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THE CULTIVATOR. 
In my opinion, one healthy male turkey is sufficient for 
twelve or fifteen hen turkies. 
I intend, when the reform bill on postage shall have 
become the law of the land, to write over myreal name, 
but must decline doing so for the present. I have now 
on hand some six or eight letters asking my opinion upon 
this man's Poland fowls, and that man's Dorkings, &c.; 
and had they come to hand post paid, I should have been 
happy to answer them. I should be extremely happy to 
hear from your Virginia correspondent; and my remarks 
above are intended for a very different “ variety” of man¬ 
kind, than I believe him to be. K. L. 
Hartford, Ct., Feb. 28, 1844. 
SUGGESTIONS TO COTTON PLANTERS. 
Willis Gaylord —Sir—I quote here your queries pro¬ 
pounded to me in your very friendly letter, also the re¬ 
marks following those questions, and will endeavor to 
give you what I think are the facts in the case, leaving 
you to use either, to satisfy yourself or others, as you may 
wish. You say, “ is it an error in me to suppose that the 
cotton growing districts of the United States, mistake 
their true interests, by devoting their attention to that ar¬ 
ticle so exclusively? Would not a more mixed husband¬ 
ry, one that should secure to the planter from his own 
soil, his required supplies of beef, mutton, bacon and 
bread, be preferable to risking all on one crop? I take 
it for granted, there is no good reason in the nature of 
things why this might not be; I suppose experience has 
demonstrated that there is no difficulty whatever in the 
growing of cattle, sheep, (and fine wooled ones too,) and 
pigs, in quantities sufficient for the wants of the planter; 
and that the system of extensive purchases of articles of 
food now so common, is more the result of habit than of 
necessity.” 
It gives me no inconsiderable pleasure to give you an 
answer to all this matter, by showing you what is now 
done by a great many farmers, and some planters in this 
part of the cotton region, which may tend to stimulate 
others to equal exertions, and will show many who live 
north of us, that we are not dependant for supplies to our 
northern friends, and thereby induce them to feel more 
like we were brethren and equals, than that we we were 
dependents. The capabilities of our soil to produce, our 
climate to perfect, and the energy of the sons of a south¬ 
ern clime to effect reasonable objects when necessary, are 
misunderstood by many in even this country, for that au¬ 
thor of the effect of climate, is a southerner, and it is rea¬ 
sonable to suppose that there are far more in a northern 
country. 
All experience has proved in every country where yet 
tried, that mixed husbandry is preferable to a devotion to 
any one crop, and to a certain extent is true in the cot¬ 
ton region; we must have no other crop to interfere in 
the gathering, that requiring all the time and attention of 
the farmer. That there is too much reliance on the cot¬ 
ton plant, the practice of our farmers will be a sufficient 
proof, and that much other business might be introduced 
that would not conflict with the interest of the cotton 
grower, we all now believe. 
We can assuredly make an abundance of beef, mutton, 
bacon, bread and wool to feed and clothe us well; we can 
also rear our own horses and mules; and I make no ques¬ 
tion but what we could add sugar and molasses, with 
silks for our fair dames, would they but take hold in a 
proper spirit. I make not these assertions without abso¬ 
lute proof, and enough to satisfy any jury of 12 men in 
the United States. My five nearest neighbors in this 
county, having near on to 300 persons in the aggregate, 
have made for the last 3 or 4 years more meat, corn and 
beef than was necessary; I might add mutton also, al¬ 
though the quantity consumed is small. I can better say 
of myself than of others, I must therefore rely more on 
this, trusting a bare exposition of facts will be construed 
fairly. 
I can make an average crop for any consecutive 10 
years, (and am even willing that the last 4 be counted in, 
as I have been here myself only 4 years since 1836,) 6 
bales of cotton weighing 400 lbs., 200 bushels of corn, 
500 lbs. of pork, raise 5 lambs, 3 calves, per hand that 
works in the field, with 1 colt to 4 hands, and an abund¬ 
ance of oats, rye, millet and fodder, potatoes and garden 
vegetables, to feed one horse to each hand, all cattle in 
the winter daily, and whites and blacks. I have been 
much engaged in putting the farm in ship shape order, and 
have lost much time from the mere farm work, but I can 
make a better showing than this, and make no question 
that I will ere 10 years pass, make, besides my crop of 
cotton, (6 bales,) pork and hay for sale. I can even now 
sell off yearly some half dozen beeves, a few milch cows, 
30 or 40 mutton, and have sold on an average, $500 
worth for 3 years, without at all interfering with what I 
say can be made, or at all injuring in number or quality 
the stock that I found here on my return in 1839. I am 
not yet fixed, for you well know how long it requires to 
get a farm properly arranged; owing to this, and to a 
never ending range for hogs, I am harrassed yearly for 
meat; the pigs I had castrated and spayed in 1840, Jan. 
and April, for killing Dec. 1842, numbered 93, and al¬ 
though I had an abundance of corn, I did not kill of them 
over 20 head; the others I have never seen. I must raise 
my meat in an enclosure. 
Now, sir, if one man can do this, others can, and if 
cotton will not rise over 8 cts., we will all do it, and do 
more, for we can and will make our own clothing. 
The great difficulty in this country has been, cotton has 
been to-all appearances, a remunerating crop, and in many 
instances only in appearance; for when it rises, and the 
planter sells a per hand crop of $300, every thing is high 
in proportion, and by purchasing every thing, he is really 
but little better off at the end of the year than at the be¬ 
ginning. My own opinion is, and I have made every 
reasonable effort to give it publicity, that it is a duty 
every man owes his family, his country, to make every 
thing necessary which will not withdraw his force from 
their trade, and after which, as much cotton as he can— 
thus making sure of bread, meat and work animals, so if 
he makes only 4 or 5 bales per hand, those few bales will 
be nearly clear. 
I have a portion of a mutton now in my smoke house 
that is very passable meat, though not fat; killed off a rye 
patch, which was sown on the corn ground, no plow be¬ 
ing used at all. This season being more unfavorable for 
sheep than any I have ever seen, continued rains, not a 
head of sheep has been housed an hour; and worse on 
my sheep than on natives, being part bred Bakewell. I 
j killed some two of my choice veals this fall, no extra 
I care or keep, and a beef near 4 years old, a spayed heifer 
j raised entirely in the woods, with a run in the field after 
gathering corn; she weighed 426 lbs. and gave me 46 
lbs. of tallow; she was to appearance, no fatter than 
when turned in, and was only turned in to give flavor to 
her meat; I have got over 30 lbs. of tallow from a beef 
6 to 7 years old, killed out of the woods. I therefore 
say there is no difficulty in raising either beef or mutton. 
Pork can be bought, made in this county, at 3 cts.— 
enough to prove that we can raise pork. My own opin- 
| ion is, that we can raise pork cheaper than those coun¬ 
tries where pork is the staple commodity—and here are 
my reasons—a farmer can cultivate 10 acres of corn land 
per hand, besides enough in cotton to ensure him 4 bales, 
and a large crop of oats and sweet potatoes, which with 
the aid of a peach orchard, planting his corn land with 
peas and pumpkins, he can rear readily double the quantity 
of hogs he will require; he then can take time to handle 
these 4 bales so as to nett him in price, over 5 bales, and 
give him the surplus quantity of pork a clear gain. Thus 
in reality making by his staple production a fair crop, 
which as a matter of course, gives him the pork free of 
cost. Should he require a crop of 6 bales, let him plant 
for 5 and handle well, to make in price and saving of ex¬ 
pense, the 6th bale. 
A neighbor of mine has killed hogs averaging 300 lbs., 
this winter; they were raised entirely in the woods, as 
our stock hogs are raised, then turned into the pea field, 
and afterwards corn fed far a few weeks; clearly proving 
the good effect of crosses on his stock; 4 years ago nis 
stock did not average 200 lbs., and raised as now, but the 
range far better; he has killed 46 that will over-go 275 
lbs., some going to 320 lbs., 18 months to 2 years old. He 
has purchased of me boars at different times. The exact 
weights I will ascertain and publish in theS. W. Farmer. 
