46 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Gen. KScBuffie's Address. 
The anniversary meeting of the South Carolina State 
Agricultural Society, was held at Columbia, on the 26th 
ci November, 1840, and the address was delivered by 
Gen. McDuffie. It is unnecessary to say it is able ,• 
and although exclusively southern, or rather local, in its 
recommendations, there is much in it to interest the 
friends of agriculture every where. The object pro¬ 
posed in the address is to point out some of the most 
prominent errors in southern agriculture and to suggest 
remedies. We shall make a few extracts from the copy 
of the address now before us : 
“ The greatest, most prevailing, and most pernicious 
of all the practices which distinguish and deform the 
agriculture of this and the other cotton planting states, 
is the almost exclusive direction of the whole available 
labor of the plantation to the production of our great¬ 
est market staple, and the consequent neglect of all the 
other commodities which the soil is capable of produ¬ 
cing or sustaining, and which are essential to supply the 
wants of the establishment. No scheme of reform or 
improvement can produce any great and salutary re¬ 
sults, which does not lay the axe to the root of this ra¬ 
dical vice in our husbandry.” 
It is not a little singular that the great staple of the 
south should be an article of which the more the plan¬ 
ter produces the worse off he is, and of which a great 
crop generally should be considered a public calamity. 
That such is the fact is perfectly evident from this ad¬ 
dress. There is not a recommendation of any means 
by which the cotton crop can be augmented ; on the 
contrary the importance of diminishing the aggregate 
product of that article is constantly kept in view. ~In- 
dced, Gen. McDuffie says, “ If I could now reveal a 
process by which our common soils could be made to 
produce two bales of cotton to the acre, I should have 
great doubts whether the revolution Avould be a blessing 
or a curse to that great interest.” 
Perhaps there cannot in the whole history of trade be 
found a more signal instance of the impolicy of inter¬ 
fering with the natural laws that regulate supply and 
demand, than the cotton business of the south, within 
the last few years. In the fore part of this century, 
the demand for cotton exceeded the supply, and the 
prices gradually rose to 25 or 35 cents per pound. The 
consequence was, the whole productive energy of the 
south was turned into one channel, and nothing Avas 
grown but cotton. The annual product rose from one 
million to two millions of bales. The supply exceeded 
the demand, and as the crop increased, prices fell 
from those mentioned above, to 10 or 15 cents per 
pound. In this state of things, in 1837, the wild 
project Avas conceived of holding on to the crop, 
and thus forcing the article in foreign markets up 
to its former prices. The banks of the south, aided 
and stimulated by the United States Bank of Pennsylva¬ 
nia, entered the held, and by large discounts to the 
planters at long dates, enabled them to keep their cot¬ 
ton at home. Had production ceased, this plan might 
have been a feasible one ; but there AAms no attempt to 
check production, and the ineAdtable result Avas, the 
planters found themselves Avith tAvo crops on hand in¬ 
stead of one ; the foreign demand had but slightly in¬ 
creased, and both planters and banks found themselves 
involved in the greatest distress. Both were compelled 
to suspend, and the shock, to the financial interests of 
the country, Avas so great that they have not fully reco¬ 
vered from it to the present time. The necessity of the 
cotton growing states turning their attention to some¬ 
thing besides that crop, lias been further enforced by 
the fact that a great cotton groAving country is opening 
around the Gulf of Mexico, Avhich is every year add¬ 
ing to the supply, Avithout materially adding to the de¬ 
mand. 
The following paragraph from the address is as ap¬ 
plicable at the north as at the south, and Ave wish every 
farmer and every reader Avould fix in his mind these 
four little Avords and govern himself accordingly. Let 
every man adopt “ pay as you go,” for his motto, and 
the individual and the country Avould soon reap the be¬ 
nefit : 
‘‘ I have known many men, Avho Avere considered bad 
planters, and who made small crops, yet in a series of 
years have groAvn wealthy by this very simple rule 
which I once heard laid doAvn by a friend. He never 
made large crops, and A\dien asked how he got rich so 
much faster than his more energetic neighbors, he re¬ 
plied, 1 my neighbors begin at the Avrong end of the 
year. They make their purchases at the beginning of 
it, on a credit; I make mine at the end of it, and pay 
doAvn the cash.’ And here I am reminded of a say¬ 
ing of the late John Randolph of Virginia ; a man not 
more remarkable for his genius and eccentricity, than 
for the profound philosophical truths Avhich sometimes 
escaped him, like the responses of an inspired oracle. 
In the midst of one of his splendid rhapsodies in the 
Senate of the United States, he paused, and fixing his 
eye on the presiding officer, exclaimed, ‘ Mr. Presi¬ 
dent, I have discovered the philosopher’s stone. It con- 
sists’in these four plain English monosyllables : 4 Pay as 
you go.’ Noav I av ill venture to say, that this is a much 
nearer approach than alchemy Avill ever make to the 
great object of its visionary researches.” 
" Gen. McDuffie most strenuously urges upon the plan¬ 
ters of the south, the necessity of growing their oAyn 
corn, and making their OAvn pork or bacon ; of rais¬ 
in 0- their own horses, hogs and mules, and points out the 
Avay in Avhich, in his opinion, and from his OAvn experi¬ 
ence. this may he done. That the Avay thus marxed * 
out, is the true one for the planter seems scarcely to 
admit of a doubt, for the present system is clearly a 
ruinous one. 
Head of the Horse. 
There is a singular disease of the horse’s head, pre¬ 
valent in some of the northern and western states, call¬ 
ed the “ Big Head,” from a general enlargement of the 
lower part of the head, or between the eyes and nose, 
giving him a most disagreeable appearance. This dis¬ 
ease we have never knoAvn originate in the north, and 
it is rarely or neA r er seen unless in horses from the south. 
It is singular that no distinct notice of such a complaint 
can be found in English works on the horse, neither 
LaAvrence or Youatt describing any similar disease. 
In a late number of the Southern Cultivator, there is 
an article upon it, from Avhich we extract the following : 
“ Its symptoms are a general enlargement of the part of 
the head betAveen the eyes and nostrils on both sides of 
the nose—a subsequent enlargement of the lower jaw— 
sometimes an inflammation of the Avasher of the eye— 
hidebound, stiffening of the joints of the limbs and back, 
general debility, sluggishness, and if not cured, death. 
****** As to ^ ts cause j one opinion is that it is 
hereditary—another, that it is produced by excessive 
feeding on Indian corn, bad treatment, &c. Some farm¬ 
ers view it as simply an inflammation and swelling of 
the tendons in the region affected—others assure us that 
the bone is enlarged. Colts are more liable to the dis¬ 
ease than full groAvn horses. A friend Avho has paid 
much attention to the raising of horses, ascribes it to the 
existence of what he calls ‘ blind teeth’—small pointed 
teeth Avhich make their appearance in the upper jaAV just 
in front of the grinders ; and on examining a colt affected 
Avith symptoms of big head, a feAV days since, we found 
he had these blind teeth. To knock them out is said to be 
a remedy. Others sear with a hot iron the enlarged part 
of the head, and we have incontrovertible evidence that 
a cure is thus effected, but a scar is left Avhich disfigures 
the horse, and of course impairs his value.” 
Hessian S*ly—A Lady ©bserver. 
In the “ Proceedings” of the American Philosophi¬ 
cal Society for November and December, 1840, is a re¬ 
port made by a committee consisting of Messrs. Nut- 
tall, Lea, and Coates, all eminent in the natural sciences, 
on a paper presented to the Society by Miss Mau- 
garetta II. Mokris, of GermantoAvn, on the subject 
of the Hessian Fly, the Cecydomyia destructor of 
the entomologist, and perhaps the greatest pest the 
Avheat groAver of the middle states is called to en¬ 
counter. The paper Avas ordered to appear in the 
“ Transactions” of the Society, and in the mean 
time Dr. Coates prepared an abstract of it for the 
Farmer’s Cabinet, in the January number of Avhich it 
appears. 
The researches and observations of Miss Morris have 
led her to form a new theory of the action of this in¬ 
sect, and if her positions can he substantiated, the dis¬ 
covery is of immense importance to the country. The 
following extract from the “ Proceedings” Avill show 
the principal facts in the case, and put other observers 
in the way either to correct or confirm the observations 
of Miss Morris : 
“ Miss Morris believes she has discovered that the 
ovum of this destructive insect is deposited by the parent 
in the seed of the Avheat, and not, as previously supposed, 
in the stalk or culm. She has Avatched the progress of 
the animal since June, 1836, and has satisfied herself 
that she has frequently seen the laiwie within the seed. 
She has also detected the larvae at various stages of its 
progress, from the seed to between the body of the 
stalk and the sheath of the leaves. In the lat¬ 
ter situation, it passes into the pupa, or ‘ flax seed 
state.’ According to Miss Morris, the recently hatch¬ 
ed larvae, penetrates to the center of the straw, where 
it may be found of a pale greenish Avliite semi-trans¬ 
parent appearance, in form some resembling a silk¬ 
worm. From one to six of these haA r e been found at 
various heights from the seed to the third joint. They 
Avould seem to enter the pupa state, about the begin¬ 
ning of June. The fly Avas not obserA r ed by Miss Mor¬ 
ris to inhabit any other plant than wheat.” 
The researches of Drs. Mitchell and Pascalis had 
thrown much light on this intricate subject, and their 
labors Avere Avell folloAved up by the Entomologist Say. 
Still there Avere some things which their account of the 
changes, or transformation, of the insect did not fully 
explain, particularly the destruction of the crop by the 
fly and the soAving of the same year. This fact, which 
Avas not of uncommon occurrence in districts Avhere the 
fly prevailed, seemed to render the admission of two 
appearances of the perfect insect in one season, a rare 
if not an unknoAvn occurrence among depredators of 
this class. On this subject, Dr. Coates remarks :— 
“ According to the facts believed to be ascertained by 
Miss Morris, the difficulty at once disappears. The fly 
lives only ten days ; during Avhich time it deposites its 
e <r<r S in the Avheat. The eggs remain unaltered until 
the Avheat sprouts ; and the young Avorm is then below 
the surface of the earth, in a substance Avhich is not 
frozen, and which supplies him with food.” 
Should the theory put forth by Miss Morris be sustain¬ 
ed, and it appears very reasonable as Avell as plausible, 
nothing more Avill be necessary to prevent the Hessian 
fly, than to sow seed from uninfected districts. Pure seed 
would gradually become contaminated from the neigh¬ 
boring fields, but a recurrence to this mode of seeding 
Avould again remedy the evil. ‘ It would seem,” says 
Dr. Coates, “ that the farmer who uses seed wheat 
from a district ravaged or infested with this animal, 
actually commits the absurdity of planting Hessian 
Jlies for the benefit of his next year’s crop.” The 
theory of Miss Morris also explains the reason why 
spring Avheat frequently suffers from the fly; since if 
the fly ova is in the seed, the young worm is ready at 
the sprouting of the seed, to follow the groAvth of the 
plant, and pass through its several transformations in 
season to deposit the egg again in the seed, and thus 
perpetuate the mischief. 
Some farmers have supposed that the Hessian fly was 
identical Avith the one that produces the wheat worm 
of the Northern States, and which in many districts for 
a time compelled the cultivator to abandon the groAving 
of that crop. The observations of Miss Morris, Iioav- 
ever, show that such an opinion is formed in error. 
The OAuim of the wheat worm, whether deposited in 
the berry or merely within the sheath of the kernel, 
changes to the larvee state at once, destroys the berry 
by feeding upon it, and leaves the head of the grain for 
its winter quarters, most usually before the grain is har¬ 
vested. The Hessian fly on the contrary leaves its 
OA r um in the berry, Avhere it remains until the seed is 
sown ; and germination furnishes it a suitable food as 
well as residence. Few things can more forcibly de¬ 
monstrate the importance of entomological research 
than such discoA r eries, and it is honorable to Miss Mor¬ 
ris, that she has unraveled a mystery which has long 
perplexed men of science. We are pleased to hear that 
she is continuing her observations, and Ave shall doubt¬ 
less learn more of them in good time. 
Undsrdraining; with Wood. 
The folloAving extract of a letter from the Hon. James 
M’Call of Allegany County, N. Y. Avill be read with 
interest by many who wish to drain lands, but find it 
expensive or impracticable from the Avant of stone, or 
Avhere the soil is of such a nature that stone drains sink, 
or fill, so as to he useless. We had the pleasure tAvo 
years since, of examining the improvements making by 
Judge M’Call in this respect, and the change draining 
had effected in some of his fields was great indeed. 
Since the letter of Judge M’Call reached us, we have 
received the latest number of the Quarterly Journal of 
Agriculture, and find an article in that on the same sub¬ 
ject, in Avhich Avood underdrains are highly spoken of. 
Cross sections of such drains are given ; one square, or 
Avood top, bottom and sides, and one of three pieces, a 
bottom and tAvo side pieces, meeting at the top in a tri¬ 
angle form. To admit the Avater to the tube, the sides 
are bored full of holes, and when made of larch, they 
are estimated to last 20 years. Unless the nature of 
the soil is very peculiar, the tubes would he better, we 
think, Avithout the bottom piece, and the method prac¬ 
ticed by Judge M’Call, of notching the edges, is pefera- 
hle to boring : 
“ Rushford, Allegany Co. 1841. 
On the subject of underdraining, I have tried various 
ways ; such as small or pounded stone, brush as recom¬ 
mended by Judge Buel, and small alder poles ; hut in 
all cases where there w r as quick sand, or soft clay, or de¬ 
composed vegetabe deposites in any considerable quan¬ 
tity, they soon filled up so as to hinder the filtration, 
or prex'ent the flow of the water. I had so much land 
that needed draining, and regular stone drains cost 
so much, that I fell upon the plan of putting in plank, 
one on each side, from five to six inches Avide, and one 
and a half inches thick, cutting notches half an inch 
deep on the upper edge, driving doAvn stakes on the in¬ 
side so as to prevent their turning or falling inwards, 
and then covered them Avith a good durable slab or plank, 
and then filling in the earth throAvn out. I have made 
several hundred rods of this kind of drain, and am sa¬ 
tisfied, that Avhile it lasts, it will he equal if not supe¬ 
rior to the best stone drain ; and if made of white oak 
or other durable Avood, it will last twenty or thirty 
years. If there should he any soft places at the bot¬ 
tom of the ditch that might let the side plank settle 
down, I put some pieces of hoard down at the bottom 
crossAvise ; and Avhere there is likely to he water run¬ 
ning on to the top of the ditch, it is best, if you have 
stone, to fill up the drain above the plank AA'ith them ; 
if not, put in brush, especially if the earth is adhesive 
clay. 
I had last year a good crop of spring wheat, (Avhere 
one year before, the soil produced little else than the 
coarse Avild or water grasses) and at the rate of 25 
bushels to the acre. I have learned that underdrains 
ha\-e made my swamps good plow land, and the most 
productive part of my farm : I have learned also that 
the earth which is obliged to drink up more Avater than 
naturally falls upon it from the clouds, is as unfitted for 
the production of A r aluahle vegetation, as is the besotted 
drunkard for benefiting the society in which he lives. 
With respect, yours, 8ce. JAMES M’CALL.” 
We add here that as Judge M’Call was one of the 
first to carry into effect successfully the conversion of 
Avinter into spring Avheat by freezing and sprouting, avs 
shall he pleased to learn the result of the experiment he 
has this year instituted, of Avinter sowing. 
The Weight of Five Hogs, sold by Dr. S. D. 
Martin, Colbyville, (Ky.) November 26, 1840.—No. 
1, weighed 640 lbs.—No. 2, 630 lbs.—No. 3, 660 lbs.— 
No. 4, 748 lbs.—No. 5, 824 lbs. —Taa'o of them Avere 3i 
years old, and three 2£ years old. » 
