THE CULTIVATOR. 
137 
be goverened by my means of keeping. I would wean my lambs about 
the middle of July, keep the ewes, ewe lambs and wethers separate, 
and as soon as the ewe lambs were fit to take the ram, (which would 
be in eighteen months,) would procure a good ram for them that was 
no relation, and then select as many of the worst as I thought proper, 
and take as many of the worst of my ewes as I put of the best year¬ 
lings in, and sell them to such farmers as I thought would do them jus¬ 
tice. Though the worst, let them be attentive, and they will improve; 
but I would always have them leave in lamb, so that the first descend¬ 
ants might be genuine. When a farmer has pursued this course a few 
years, his whole flock will be nearly equal, and when arrived to this 
purity, is worthy to be called a good one; and if his land and mind are 
cultivated equally well, he may be one of the happiest beings on earth, 
and ought to be much respected. 
I will refer those who wish to see good flocks, to some I have seen: 
—Mr. Roach, of Butternuts, has a flock of superior South Downs, and 
according to my judgment, are selected with care, and from a first rate 
flock. Mr. Bement, Three Hills Farm, near Albany, has a flock of 
Hampshire Downs, that I think very good, and well descended. Mr. 
Adcock, of Gilbertsville, has a flock of Cotswold or Bakewells, that I 
think superior: and Mr. Dunn, of Albany, a flock of the same kind, 
that I think well bred and very superior, and still improving, as the sheep 
he was using this season weighed 296 pounds, and every point equal in 
proportion. 'These flocks I think worthy the farmer’s notice, I would 
advise those who study to improve theirs, to go and examine for them¬ 
selves There may be others that deserve credit, but they have not come 
under my observation. 
One thing I would advise all breeders to be cautious in, and that is to 
keep their breeds distinct, and if two breeds are kept on one farm, it is 
almost impossible to do so. Should any person wish to argue the point, 
I shall be most happy and pleased to do it. 
I am, sir, yours respectfully, A SUBSCRIBER. 
St. Luke's, S. C. Nov. 5, 1836. 
Jesse Buel, Esq—Dear Sir—I am in receipt of your letter of the 
14th ult. in answer to my inquiry for an agricultural school for boys, 
for which please accept my hearty thanks. I had previously noticed in 
one of the numbers of the Cultivator the charter obtained for a school, 
which meets my views decidedly, and I trust it will not be limited to 
your state, but open to students from all parts of the union. The pros¬ 
pect of such a school, and under the patronage and direction of men so 
ably calculated to prosper its first efforts, almost renews one’s youth, and 
makes me wish, in spite of years, to enter as a student. Every idle 
moment is employed in reading over the numbers of the Cultivator, all 
of which came safely to hand a few days since. It is without doubt the 
most valuable work of the kind published in this country. I consider 
each number worth the fifty cents, and trust before the coming year ex¬ 
pires it will save me fifty dollars, if not five hundred. 
Being a novice in agriculture, I feel rather diffident in asking ques¬ 
tions : I shall not therefore consider it neglect if in your own good judg¬ 
ment you throw them aside as trifling. 
My compost heap is composed of leaves and litter from the woods, 
scraped up with hoes, in which more or less of the surface soil is mix¬ 
ed—scrapings from the yard, litter from the stables, poultry houses, 
hog pens, kitchen, &c.—green marsh, dry sedge, and salt clay mud, all 
of which are spread in even layers, in order to have the heap as near 
alike throughout as possible, and this nightly trod by cattle. Now I 
have been in the habit of burning a lime kiln from oyster shells, and 
spreading the lime over the heap previous to cartinginto the field. This 
was from the conclusion that the land on which it was to be applied 
was destitute of calcareous matter, and as the lime would not be over 
two to three bushels per acre, it was more evenly and expeditiously 
spread by mixing with the general heap. The heap accumulates gra¬ 
dually to between 2£ to 3 feet in thickness, over a surface of one fourth 
of an acre ; the lime is evenly spread over this, (and by being exposed 
to air and dew, probably looses some of its caustic qualities) and the 
whole mass chopped and thoroughly mixed by hand for the purpose, 
and carted into the field; as soon as hands can conveniently follow, it 
is spread in the trench, and the ground listed over it as is usual in our 
ridge system in the culture of Sea Island Cotton. The land to which 
it is applied, is a high, dry, pine, barren ridge, the growth was pine, 
with black jack, red oak and hickory shrubs, and had been kept clean 
by frequent burnings—the soil thin, of a yellow cast, inclining to grey 
on the sides, and being a striking resemblance to the light lands near 
Saratoga; sub-soil yellow and dark brown sand. Now whilst one neigh¬ 
bor objects to the lime altogether, another objects to the manner of its 
application. Can you settle the controversy? When I say to you that 
this field has been planted six years out of seven in Sea Island Cotton; 
that my neighbors laughed at my folly and ignorance when I cut and 
cleared it for cultivation; that under so harsh a system it has gradual¬ 
ly improved and paid per acre the last year (gross sale) sixty-five dol¬ 
lars, you will no doubt think it a substantial test, and another proof of 
the great advantages to be derived from a steady, if not a judicious ap- 
Yol. III. 18 * 
plication of manure. We are called upon in justice to others to relate 
our mishaps, as well as our successful experiments in agriculture. 
Mine are pretty numerous on both sides, but as I can claim but one 
millionth part of your time, and finding my letter already spun beyond 
what was intended, I will venture only on one. 
Finding ari insufficiency of manure, and desirous of putting forth my 
best exertions for a crop, I collected together in the fall a considerable 
body of sedge. Laying a floor of this, I then strewed on pretty heavily, 
cotton seed, then another layer of green marsh, cut for the purpose, 
then seed, and so on alternately for six feet in height, on the top of 
whieh I threw sundry buckets of salt water. In the month of February, 
I found on examination, the heap but very partially changed. I then 
turned in with hands and hoes, chopped it and turned it completely over, 
then commenced a new heap with alternate layers of this and a hog 
pen heap composed of corn cobs and litter, and which was pretty well 
decomposed—taking care to throw buckets of salt water on each layer, 
that there might be no want of moisture to produce fermentation, over 
which was spread a layer of thick salt marsh sods. In a few weeks 
the stench arising from this heap was almost beyond bearing; and fear¬ 
ful it might lead to sickness, it was carted as fast as possible into the 
field, spread and covered without a day’s exposure, in order to retain 
as much of the gas as possible. Some part of the field was spread un¬ 
der, and the other on the list, and bedded for planting in the usual man¬ 
ner. The cotton came up well, was well tended, and produced—suf¬ 
fice it to say, that if in my ardor I valued the compost at $500—the 
field scarcely produced that amount. Whilst to have been a good turn 
lout, it ought to have yielded four times that. The season was a fair 
lone, and lands unmanured turned out well. Whether the failure was 
! owing to planting the seed too shallow on the top of a good sized bed*— 
! to misapplication of the manure, or both, I am not prepared to say. It 
is my intention the succeeding year to make some pretty thorough ex- 
jperiments in manuring, which shall be forth coming, if successful. 
I Is it not possible to obtain from Buel & Wilson, or through your en¬ 
terprising friend Bement, or through any agency suggested by you, such 
| articles as we may occasionally want in the way of implements of hus- 
| bandry, ploughs, cultivators, &c. fruit trees, garden seeds, &c. &c. I 
have suggested to my neighbors, the articles might probably be de- 
I pended on as to quality from such a source. Perhaps they may have 
an agency in Savannah, through which we might obtain them. The 
cultivators I have been able to get here are of very little account—and 
I Freeborn’s ploughs, much in use here, are now so slightly made as to 
j be almost worthless—and thus many depend on the hoe and the shovel 
j plough. 
j What objections to mixing lime with compost heaps, composed as 
above? if objectionable, and yet no calcareous matter in the soil, was 
it not better to apply thus than not at all ? What are the component 
; parts of Sea water ? Would compost heaps be much improved by satu¬ 
ration with it? What experience have you had with salt as a manure? 
iIs the refuse water from salt vats of any importance in agriculture? 
Most respectfully your obedient servant, 
N. P. CROWELL. 
ANSWERS TO MR. CROWELL’S QUERIES. 
Quick-lime, in small quantities, is probably beneficial in composts, particu¬ 
larly where there is much coarse or ligneous matter,-—and mild lime, or carbo¬ 
nate, in larger proportions, is undoubtedly beneficial. Sea-water contains, 1, 
common salt, composed of soda and muriatic acid ; 2, a saline substance, com¬ 
posed of marine acid and magnesian earth, denominated salitcal magnesia : and 
3, a small fraction of gypsum. We have had no experience with sea-water or 
salt as manures. They have produced good effects upon some soils, when ap¬ 
plied in moderate portions ; but an overdose, as we suspect was the case in the 
sedge and cotton seed compost, is always prejudicial. It retards, instead of ac¬ 
celerating, vegetable decomposition, and may form insoluble compounds with 
matters otherwise beneficial to crops. Orders for trees and plants may be ad¬ 
dressed to Buel and Wilson—for seeds and implements to W. Thorburn, 
Albany. 
EXTRACTS. 
governor everett’s opinions of agriculture, agriculturists, 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES, AND OF THE EDUCATION OF AGRICUL¬ 
TURISTS. 
The Salem Gazette gives the following sketch of the remarks of Gov. 
Everett at the Essex Cattle show. 
After the report of the committee of arrangements had been read, 
Gov. Everett rose and made his acknowledgments to the committee for 
the manner in which they had alluded to the circumstance of his being 
present. He expressed his gratification at the exhibition of the day; 
and his confidence that the bounty of the state was beneficially applied 
by the Essex Agricultural Society. He stated that the wish had been 
expressed that he should address the audience. He felt that in com¬ 
plying with the request, he stepped beyond the line of usage on such 
occasions, but he trusted the responsibility of his doing so would be 
* The cotton plant has a long tap-root, worthy of some remarks. 
