in that year. 
Georgia .— Houston. Stewart, Burke, Dougher¬ 
ty. Meriwether, Troup, Monroe, Talbot, 1,308,319 
acres; 160,421 bales; 4,340,019 bushels. 
Tr.ow.- Han Augustine, Washington, Harrison, 
Walker, Burke, Whartow, Polk, Matagorda, 434,- 
398 acres; 129,030 bales; 8,947,329 bushels. Han 
Augustine almost equaled Tensas In Louisiana, 
having 82,972 acres, 31,343 bales, and 144,340 
bushels. 
Arkanm*.- -Chicot, Jefferson, Phillips, Marion, 
Arkansas, Lafayette, Union. I lempstead, Colum¬ 
bia, Desha, 024,543 acres; 215,403 bales; 4,077,993 
bushels. 
Tennessee.—Lawrence, Fayette, 1 laywood, Mad¬ 
ison, Shelby, Hardeman, Rutherford, Tipton, 
Giles, 1,210,507 acres; 333,410 bales; 7,509,383 
bushels. 
The following is a summary of these 
Buies. Bush’s 
490,878 9,914,690 
612,957 11,IK®,611 
488,529 4,877,8(11 
166,471 4,5(0,619 
232,1101 7.539,383 
These facts show the capabilities of the 
best lands, a large proportion of tvbich are 
yet unoccupied; they prove that good soil, 
with indifferent, exhausting culture, averaged 
two hundred and fifty pounds of lint cotton 
per acre, ami suggest the possibility of 
obtaining a bale per acre with a reconstruct¬ 
ed system of farming. Such men as David 
Dickson, of Georgia, have almost, attained 
such an average on poor, pine lands, and 
have done it easily on the rotten limestone 
and bottom lands. Lei more cotton he grown 
on less land, and the proportion of cult ivated 
area in that crop be reduced from forty per 
cent, to twenty , and the fiber will bear a 
higher price, and the farmer will prosper 
whether “ good middling” rules high or low. 
Washington, 1809. 
NORWAY OATS- 
I notice in Rural of May 1st , that Jones 
& Clark of New York have very much dis¬ 
torted my letter, published in the Rural of 
April 17th. First, they say ray letter “ im¬ 
peaches the truthfulness of several well 
known and good men.” I cannot sec it in 
that light, by a careful reading. Then they 
say, “ Mr. Talcott acknowledges that he is 
not sure whether they are a good oat. or not, 
but expect* they will prove worthitss." / ac¬ 
knowledged no such thirty ; but said that the 
“ oats I had were no heavier than the com¬ 
mon oat, and the oats l have are not as heavy 
as the common white oat grown on my farm, 
neither arc they so good." 
I can account for the perversion by Jones 
& Clark only by supposing that, in their 
case, like my own, age has dimmed their eye 
sight, and had forgotten to put on their 
figures: 
Acres. 
Mississippi, 
10 counties,. 
.1,677,061 
A litbrtma, 
Louisiana, 
10 
.. .2,518.107 
8 parishes,. 
. . 791,233 
Georgia, 
8 counties,. 
. 1.308,219 
Texas, 
8 
434,308 
Arkansas, 
10 
... 621 ,513 
... 1,210,50 r 
TenucBKue, 
y u 
63 counties, 
8,504,067 
spectacles, so did not read what I said cor¬ 
rectly, or else they misquoted willfully what 
I said. 
I am not a novice in farming, having had 
charge of a farm for nearly forty years, the 
first few years as tenant, then as owner. I 
do not expect to “ know all about oats in a 
few years, even if I apply myself with in¬ 
creased vigor in my experiments.” 
Messrs. Jones & Clark, by a letter pub¬ 
lished in Country Gentleman in reply to a 
notice of my experiment, say “ they have no 
doubt but I have the genuine Norway oat.” 
In their concluding sentence they imply that 
T with others, have not the genuine. I have 
no doubt that is true in many instances; but 
have no doubt of the genuineness of those I 
have. I itope Jones A Clark will send for 
the sack sent to li. A. Taylor, and pay him 
hack his money and expenses, and in future 
lie careful and not send out poor oats with 
Canada thistles in them; and also remember 
that different persons see the same things 
(sometimes) in very different lights, and that 
all have a right to express their honest opin¬ 
ions. 1 do not write for the sake of contro¬ 
versy, but to let tiie public know the results 
of my experiments. Then they can judge 
whether they wisli to try their hand or not 
with t he same article. It will do no harm to 
discuss any subject pertaining to the form, if 
carried on with a kindly feeling; audit may 
do great good. The best of every kind of 
grain, root or grass, also the best farm stock 
should lie sought after and carefully tried, 
and the results published by all practical 
farmers, and a vast fund of information would 
be gained thereby. J. Talcott. 
Koine, May 4th, 1809. 
POTATO EXPERIMENTS. 
In the Rural of April 17th, page 246, H. 
P. Harmon of Kirlland, Lake Co., Ohio, 
gives an account of an experiment with po¬ 
tatoes for the year - 1868, which I wish con¬ 
tinued, taking the selection from those grown 
(if possible*;) t he large ones from thosegrown 
with the large seed, and so on to the end of 
the experiment. If Mr. Harmon has saved 
his potatoes so that he can do so, I think it 
would he an instructive, and, perhaps, a 
profitable experiment to cany it on for a few 
years and note the result, and communicate 
the facts to the Rural readers yearly. In 
that way 1 think we might establish the 
fact which is best for seed, Selected, or small 
potatoes. 
I amone that now believes in selected seed, 
although L have seen as good results from 
small seed, for a single planting, as from se¬ 
lected in some seasons. I will here give an 
experiment conducted under my own care 
and labor—an experiment of three years’ 
continuance, with the Early Goodrich; also 
the Gleason, and of two years with the 
llariqon. 
It is now three years since I received my 
first lot of Early Goodrich, consisting of one- 
half bushel, also one-half bushel of the Glea¬ 
son, from Mr. IIeffbon of Utica; they were 
a fair lot of each' kind. I kept the small ones 
of the Gleason separate, as there was more 
of them than in the Early Goodrich. They 
were all cut to single eyes, and planted in 
hills two and a half feet apart, each way, 
three eyes to the hill; the Early Goodrich 
yielding thirty-seven bushels from Ihe one- 
half bushel planted; the Gleason twenty-four 
bushels from one-lialf bushel planted; and 
when the small seed was used, about three- 
fourths as many potatoes in a row was harv¬ 
ested as when t he larger seed was used, The 
next season T sold what I did not w’nnl for 
.seed, keeping nil the small potatoes for my 
own use, as I did not like to send such to 
purchasers. 1 also selected a few' bushels of 
good ones for my own planting, which were 
planted separately, as the previous year, and 
the result with the Gleason was still more in 
favor of the selected seed Ilian the previous 
year. With the Early Goodrich the differ¬ 
ence was not so great 
In 1867 1 purchased a barrel of the Hari- 
son of Mr. 1). B. Ueffron, for which 1 paid 
him $12; about one-third of them were 
refuse potatoes sncli as no person should 
ever send out to purchasers for seed unless 
at a greatly reduced price. I also kept 
them separate, cut and planted on the single 
eye system, and when the small potatoes 
were planted the crop was very poor—not 
more than half as many as when the larger 
seed was used. Probably the drouth of 1867 
had a worse effect when the small seed was 
used than when the seed was of fair size. 
None of the potatoes in the barrel were more 
than middling, and 1 promised myself at. the 
time of planting if 1 could not raise better 
potatoes than they were I never would offer 
them for sale; however, the crop was of 
good size and appearance; but 1 obtained 
only about forty bushels from the barrel 
planted, which was only a very moderate 
result. I have no doubt had the seed sent 
me been selected, as it should have been for 
the price paid, I should have raised one 
hundred bushels, or nearly so, from the bar¬ 
rel of seed purchased. 
The past season my seed was laid aside as 
before, ol the HarisDn and Early Goodrich, 
both selected; then what I had to spare was 
sold to purchasers; saving the culls, as the 
previous year; they were all cut as before, to 
single eyes, and an experiment started which 
I intend to continue, with this exception ; 
f do not intend to plant any more small pota¬ 
toes of the Ilarison or Gleason, as the. results 
for the past two seasons with the Ilarison, 
and three with the Gleason, have ftilly con¬ 
vinced me that, it is time and labor expended 
unprofitably to plant the small ones. 
From the selected seed of thellarison was 
planted twelve rows across a piece of ground 
about seventeen rods in width, with two 
pieces in a hill; the hills two and a half feet 
apart each way; the remainder were planted 
with three pieces in each hill ; then a few 
rows were planted of such seed as were sent 
to purchasers, cut and planted in the same 
manner; then the culls were cut and planted 
as the others, single eyes, three, eyes to the 
hill. The rows were carefully staked, and 
marked, all tilled alike, and at. harvest time 
carefully measured, six rows of each plots. 
The result was that where the best seed was 
used, three pieces in a hill, six bushels from 
the row were dug at harvest time; where 
but two pieces were planted, less than five 
bushels per row wore harvested; and when 
the seed were used with the smallest, taken 
out, five bushels were the average; hut when 
the small ones were planted, only four bush¬ 
els from each row were dug. The Gleason 
xvas all planted with selected seed. The 
crop grew vigorously and the harvest was 
abundant and of good size. 
From these experiments 1 am firmly of 
the opinion that small potatoes, especially 
of the Ilarison and Gleason varieties, should 
not be planted, to obtain the best crop. In 
selecting the seed for the experiments given, 
I took such as were smooth and of fair size 
for the table, and hope by continuing to do 
so, to improve them in quality, as well as 
quantity ; if not, then we may as well give 
up the Goodrich seedlings for the table and 
grow them only for stock ; for it is a noto¬ 
rious fact that the past year they have failed 
to give satisfaction as table potatoes gener¬ 
ally. The Early Goodrich is almost uni¬ 
versally condemned as unfit for eating pur¬ 
poses ; and the Ilarison does not stand much 
better in the estimation of the public; the 
Gleason is the best with me of the three 
sorts, and that is not a good table potato. 
Now, if my experiment continued, using 
only selected seed, will improve {he quality 
so that they can be depende d on as good 
table potatoes, it will be a great gain; if not, 
then we must look for some other sorts for 
that purpose, and discard the sorts named, as 
unfit for eating purposes. 
I also tried an experiment with the Early 
Rose, and the Vanderveer’s Seedling. Mr. 
Vandkkvekr claimed that his seedling was 
the best and most productive, and as early 
as any potato. In their test with me they 
ripened the same time as the Ilarison, y ielded 
about half as much, and only of ordinary 
quality for the table—not nearly as good as 
the Peach Blow. I shall continue my ex¬ 
periments this season with some new sorts 
added to my last year’s list, and will report , 
at the close of the season, my successes or 
failures. Jonathan Talcott. 
Borne, N. Y., 1869. 
POTATOES IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 
It is a lamentable fact that hundreds of 
farmers in Central Illinois do not raise pota¬ 
toes enough for tlicir own families; conse¬ 
quently they are compelled to do without 
that much esteemed article of food a great 
portion of the year, or pay a very high price 
for it. For example, last fall a friend of 
mine, who lives thirty miles west, called to 
see me and remain over night,. On the mor- 
rotv, as he ivas starling for home, he saw 
some potatoes in town, and said he believed 
lie would buy a bushel and take them with 
him, lor he had not had any for a long time. 
He inquired the price, and found it to he 
$1.25. He paid it Avillingly. When tax 
time came hundreds of farmers were com¬ 
pelled to draw corn through the mud (for avc 
have had mud since the first of January) 
and sell it for from thirty to forty cents per 
bushel. It would take at least three bushels 
of corn to pay for one of potatoes. 
Last season I raised at the rate of ninety 
bushels of potatoes per acre. You Avill 
doubtless think that a small yield; but 
when I tell you the disadvantages under 
Avhicb T labored, you w ill think better of it. 
As 1 Avas a new settler, I had no land but 
prairie sod. I prepared ray ground by going 
twice in a place Avith a plow, turning up 
two furrows deep; but they Avert* shaQow, 
as my team was light. I then harrowed the 
land a little, and marked it, out with a plow, 
plowing as shallow as I could, so as not to 
disturb the sod. I then cut the potatoes 
into two or three eyes, and dropped the 
pieces in the fitrrows ten or twelve inches 
apart. I then covered them with the plow 
by crowding the. dirt over them from both 
sides. I cultivated them by rooting among 
them as best I could xvith a common plow 
without turning up the sods. In the full the 
sods were avcII rotted, and I plowed the po¬ 
tatoes out and gathered them with very little 
expense, and obtained ninety bushels per 
acre, which I sold at one dollar per bushel. 
Remember the disadvantages that I labor¬ 
ed under, and then let ns see, how it Avill 
compare xvith corn culture. Allow that the 
corn crop Avill average fifty bushels, which 
is all it, av ill do, if not more. Corn has been 
selling this winter at an average of thirty- 
five cents. But avc w ill oIIoav that by keep¬ 
ing it till June it will bring fifty cents per 
bushel, Avbich will be $25 per acre. Noav 
w’e will say that the cost of seed and labor 
to the acre of potatoes, av i 11 exceed that of 
corn by $15, and you Avill see that it takes 
three acres of com to buy as much as one of 
potatoes. Also consider the enormous freight 
that w*e arc obliged to pay to get our corn 
shipped to Chicago, and (as xve are doing at 
present) to get potatoes shipped to us from 
Chicago. 
I hope t his may he the means of wakening 
up some of my neighbors to the subject, that, 
we may equalize our farm products to our 
advantage. 
To show the tendency to “ run into com" 
here, let me give yon one instance. The 
other day I asked a neighbor, Avho moved 
here last summer from the State of New 
York, “ IIoav much corn do you intend to 
plant, this spring?” 
“ Oh, about thirty acres.” 
I laughed, and perhaps you Avill when I 
tell you that the man owns but forty acres 
in all! R. O. Lix’ingston. 
Rantoul, Illinois. 
-- 
POTATOES—HOW TO IMPROVE. 
In the fall of 1863, I gathered from Prince 
Albert potato vines seed balls, saved and 
cleaned the seed, os we would tomato seed, 
and sowed them the next spring in row s, as 
W’c would onion seed. They were quite 
small, some of them no larger than a good- 
sized pea; they xvere all white and looked 
like the parent potato. 
The nextspring I planted them again, and 
the result svos as before, all Prince Albert’s, 
but of a larger groAVth than the year previous; 
again, the next spring I planted them, and in 
the fall I gathered full-sized, pure Prince 
Alberts. 
There was only one kind of potatoes plant¬ 
ed in the field that I saved my seed balls 
from ; I therefore concluded, and learned by 
experience, that we have got to have two or 
more kinds planted together in order to mix, 
if it is desired to get a new kind of potato 
from the seed ball. 
As xve have many old and excellent kinds 
of potatoes, which perhaps have somewhat 
degenerated, (as potatoes will,) it Avould be 
advisable to save the seed balls and soav them 
in order to make the potato more vigorous 
and healthy, as it certainly did in my ex¬ 
perience with the Pi’ince Albert, f. d. g. 
AVUliamstowu. Mass., 1869. 
— — - ■ •»+■»-- 
Answer to Young Former.—Tell “ Young Farm¬ 
er" that Ave can raise any kind of wheat in this 
county that will grow in any place in this lati¬ 
tude. The Scotch, China, Black Hea or Gold 
Drop. The last named Is becoming quite popu¬ 
lar just noAV. The common w hite oat is grown; 
some prefer the black—think they yield better 
than the white. Tell “Young Farmer” unless 
his sandy loam has got clay Bubsoll, and is quite 
rich, lie hud better not try to raise rnoro wheat 
than lie wants for his own use. If his sandy 
loam has gat yellow sand subsoil, mid the season 
is dry, he will not get much of a crop; if ho 
makes it rich he can raise corn or rye that will 
buy more flottn than he can raise on the same 
ground. I once raised on sandy loam, with clay 
subsoil, tAventy-fivo bushels of as handsome 
Wheat to the acre as I ever saw. t rook two 
acres of old meadow, the last of November or 
the itrst December, plowed common depth, sub- 
soiled so as to make the depth a font In all; 
sowed in I lie spring after cultivating; made the 
ground very mellow; put Hie seed In with culti¬ 
vator, and the result avos, I got fifty bushels of 
good wheat from the two acres, but it Avas an 
uncommon good season. G. P. Crandall, Ells¬ 
worth, *>’(. Lawrence Co., A r . Y. 
-♦♦♦- 
Premiums for Corn.— JOHN I>. LYMAN, Farm¬ 
ington, N, H„ offers the following premiums on 
corn grown In t hat State the present, year:—For 
the best one hundred ears of eight-rowed corn, 
thirty-five dollars; for the second best one hun¬ 
dred enrs of eight-rowed corn, fifteen dollars; 
for the best one hundred cars of more than 
eight-rowed corn, thirty-five dollars; for the 
second best one hundred care of more than 
eight-rowed corn, fifteen dollars. The corn must 
be well traced, and so secured by cords as not to 
break, and to be forwarded free of expense—so 
as to reach the subscriber at Smythc’s Halt, in 
Manchester, by noon of tho last Tuesday of 
December next, at which time and place tho 
premiums Avill bo awarded. Size, beauty and 
quality, both of ears urtd grains, arc among the 
tilings to be considered in awarding the pre¬ 
miums. Each one hundred ears must be grown 
upon one farm* and none of it selected from 
plots of loss than one acre. The four pre¬ 
mium traces are to belong to the subscriber, 
and all others to their owners. Method of culti¬ 
vation to be furnished in writing. 
—--♦♦♦- 
Htitn-Imgn — Variety.— A Kentucky corres¬ 
pondent will find the yellow rulu-baga the best 
variety for feeding cows. Tho ground should be 
free from weeds, well and deeply plowed, har¬ 
rowed well, and then pulverized by a crusher or 
roller; then harrow and go oA'or it again tvitb 
t he crusher. This will leave the ground smooth, 
and l he drills Avill be dostlnct and'Hie Aveeds 
easily kept doAvn, How in drills two feet apart. 
IIoav it may bo in Kentucky I know not, but for 
winter feeding in our cold climate, rnangel- 
wurzols are preferable to mta-bagas.—E. Rey¬ 
nolds, Fon du Lac Co.,Win. 
