336 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
of all the elements that operate upon, and enter into, the various pro- 
duc;s upon which he bestows his care and labor, an I who knows when, 
how and where to bestow what physical strength is necessary to pro¬ 
duce a given result. I have long thought, also, that the knowledge ol 
agriculture should constitute a distinct branch of education, in all our 
principal institutions oflearning. The truth is, agriculture is the basis 
of nearly all the wealth in this country; it enters largely, directly or 
indirectly, into every department of business, and it is the business of 
those who constitute the great majority of the freemen of the United 
States; and there is every motive for giving it the highest rank among 
the various occupations which nourish, and sustain, and adorn civilized 
life. 
I enclose five dollars, which you will be kind enough to hand to the 
editor of the Cultivator, with a request that he will send me the num¬ 
bers agreeably to his terms. H. HAWLEY. 
CULTURE OF COTTON. 
J. BtrEL —Dear Sir—Having recently become a subscriber to your 
very valuable publication, “The Cultivator,” and deeming it highly 
incumbent upon each subscriber, to contribute his “quota” of agricul¬ 
tural information towards promoting the end of your publication, I send 
you the following as the most generally adopted mode of cultivating 
cotton, in North-Carolina. 
The; land is “bedded,” or broken up, as soon after picking out as 
possible, (the earlier the better,) with a plough drawn by_two hors¬ 
es. The beds are from three and a. half to four feet wide. After 
the earth has settled, and become somewhat indurated through the 
influence of rains and the sun, a double horse harrow is applied to 
the ridges, succeeded immediately by a smaller one, which reduces the 
land to a perfect state of pulverization. Next follows the “marker,” 
diawn by one horse, which makes a small trench on the middle of the 
ridge, in which the seeds are strewn by hand. The seeds are rubbed, 
previous to planting, in ashes and water, which process embodies three 
distinct advantages. 1. It enables each seed to assume a separate po¬ 
sition when sown ; 2. It acts as a stimulant upon the plant—and 3. It 
checks the ravages of that destructive insect, the “cut-worm.” The 
seeds are covered very lightly, say from 1 to inches, by means of a 
small harrow of 6 or 8 teeth. Next in order is the process of “shav¬ 
ing,” which consists in applying the weeding hoe to each side of the 
cotton on the ridge; after which the bar of a single horse plough is run 
at such a distance from the cotton as will not disturb its lateral roots, 
by which, all the grass that is taken from the vicinity of the plant is 
entirely covered in the middle of the alley or water-furrow. About 8 
or 10 da}s subsequent to this, (the grass being completely dead,) a tri¬ 
angular harrow is run upon the list formed by the two furrows thrown 
from the cotton, and two furrows thrown to the cotton, by means of a 
small plough. I forgot to state above, that immediately after “ shav¬ 
ing and barring,” the cotton is chopped through by the weeding hoe, at 
intervals of 8 or 10 inches, and the most promising and luxuriant stalks 
selected, leaving from one to two in a hill. Next follows the “ dirting 
process,” as it is termed, which by some is done with the hand, by 
others with the hoe. The former mode is too laborious, and far from 
being the most effectual and expeditious. When the cotton has attained 
considerable height, the bar is run very shallow, and the plough is run 
deep, when the mould-board'is turned to the cotton, to prevent “firing.” 
The cultivation then is perfected by alternately “ barring” and turning 
the mould-board to the cotton, immediately followed by the hoes, for 
the purpose of more effectually dirting the cotton, and uncovering those 
branches which the mould-board may have covered. Some of my neigh¬ 
bors “ top” their cotton; they think it causes the plant to expand more 
and form more pods. 
I should life to see in your next number, a description of the “ Cul¬ 
tivator,” which you recommend to your readers, as entirely supersed¬ 
ing the necessity of the plough and hoe in the cultivation of Indian 
corn, together with a detail of the best method of cultivating that arti¬ 
cle.* With unfeigned respect, I am yours, 
North-Carolina, Nov. 1836. AGRICOLA. 
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
Sir —Much has been said on the different breeds of sheep, and much 
more is required to induce farmers to improve their flocks. I am per¬ 
fectly satisfied from personal observation, that an erroneous systdin is 
pursued in the management of these valuable animals, and am tho¬ 
roughly convinced that the generality of farmers do not know their 
true value; but in directing their attention altogether to the fineness of 
wool, such as that produced from the Saxony and Merino, (and in these 
cases being generally governed by the quality without a due regard to 
the quantity,) they seldom take into consideration the carcass, which 
should be the most profitable, and in a good breed of sheep will prpve 
* Having already published two articles of our own on this subject, p. 37, 
vol 1, und p. 4, vol. 2, we beg leave to refer to them as affording an exposi¬ 
tion of our views on the cultivation of corn.— Cond. 
so. Though I am not sufficiently sanguine to believe my opinion to be 
infallible, still I think I may advance some ideas, that*better judgment 
can improve and excite its endeavors, where it is now silent. Should I 
succeed, the benefit the farmer will derive from it will afford me ample 
recompense. 
In the first place, I cannot see why the Saxony and Merino sheep are 
more generally kept than any other breed, their quality of mutton be¬ 
ing, in my opinion, far inferior, and their carcass lighter and more 
shapeless. I have asked many farmers who raised them, what was 
their inducement fordoing so, and have found no other reason assigned 
than the fineness of their wool, They generally keep their wether 
sheep five or six years, as they produce the greatest quantity and the 
finest quality, though they seldom cut more than three or four pounds, 
and often less than two and a half, and this comprises their chief profit. 
They frequently lose them, in consequence of their weak constitution, 
and their inability to stand the hard winters. If I am mistaken in these 
sheep, I shall be much obliged to some experienced breeder of this 
kind, to correct me, and advance the credit they deserve, and do justice 
to their good qualites. 
I think the South Down is a more profitable breed. Their quality of 
mutton is very superior; they feed much faster, but more inside than 
out, and are of a more hardy nature, if not bred too fine. I conceive 
the Hampshire Downs to be more profitable than the South Downs, 
and of a stronger constitution. They will produce more mutton and 
wool, and about equal in quality. 
The Bakewell or Cotswold sheep, I value more highly than either. 
They will produce more wool and mutton than any other sheep, and 
feed faster, (i. e. fatten sooner,) the quantity will make up the defi¬ 
ciency in quality, and give them the decided preference. On these 
sheep a man can exercise his judgment, as they possess every point 
sheep can, when good ones and well bred. 
There is as much difference in the same breed of sheep as between 
two distinct breeds, and it requires a farmer’s most attentive judgment 
in every point, to enable him to select a good ram There is more nice¬ 
ty in selecting this animal, than the farmer generally imagines, and if 
done injudiciously, his flock is certain to degenerate. If the male is 
not well bred, his stock is sure to be uneven; in some instances, when 
the ewe is well descended, her lamb may prove good, but the descen¬ 
dants of that lamb, if put to an ill-bred sheep, are certain to grow 
worse, and I am sorry to say, this system is too frequently pursued. 
It would be much better for a farmer to give a high price for a well- 
bred sheep, than have a poor one for nothing. Let them be influenced 
by this spirit, and they will find the' benefit of it. Those farmers that 
pursue the former course, are doing their country great injustice, and 
injure those breeders who study to improve. I have seen, in many in¬ 
stances, flocks of sheep descended from well bred ones, so much dege¬ 
nerated by this system, that a good judge could scarcely teli to what 
breed they belonged, and the owner, when offering them for sale, would 
represent them as first rate sheep, and bred from the flock of a noted 
breeder. As long as this principle is sanctioned, theie will be no ex¬ 
citement to improve, as it is discouraging to a good breeder to meet 
with such treatment, when he has been earnestly striving to excel. I 
appeal to sense and reason, whether there is any encouragement for a 
superior breeder, in such a case. Another practice I know exists, of 
men going to vessels, as they arrive from Europe, and buying the re¬ 
mainder of the captain’s ewes, perhaps the culls of a flock of no note, 
and introduced here as imported sheep, from a good flock; and among 
many farmers, the name of an imported sheep is quite sufficient, and 
they do not examine the good and bad points they possess; but if he 
is large and looks well to the eye, it is quite satisfactory; and this is a 
very mistaken notion. The eye cannot accurately tell a good sheep 
from a bad one; a fine looking sheep often when examined by the 
hand, proves exactly opposite from expectation. 
Here I cannot avoil mentioning a circumstance that came under my 
observation, of rather a laughable nature. A farmer, in selecting a 
ram, had three or four put together, and stooped down to see which 
was the tallest; his decision was expressed in the following words— I 
think this is the tallest sheep; I will take /tiin—and according to my judg- 
ment, he selected the worst sheep in the lot. Though I thus state my 
opinion candidly, I do not mean to do so offensively, as it is my earnest 
wish to see the farmer prosper, and any thing I can do to promote his 
happiness and welfare, will always be to me a gratification. 
Having condemned the system pursued, I will advance one that, in 
my judgment, would answer better. I would purchase as many ewes 
as I thought my farm would support, of that breed my taste dictated, 
and they should be the best my judgment could procure, and my purse 
sanction. I would then purchase the best ram of the same breed, I 
could possibly meet with, and lose no time in search of him; when once 
procured, he would serve for the same ewes three or four years, till his 
own stock came into the flock; and if a high price is paid for him, and 
his life spared, he will be sure to earn it. I am undecided whether I 
should sell my wether lambs, or keep them till two years old, but should 
