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VOL. IX.?New Series. UNION C. H., SOUTH CAROLINjA, FEBRUARY 8, 1878. NUMBER 6. A VnnKT. VAW TV QftnTif ?! !>?..-. i - Mr. Editor.?As a short description o n visit to the model farm of our county wil bo interesting and profitable to many of ou farmers, I have thought it not amiss to giv it with a few thoughts it impresses upoi my mind. Wo (myself and a friend) arrive* there about sun down and were heartily wel corned by the owuors, Messrs. Satterthwaitc father and son, or, wo should rather hav< Eut it, son and father, for the son seems t* avo the management of the farm. Ou curiosity was oxcitcd by a glimpso wo ob tnincd of the arrangements that evening but as it wus too late to be shown aroum wn^"^ccdved ^frmoToth tho gentle men and their estimable ladies. After < good supper, a night's rest, and good break fast, we were ready for inspection. The firsi thing on the docket, as the clerk would say Was tho dair^i^This was furnished with a! the modern improvements and conveniences Attaining uniformity of heat, including ventilation, thermometer, patent churn, but tor washer, &c. This department is presl ded over bv the vouncrcr Mrs. Sutiprfhwnifn and most successfully does she do it, turning out an article that brings in the Aiken market 35 cents por pound while othoi country butter is only gelling for twenty-five The next things ta look were fowls, Hero is M r. SUt has one. Tur3gmr 0 keys that wUl4hfih ffcto 15 to 30 pouuds, magnificent. Reeks,'Pekin and other varieties, eery interesting. Toulohso geese, -hum Mr.' 8?ttoUhw*ite very eptly put it, would make a lot of 'darkey hash," weighing 40 pounds. Our notice of the chicken department will be a little more extended, as it is very interesting. First, the hatching bouse. In this is an incubator for hatching artificially, with a capacity of 240 .eggs every threo weeks, lmugino yourself with 240 chicks without a mother. What would you do with them ? Mr. S. is ready for their comfort. Ho 4ns a chick house made with glass sides on the east and south. This admits the light and some warmth to furnish all the timo tho requisite heat. Ho has in the house a largo boiler stove whioh is kept running all the time. He feeds all US I *? n % * ~ uio Biuc*. as wen us iowis on cooXJd lood.? The chicks will bo kept in this houso until they can take care of themselves on-their Jot. U is idea, ia.to he<j>-only such fowls as the Ptymoth Rock, Brown Hcghorn, and In whom tho instinct of settfng is nearly bred out and to hatch with the incubator. The house which he uses for setting his hens is a model of neatness and convenience, as are all his other fowl houses from which it is entirely distinot. Our next visit was to the lot. llis barn arrangement for convenience and utility and for comfort of stock cannot bo excelled. It includos among othor things a patent arrangement for stalling cows, by which a largo number can be enclosed in a email spaco without tho danger of the weaker ones being imposed on. This consists of three bars so arranged that when a cow puts her head down iu tho trough to oat her neck touches a spring when two of the bars come together and, lo, she is haltered for the night. She can eat, stand up or lie down with comfort, but sho cannot * ' worry her neighbors with her sharp horns. His arrangement for the care of his other stook is par excellent. His cattle aro Aldernoy, yielding from seven to thirteen quarts of good rich milk per day, none of Jour ''Blue Johnnie," gentlemen. His ogs are Berkshire ; some fine specimens; and his sheep Cotswold. These breeds he considers the best suited to our wants and climate. We will now notice the farm proper. This farm was sold by the original owner bocauso he could not make a support on it. The fact is, it would notmpoW crops, . and was considered, until the pfiscnt owners came into possession, as the poorest farm in all that country, but by high manuring, good culture and a proper rotation of crops, these gentlemen are now making one bale of cotton, from twelve to thirty bushels of oorn and from twenty to tweuty-five bushels of wheat per sue, and other orops in proportion. This is on land condemned for . H_LtLv J rwr * - poverty, w e win Drieny earn up a part of what we saw on the farm, and close. First, Strawberry bed, about two acres, the conditiou of which plainly showed the attention which they reccifed, besides raspberries, blackberries, Ac. Next, three or four young orchards looking, very thrifty and healthy. Mr. S. docs'nt propose to loee the benefit of his time and money by neglect, for he had a hand vcrv busily engaged exposing the collars of his trees to the frost and removing the borer with a knife. Next, was an asparagus bed, .yhioh knocked our preconceived notion of a little bed in tho garden in the head. This contained about one acre, from which Mr. 8. proposes to sell after nr**fc RAnunn vh?n it will ka miJ? ? ? <? ? ? I ?. ??>. ? ?? ? ??v 1VUUJ V*/ ViUV, from 9150 to 9200 worth per season. And last, his ootton land sowed in rye at the first picking. This rye is fVout threo to six Ibohes high. Very d?nso and tender.? Quite naturally wa suggested thst he would Psture this down. Oh, no, he replied, this will turn under when 1 put in my crops. Undor the foroe of eiroumstanees, Mr. Editor, I reasoned thereby: Heap of vegetable matter ploughed under make a heap ofi crop. Heap of crop fed to heup of "good cows make a heap of butter. Heap of butter brings a heap of money, and again heap of stock highly fed furnish heap I of good manure. Heap of good manure II returned to the.soil again mako a heap of r crop, and so rotation interminably. All c this good rich food ploughed uudcr for tho 3 improvement of the syil. Think of it ye 1 farmers who haven't got anything for your - poor cows to cat but cotton stalks. I havo >? ouly given an unvarnished statement of b what I saw. An inspection of this, the ^ model farm, is well worth tho time of any r farmer. In fact one progressive man eu thusiustically renjarkeel that a visit to such < a farm would place a farmer> generation - He would receive ideas that he could tnrn * to account and be useful to him as long as - he lives. Tho Messrs. Satterthwaite dct serve great credit for the example they have , set. These are the kind of emigrants we 1 want; men who will discard politics and go to work to build up our waste places.? 1 more anon, in Ai/ccn Journal. Tqe Mule.-t-A correspondent of the , Rural Sun, in an able letter concerning the ; ''breaking of mules," says : "Wo have had i quite a considerable expcrionco in breaking mules and our usual practico has been to , gear him and hiteh him to the plow at once, , ^by the side of a wcjl-brokcn horse or mub. Tho assistance of an extra hand is sometimes required ftft^fchouror two* ^ ua0<^ to be thought best to'break his spirit and , exhaust him phvsio&lly, to bring him to a ,* true senso of his condition, but fetter coun. sels now prevail, and we en-ienvor to preserve both his strcng th and spirit by not over-taxing his powers of endurance, and by kind treatment, to which he is as amenable as a horse or an ox, soon becoming submisi sivo and gentlo, when properly handled. ? "Mnch of the obloquy which attaches to , his character results rom tho thoughtless and injudicious training ho receives, and the cruel treatment meted out to him, moro od account of his charactor, however, than his conduct. Wo hail it as au indication of real human progress that his claims to a high consideration arc now being nice generally recognized. "The negro is, however, implacablo and unfeeling in his treatment of the rnulo, unwilling to accord to him auy of the sensibilitic&jyaJ|yivk4fi&hheir. lie was his associate In the *Dang Syne, which ft fast becoming traditional, and the ucgro placc3 him in the same category with tho nsh-cakc, i which he now ignores, because he regards it as the emblem of his slavery. The negro, tho mule and the ash-cake! Evcu thus associated they form a trio that recalls the pcacoful, prosperous and happier days of our beloved Southerland; rudely sovercd and disjointed, they recall the humiliation and poverty of our sojourn in tho land of Yatikae misrule and intolerance. Let us thank our stars for deliverance and the hope we have of one day seeing the negro a rational and useful member of our body politic, the mule a respected member of lho equine family and the ash-cake restored to our firesido, for it is dear yet to our memory." Leap Manure.?This manure possesses excellent fertilising properties, and greatly improves the texture and character of the soil. Aualysia proves that the foliage of . trees contains vastly moro minoral riches? such as phosphates, litno, potash aud soda ?thon the solid wood, and that the older the leaves, the greater the amount of these they contain. Now, that tho fallen leaves litter the ground, the farmer whose furm pays well gathers them carefully to be cither used in the compost heap with other do composible vegetable matters, or employed as litter for his animals daring witcr, or as coatings for bis yard or other inclosures where animals are confined, and where the leaves by absorbing the liquid voidings may be readily converted into excellent plant food. Washing of Land.?As this is one of the greatest of evils on a cotton farm, attention' cannot bo oallcd too often to modes of preventing it. On very steep hillsides nothing but well constructed ditches can prevent it?but on moderate slopos, wo suggest that lines of level be laid off at ordinary distances of hill-side ditchcB, and strips fivo to ten feet wide along these lines be sown in oats, ryo, orchard grass and clover. No land will be lost, and these uncultivated strips will quite effectually stop tho washing, if care be taken to lay off the cotton rows on a level.?Southern Cultivu tor. Com Stalks and Straw should be out up with a foddor cutter if only to be thrown into the yard, or usod for litter. Short stalks absorb more Kquid than long; the manure from them is easior handled, and they rot more quickly. A fodder outter run by a two-horse tread power, will cot 100 poncds of straw, or stalks, in five minutes, and the oost of the maohino and often i labor will be repaid in ono season in the convenience of handling tho short manure. A popular clergyman in England recently gave a Icctnro on "Fools." The Tickets ' of admission wcro inscribed, "Lecture on Fools. Admit one." There was u large audienoe. 5 BUBAL ECONOMY.; Editor Southern Cultivator.? There are more ways for farmers to economize than by eating corn bread and wftaring homespun clothiug. In this country labor is the dcares} factor in farming.? Therefore, horso-powor should be used as much as practicable. Land being cheaper in many localities than anything olio, that system of furuiing should be followed that utilizes tho most l;j?>d, and least lnpor, implements, &o., Fencing in crops lis often practiced, where feucing in stock would bo cheaper. Poor crops ore very nqjrly as expensive to tnakf jut good ones. /j.b?-nfoio, monts, good" work, stock, good soeds, and thorough cultivation will produco. It does not pay to let your soil deteriorate and finally become exhausted. It re-1 quires more labor to make a crop on a thiu soil than on a rich one. The loss in produce while your scftl is becoming cxh lusted, is enough to buy tfcroc such farms, lleutcrs are no exceptions to this rule, if they rout for long enough periods. A great portion is applicable to short periods ; all of it when the farm is in a high stato of cultivation. It never pays to pasturo any cultivated crop. The objections are, cost of cross fences, waste of produce, loss or idleness of the soil, and damage to tho soil by tramping of" stock. Land can be too dear to evcu havo pastures of the grasses; practico soiling instead, with other prgduOts. Pasture grasses that do not mptujoi/ivagteM^dccay like cultivated dVops VKat arenot {Proofed at tho proper tiuie. Furthermore, the soil becomes compact aud does not tramp badly. It pays well to protect slock from inclement weather. Tho food saved in a few years would put up commodious buildings. It also pays well to keep stock in good flesh. They pay for food by growth. The saving of food by inferior .and scant feed is overbalanced by loss of growth, stunted stock, and increase of feed requisito to restore flesh or to fatten, ^ As Josh Billings says, "wheu u start down hill u find everything greased for the occashun." But going up hill, you have to furnish tho "ile" yourself. It pays well to have good stock when you have food to correspond. It takes less food for a given amount of growth. More flesh in proportion ?n tho l?u valunhln horns haiict entrails. In the matter of food'for man and beast, there is much room for roform. Tho cost of food for man comes in the following ratio: fruit, vegetables, bread aud meat, For slock, pasture, hay, oats, peas and corn. They should be used in proportion to requirements of flesh, muscle, heat and fat. For stock, they arc adapted in the ratio iudicatcd. Perhaps it is very near true of human beings. Sell for cash. Buy the same way. Do not rush into market. Nor hold too long. Thoro is a medium between. Be satisfied with fair sales. If you raiso produce for which there is a market at home?do not dribble it out. But sell in bdlk to your merchant, for cash. Do not be too parsimonious when you get behind in cultivating or gathering your crop, to pay gpod prices for day labor. It pays well to get help thcu at any price. But do not over-crop and depend on day labor. O. JONES. Rural Brevities ?Without agriculture wo should not have manufactures, and wo should not have commerce.?Washington. What nobler occupation engages the activo power of man? And as all othors arc supported by it, why should it not rank first in dignity? Farming is a calling which should raise tho thoughts and feelings, soothe tho rugged pangs of life, and straw "the valo of declining years with many a thornless flower, in tho recollection of innocent cniovments # V ^? God Almighty first planted a garden, and indeed it is the purest of ull human pleasures. It is the greatest refreshment to the spirit of man, without which huildings and pnlnocs are but gross handiworks, aud a man shall evsr see that when agos grow to civility and elegance men come to build stately sooner than to garden finely, as if gardening were the greater perfection.?Lord Bacon. ?. Clover and Grasses.?May bo seeded down this month, just as soon as the hears freezes aro over. If to bo sown on small graiu, ran alight harrow over the laud,and then sow seed; if by themselves, break the land thoroughly and pulverize it by repeated harrowings, aud thee smooth it with a "drilir." Hftfnrfl llnrn.irinf* onnln ?for clover, barn-yard manure is good.? Ashes also, 30 bushels por aero. Acid phosphate, 200 to 300 tbe. per aore, will generally insure a stand. Sow 12 to 151b9. seed per sere. For grass the same preparation is required, but a niirwenout mauro is needed?barn-yard manure, cotton seed meal, Peruvian guano or nitrate soda. ?Southern Cultivator. A near sighted hen that ate sawdust, supposing it to be corn-meal, then went and laid a nest full of bureau knobs set on them thfee weeks, and hatched out a set of parlor furniture, and was a pretty fair hen. THICK PLANTING OF CORN BY R. H. HARDAWAY. Editor Southern Cultivator.?The Jauuary No. of tho Cultivator for 1878, contains tho following startling announcement: uIn tho September No., Mr. James H. Oyphaut expresses his opiuiou agaiust thick 4p)nr>?ng of corn and potatoes, and says, &c." VThen he turus loose upon me his whi^o park of artillery. Jauics II. O. never expressed the views attributo.d to hiin. ?He?Ilardawuy?has got "the wrong pig by the cat?' lie ft ire ho quotes from the Cultivator again, I would advise him to wipe his spectacles. I said just nothing at [ffaHBMfcftiMMttteMS Hoirew ["to err is human, to forgive divine." 1 huvn't inked my nib this timo for the purpose of writing an essay, but as br< llurdnwny has called mo out against my will, I will add a little more. lie gives us in his article the following beautiful and plausible theory: "If you make land very rich, you concentrate in tho earth uodue heat, and to plant corn at a great distance iu heated earth, will most certainly create fire heat ih the corn ; and the only plan to counteract this heat is to multiply the stalks upon tho land in such quuutity that tho engendered heat may be carried oil and distributed through tho sap and foliage of the plants grown upon the land. The difficulty is, to rcgulutc the quauvity of each, manure and foliago, so as to prevent 'the firing process' cither of land or plant." f-f I understand him, the amount of foil ago must corrcspoud with tho fertility of the soil, or 'tho firing process' cannot be prevented. In opposition to this theory, I may state, that in tho richest dung-hills, river bottoms, and where manure heaps have been thrown in fields, tho stand of corn is sometimes very imperfect, owing to cut worms and other causes ; but so far as my observation cxteuds, coru under such circumstnuccs, having too much distance, is less liable to fire than when it is thicker.? Imperfect decomposition and application of the nianuro, together with a wrong mode of cultivation, too late planting, and a too partial incorporation of the fertilizer with the soil, aud perhaps other causes, have, I think, much more to do with tho 'firing process,' thau tho quantity of manure or deficiency in the auiouut of foliage, r *T-reaefily admit that a fnrgc -quantity of crude manure, unwisely applied, may, during the process of fermentation or decomposition, generate and set free an auiouut of heat in excess of what plants need for healthy growth and development; but Solomon with all his wisdom, aud tho queen of Sheba to assist him, couldn't tell in a month of Sundays how much beat a certain auiouut of crude material will generate in the earth ; and even if he could solvo the mighty problem, auothcr still greater would be just behind that, to-wit: how much foliage would be required to take up this heat without violating the laws of the Goddess, ! Ilygeia. Neither can the problem be solved by experiment. The character aud condition oi I crude manuro, the tenmcraturo of the snil the seasons, and other conditions, nrc ncvci alike two yoarsin succession. So down goes bro. Ilurdaway's beautiful theory ! 1 will also remark that bro. Ilnrdaway? like many otter writers?in advocating the thick planting of corn, based upon his experience, has left out thrco or four very iui portant items, to-wit: the best time tc plant, the proper mode of cultivation, the chaructcr of the soil, and the way that the manure should be applied. These thing; have muoh to do with tho thick planting of corn ; and tho omission of thcui renders his article useless, if not liable to injure inexperienced farmers, lie has left out the four leg* upon which the thick planting ol corn must necessarily stand, iu order to be successful. What is a thing worth without legs ? j I will say in conclusion, that so fur as my observation extends, corn may be planted to. advantage on common pine land thicker than is usually done; provided it bo planted early, well manured aud thoroughly eulti vated.?J as. H. Oliphant, th Southern Cultivator. Rich Manure can only be made from rich food. Animals add nothing to the manure. If we foed straw, wo get back as manure something loss than the straw we.feed, and straw alone is very poor manure. If wo feed o 1 cake meal, corn meal, bran, and similar rich food, to mature animals, they consumo the starchy and fatty portions, while much of the nitrogen and phosphates go into the manure heap along with the straw _ 1 ' s? -11-1 - or nujr.uuioii, wmcn gives tne needed bulk tc the manure. The more nitrogen the food contains, the richer will be the manure.? It is thus that the statement made by chemists, that the manuro made by feeding a ton of bran, or linseed, or cotton seed oil cako, is for some soils worth more than the food itself, can be satisfactorily explained. w Manure is wasted by exposuro to washing rains, or by being- trampled by stock in wet yards. It may easily lose three-fourths of its ralue in this way. < - . ? Bran and Middlings may be fed to all kinds of stock. All, from horses to poultry, eat theso eagerly, and thrive upon them. THE IRISH POTATO. Editor Southern Cultivator.?Below are two interesting items in regard to Irish potatoes. There is no crop that better deserves an increased attention from Southern farmers thin the Irish potato. It is easy enough to make two crops on tho sauie land, and the November crop can tfe preserved as easily as sweet potatoes through the winter. As soon as it becomes generally known that there is no need for largo "sets," but that tho sprouts and the very smallest potatoes aro good seed under proper cultivation, thcro will be *.wonderful increase in the area devoted to tkp crop. Of - **~?f f 'vlmfw the sire of small tnnrblef, savcd otmy ift November and re-planted in Janualy,' make good crops, and the only occasion we tried tho sprouts or "draws" was a success. Tho sprouts had quite a number of roots. This winter we hopo to liavo something further to say on tho subject. C. Millcdgovillc, Ga. potato sprouts for seed. "It is now upwards of 40 years since I tested the use of pototo sprouts for seed, and I continued to do so for some years as an experiment; for at that time my potato growing was confined to garden produce.? I had tho buds carefully picked Iroui tho tubers after thoy had throwu out roots outside tho parent tuber. At the same time I had other tubers cut for seed in the usunl way. I planted 3 drills in the garden, sido by side?one of cut tubers, ono of sprouts, and ona of small unout tubeis. When at > maturity l daily dug up 3 hills from each drill, counted aud weighed the produce of each three, aud fouud that of tho sprouts equal to any, both in weight and in number. The 2d year I did the same, taking no pains to dibble the sprouts, but scattered them in the open drill, aud covered lightly. I wout furthor, for having fouud a heap of fine sprouts on tho road?thrown over tho wall by some sagacious cultivator, who had got his seed potatoes carefully ~4kirncd and picked, and had thrown away thQ* vigorous shoots?I had a barrowful gathered upland scattered broadcast on a few ridges prepared" for the purpose, and covered them with mold out of tho furrows. The result was most saisfactory. The sprouts soon appeared over the ground, and the crop came to maturity much earlier than that from tho potatoes plan tea iliu sauie Uay. It must be obvious to any one who considers the matter, that once the tuber lias generated the sprout, it is no longer of use, for on digging the crop, the tuber, whole or cut, will frequently be found whole and detached from the roots of the stalk. Why, then, pick of the first vigorous growth, aud.. plant the tuber to produce a second and more puny aud sickly one? Sprouts can be planted much later than the tubers, or if at tho same season, they will mature much earlier, because they aro so much ahead of the tuber, which, after being planted, has to throw out a sprout." ? I/'or. Toronto Globe. "For the pa?t twenty years, my practice > has been to plant the largest of the small ones, cutting t>vo eyes on a piece, and put! ting 3 pieces in hill 4x4 feet. I believe ( the only advantage derived from planting largo potatoes, is tbe extra amount of starch secreted, and that, on the other hand, is more than made up by the gain in eccd, and the slirjht cost of the small ones. As an experiment I once planted in my garden a pota( to the size of a pea. It produced a vine , three-fourth of an inch in diumetcr, and j had a number of potatoes, one of which ( weighed one pouud.?A. W. Hurdy, in , Transactions of New Hampshire Board \ ?f AG What to Buy.?Just as little of every thing needed as you possibly can. Economy should bo our motto for years to couic. We aro too poor to buy much of anything. Iron, salt, a few implements, aud perhaps coffee, pretty well mako up the list. Ton we can make at home?sugar, also, in a largo portion of the cotton States?syrup in abundance cveryWhere.Dutter and checSo iu any quantity, cotton and .woollen goods, hnrfloa nrl mulao ~?1 * 1 _u1a uiuivo nc uauiauu piUW BLOCKS, axe haudlos, hoc helves, wagon bubs, spokes and felbcs, grain cradles, snaths, our fathers mado them all, and we are no better, and need be no more helpless thnn they.? A tiths of a strictly surplus cotton crop ought to buy everything needed on a farm, and the remaining Vine-tenths pass to tho account of accumulated profits. 1 Watering Stock is a very important part 1 of the care needed for them at this season. Empty and clear tho troughs of ice every ' afternoon, so that when filled id tho morn1 iog there is no ice to chill tho water. _ In cold weather water should not bo drawn from the well until it is needed for the stock. 1 Covers should be provided for all outsido I water troughs to keep one snow. w? - * Tho Manure Heap may be ^nade in a central place in the yard, and tb? different kinds of manure should bo whcolcd out of i the stables and pans, and mixed together in tho heap. We find it pays to turn over tho heap onco or twice during the winter, mix I it thoroughly, and break up all the lumps. , This makes it fine, and fit for uso car)y iu "Prfng- . . T't' ? V *t