Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, January 24, 1843, Image 1
VOLUME VIII. CHERAW. SOUTH-CAROLINA, TUESDAY. JANUARY 24. IS43. NUMBER 11.
By M. MACLEAN.
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U" The postage must be paid on loiters to the
editor on the business of ih*> office.
j
be cent and extjs.ysivs marling ix
south cali 'l na.
Communicated for the Firmer*' Register.
Columbia, S. G\, Nov. 3v?, Ib42..
I)e\r SiK :?It ali'ortls me on at plea,
sure to comply with your request, In fur.
rush you Willi a statement of my marling
operations during the first year, and tlm j
result of liiem Si> far as it mis ti ecu as^
certained.
" i . . i
I commenced in Aovrniwr nisi ?? in in
my plantation at Silver Hindi oil S.ivan. ,
nah river. There is no marl on the place, j
I procured it from S.icll HI .ti on the same |
river, and had to hoal it 12 miles up tuc '
stream. It r?-q lire's eleven prime hands
to man the boat f use,and when the river
is not too high they make two trips a
week, loading and unloading themselves.
They hrioh uhijut 110(1 nusucls at a load, i
The marl is lauded at a spot belovv high
water mark, and during tin; whole crop
season two other hands and two carts are j
constantly engaged in hauling it ma place !
of security on the top of [lie hlu.'f. At [
other tunes it is hauled directly from tiie j
landing to the fields. Tnere are h nvev- ;
it 13 hands and 2 mules lost to the crop.
My hout, winch is a common pole hoal,
was hudt chiclly by my own people, and
cost me about S'JOd, including lUeir la.
bor. There have been incidental expenses
to the amount of about ?230 this
year. During the year ending on the
8th of November, there were 85 trips
made and about 93,3i)J bushels brought
up. I think 1 can safely calculate on ,
hriroriiitf ui) 10U,dl>l) Oiisucls p.-r auiium j
w- o . .
hereafter, witu toe same lorce. I men.
tion these facts that every one may form
his own estimate of I tie cost of procuring
mail under similar circumstances. My
calculation ,s thai it costs me about two
cents a bushel delivered ?n m> bluff.?
To one having mart on his own premises
nearlv the whole of tins expense would
l>e saved. I am enabled, by omitting to |
open new land. I" haul out and spread j
this marl, without interfering with other i
plantation work, or lessening the number |
of acres planted per hand. In hauling!
out I have not been able to d<> as much
as they do in Virginia. Mr. Rurfiri, ihe
author of the marling system, liauied 24
loads of 5} bushels with each cart per
day a distance of #47 yards; I have done
hut little over half as well. 1 use mules I
however, and land being level earned
bushels at a load. I found the mules
could not stand trotting hack with the ,
empty cart. The marl weigus about 105 j
lbs. per bushel. My land was (aid olfui
squares, so many to an acre, and a load
urop|M*d in each square. It was spread
by hand; each negro taking his square,
and carrying his marl on a hoard or in a
small tray. A prune fellow can spread
an acre ill a day. Hut it is a hard task,
and counting the gang round 1 have not
averaged over half an ucr for each worker.
The marl spreads hot when damp.
It will then yield to the hand, and lumps
are in general easily crushed.
Shell muffin a hold chlfon Savannah
river, over 2i)d feet high and in some
places more tuan lOi) feel perpendicular.
Professor Vanuxem, who examined it
Monto years ag , \s.-o Farmer.' R 'gister,
vol. tii. p. 70, and alio vol. x. p. 457.)
discovered 14 varieties of marl, varyum
in quality from 117.2 to 93.4 per cent, of
carbonate of lime. Ia ?|>ing the marl 1
have excluded toe inferior as much u
possible, and have not found the very
bent in any gteat quantity. I tested the
quantity ot carbonate ot lime in one sp.?.
cimen taken at random from each boat
load brought up this summer, and found
the average 01 oq loans to m* 11-4 3 per
cent, vary trig Iruin ol to 77. la every
specimen there was a small proportion of
of oxide of iron, and clay and sand, usually
in about equal quantities. Tftcre
were* no doubt, oilier component parts
which I did not ascertain ; hut I satisfied
myself that there was neither gypsum
nor magnesia. Toe marl presents various
appearances, being in color white, brown,
olive, yellow, and violet, and in consist
ence from sand to soft stone. Some of
it appears to be a concretion of shells
from a size scarcely visible to the naked
eyt to an inch in diameter. There if no
j hard limestone, and it is doubtful whcth;
cr any of the marl here will make lime,
though it is an excellent cement. Much
j of that which I have used has been cut
from the face of the cliff with pick-axes,
j li falls down sometimes in tine grains,
: sometimes in masses. At every handling
it breaks up finer, and exposure to
the air assists disintegration. I do not
hurn or pound it, or use any preparation
whatever, hut spread it as I get it.?
J Where it was spread last winter, an oh.
server would readily discover it,and lumps
as large as an egg, and occasionally much
larger arc to lie seen. A mere passer by,
however, would not notice that the land
hid been marled. At every working it
is more and more mixed with the soil.
But I imagine it will be several years
before it is completely combined with it,
! and until tur n the full effect of this nrirl |
cannot be known. A difference was a p. j
parent in this crop between the effects of j
that spread earlv in February and that
spread in the latter part of April.
By the 221 of April last, I had in tried
175 acres at the rate of 200 bushel* to
| the acre. Of those I planted 50 acres in
corn on the 17th March, 50 acres in cot.
Ion on the I (Itii April, and 75 acres in
cotton on the 22<l April. These three j
ruts arc in the same Held, and ndj nning, !
be.ngsep irated only by turn-rows, yet the j
soils vary considerably. In the corn, I j
laid off f'?ur srtp irate acres along ihe turnrow,
as nearly equal hi quality as possible.
Tue o jc supposed to be the best was left
without marl. The others were marled
wuh one, two, and three hundred bushels
.!, fi u:i? nil ,,f tiie same i
I .. .
J) ?at load, .*?rifl contained 54 }>; r cent, (if
CiirlMirnite of Iiiiih. This land has occn
iri cultivation more than one hundred j
years. I have planted it myself 11 of the
last 12 years, and sowed it in oats the
other year. I have given it three light
coats of manure, the last in 1839. It is
a light, gray, sandy soil, of which the
following was the analysis before marling,
viz.
Water lost at 31)0 degrees 2 per cent.
Vegetable matter . 3
Silica 81)
Alumina . 11
Oxule of iron 2
Lois 2
100
This cut was in cotton last year, and
J '
my expect itioa was that with common
seasons it wo dd pro luce 12 bushels of
corn per acre. And h id I not kept the
iirnnarled acre as a test, I should have
set down all over that quantity to the
credit o: the marl. The corn came up I
badly, and suffered by the lords. The
four experimental acres were cultivated
precisely as trie rest of the cut, and were
distinguished only by the posts which
marked the corners of each acre. From
the rirst however the marled torn exhibited
a different appoarance. It was stouter
and of a much deeper color. As the
season advanced, the difference became
greater. The marled corn was as dark a
green as swamp corn usually is. The
fodder was pulled on the. 3.1 Angus?, and
after hanging two days and a haif on the
stalk in dry and rather windy weather,
weighed as follows:
Increase. Per cent. !
ITnm.itl.fl .i<rA 2!)0 ljS.
I Marie J, at 100 bu?hels 285 " 35 lbs. 14
44 44 2JJ 44 314 44 64 44 25.6
44 44 3 )J 44 2ol 44 1 1 44 4.4
The corn ivns gathered cjn the 24th oft
[October, being h noughly dry and having i
s trunk as inuch as it would in the field. '
Tuere appeared to be little or no flitfer1
ence i'n point of soundness. It was shucked
clean and measured in a barrel. The
unuiuried corn shelled out 2 quarts I ss
, to the barrel than the marled. Tue folI
lowing was the result :
Increase. Per ccn)
I Unmirled acre 17 buuh.
J Marled, at 100 bushels 21 44 4 23 5
44 2JJ 44 21 44 4 23.5 |
44 44 3Jd 44 l&i 44 1J 8.8
From this it would appear that 100 j
bushels of marl was as efticar oils as 20 *, \
and perhaps in such land as this such may
he the fact. It appears also probable that
i. i
300 hushels to the acre is too uiucu. i j
ought however :<> state that this last acre i
had a si.ji .t sink in tin centre. and thai
j the slopes ar??u id it are much thinner
than tlii' an?r.i'''! tan I. These constitute
about line-tilth of the acre, and w< rn t*vii
dently injured by the marl. I; was a
had selection for the heaviest marling;
{ hut at the lime tl was made I did not
' sunnas '? judging by the rales at which
| they marled in Virginia, thai 300 bushels j
i would injure any land. My fear now is i
that 200 hushels may prove too much for
j soil like this; and I have according!)
: detrrunned to put only .50 bushels on I
ihe acre liereaflsr, until I see its further
j efleets. This has been a remarkable
productive season for corn. I think the
! uniiiarlcd acre in this cut made at least
5 hushels more than it would h ive dour
- T ? - tku m:irl.
ot an average vi*>?r. i jMcsuuiu u??
cd acres iiavc done so likewise. But
.whether it would be fur to attribute any
i
of the four bushels increased to thcpgcu- j
liarity of the season operating on the marl i
I am wholly unable to decide. Supposing
the increase from the season to be the same
on the marled and uninarle.l land, and deducting
5 bushels from the produce ol
eacii acre there will be 33$ per cent, in
favor of the ten best marled acres. T lis
However is all conjecture. The average
per acre of this whole cut was 18 bushels. '
Pi... ........-i,.u* Mil lint the exoeri- !
* Ill^UOUi ? ?# ? ? ?? ... w -.. jmental
acre* was made however by waggon
loads accord.ng to the usual plantation
estimate, in winch there is a liberal 1
allowance for shrinking, &c. H.id the
whole been measured hi tne same manner
as the experimental acres were, the
produce would nave appeared greater, i
nave had tin* cut planted in corn once
lie I ore, hut having been absent the whole
year, no account of it was preserved, and
1 do not know what it produced.
1 selected aiso and l.ud oil*separately 4
acres ofcollen along the turu-row of tne
75 acre cut of cotton. At the time I
thought thcin nearly equal in quality, ami
the one .supposed to he tne best ot in esc
was ielt u.tin-uled, and 1, 2, and 3J9 bu.
sncis of m trl sp eao upon tne oltier tnree.
It turned out uowe.er that tne acre wito
1 tlil ndsn>ls was infer.or to lite uv?;rage oi
tin; CU;, wii.le too ot.ier two were tar super
or. 1 wis deceived by tne siaiss
grown tiie year lie lose. Toe two first
named acres being so newiiai rolling, and
tiie year a wet one, tlicV produced as
good cuioit aa me oilier two whicu were
ilii. i he unm tried acre was not much
it anv superior to tne one marled with
3jJ o.islieis, save that mere was a spot
wn*-re fodder stacks had stood hi lod-s?
9, winch produced nearly douole the cotton
of any other spot ot the same size in \
either acre, and added probaiily 3J l is. to |
tne amount gathered Iroui that acre.? J
I lit? marl 0:1 tneae acres couluuieu, like
liial on (lie corn cut, an average of 54
per cent, ot' carbonate of lime. Thi?
I mil i* of the kind commonly known a*
mulatto so.I, and was clearly at least as
eaity as tiie corn cut. It was certainly ,
planted ny the ind.ans in 174J. lue
following was tue analysis ol it before
marling, lor winch, as wed as for the analysis
of tne corn cut, I am indebted to
the kindness of Prof. Fillet;
Water at ft.)0 degrees 3
Vegetable matter 4 51
Silica . 74 Alumina
- 14 51
Ox.de of ir??n ... 4 i
. This cut was not planted until the 22 I
April, because it could not lie marled he.
fore. A dry spell occurrt ig mi Mediately
after, at the end ot two weeks very lillle
cotton had c ome up except in the marled
acre in which there was about half a
stand. My overseer becoming alarmed
in tny absence replanted tbe whole, and
threw o.it the whole se-?d wherever jt had
not come up. This was done on the Gill
May, no that the crop of this cut dates
from that period, which is at least a
month later than 1 should have preferred.
For my experience is that early cotton,
like early corn, ss almost always the best.
I consider the two weeks s art which one
half the unmaried acre obtained in this
instance as of considerable consequence
to it. These early stalks could he dis. i
tinguished until the bolls began to open.
The difference between the marled and
unmarlud cotton was as obvious as it was
in the corn. The leaf too appeared
broader and the stalk stouter from the
first. The following was the production
of thest four acres. I state the pdodticlion
of all, though that of the 1 and 2011
bushels acres ought not to he compared
with that of the other two, on account of
the relative inferiority of the soil.
The unmarled acre 1111 lbs. in (he seed.
M tried do at lOOhti. 846 " "
" ** at 200 44 1003 *? 44
?* ** al3'JU " 1318 ? ?
The dilforenee between the unmarled
acre and that with 300 bushels of marl,
wis 17.7 percent, in favor of the latter.
It would have been greater perhaps an\
other year than this, which has been al.
most as favorable for cotton as corn. The
average production of the whole 75 acres
was 006 lbs. per ne'e. I have had (hi*
ent in eel on 10 of the last 12 year.* ; in
corn 1, and in o.ts 1, and tne following
is a statement of its production of coit.e
for 6 of tne 10 year* ; that of the otli?u
y ars not having teen preserved.
1833 av'gc p. acre in seed 731 lbs. manured lightly.
| 1834 ,l 44 4 4 7 84 44
i 18 3 5 4 4 4 4 44 9 5 1 44 manured lijht[y.
17'aa ?? o ?? 451 ??
l8|.j 44 44 44 497 44
1841 44 44 44 5J9 44 manured.
1842 44 4 4 4 4 9 6 6 44 marled.
The other 59 acre cat of m irlod land
was planted iti cotton on the 10th April
( ?>< a lift u':is n hnf*
li c IH.C Uj* ... * ...... ~
stand. Th's is also a light gray so/, w11i?
lisss clay thai; the mulatto land, and less
sand llian the corn cut. It is probably n>
old as either, and has been cultivated in
much the sumo way. Although planted
10 (lavs later than some other fields, and
1 ' j
after all of them except the 75 acre cut, I
it soon appeared to he the: oldest cotton, j
and certainly matured the earl est of any. I
Immediately after the cold weather, ahout ;
the 1st August, thu rust commenced in it,
and by the 20th of that month it had the
appearance of a Held after frost. Form*,
small holla, and even the leaves dropped.
Most persons who saw it thought it had
t t Uo IT T I ! \ I M \f it1
'i v.11 1.111 un iiiiu mm. * .. ,
?4iifTered to the extent of one-fourth at I
least. B it I have made on this cat this
year 810 Ihs. of seed cotton, which is
nearly 50 per cent, inore than [ ever had
made on it before. The following is the
average of its production (or 4 other years.
1833 av'ge p acre in seed 59S lbs. manured.
1834 44 " 44 435 44
184'J 44 4' 44 36% 44
1841 44 " " 3>i6 " manured lightly.
18-12 44 44 44 843 44 marled.
I think the injury from the rust nearly
or quite equal to the benefit derived from
the favoratile season. And that the in.
crease from the marl was greater on this
cut than oti any other, because th- earliest
marled and most seasonably planted.
The rust here was more injurious than
in any other field, and I migiit have at.
tributod it to the marl, but that the 75
iere cut also marled suffered least of all.
[ am inclined to think that the inns* advinced
cotton was most affected, and the
youngest least; ami that mirl had no in.
rlucncn one way or the other. It is worthy
of remark, that while all my other
rot ton .sum-red from hue ana me worm
both, neitiicr made their appearance on
the marled land.
I have troubled you with this length,
enod detail of my operations, became this
being the first serious experiment with
marl in South Carolina (that 1 know of),
it may he interesting to those who have
this earth within their reach, to kno,?*.
the particulars. From the facts I have
slated, each one can form his opinion on
nearly as good data as 1 can my own.?
I cat: only add that tny expectations for
the first yea* have been fully answered.
I did not calculate on any of those magical
results which agricultural experimentersso
often look for, and so seldom realiy.o
to the full extent. I regard an in.
crease of 20 per cent, as a very handsome
ream, and if it only docs as well another
>car. I shall at all events he repaid for mv
lahnr even if tiie beneficial effect of the
marl ceases then. But the experience
of all who have med it is, that it continues
to improve the soil every year, until
thoroughly disintegrated and combined
w;lh it ; and that with proper culture it
never declines from its maximum. Under
these circumstances, and with these
hopes, I shall continue invsclt to prosecute
the business vigorously during the
suurnc. I have hauled marl over !()()
acres, ai.d v?ve n??w at my Sanding enough
to cover 3UJ acres more. My great regret
is that i did not engage in tha business
sooner. I have long known .Shell Bluff,
and for some years had heard of Mr.
Ruftiu's successful introduction of marl
...i.. tiw? <Miltur?' of Virifinia. Rut I had |
llliw (UV - - . . n<?t
rtratl his 4 k-say on Calcareous mj- j
nurcs,' nor examined Shell Bind", until ;
the summer of 164 1. The idea of obtain. !
ing marl from that spot was fir.it suggeste<!
to me by my friend Mr. Dickenson, of i
(wm*rg::i j nnd af'er a car. ltd perusal ef j
Mr. Rnflin's Essay, and an analysis of
marh there, I determined to try the ex.
perimcnU I have, during the course of
it, received much encouragement and vul.
uahle practical information from Mr.
Ruftin himself, to whom, in common with
all other beneficiaries of this inestimable
treasure, I owe a debt of gratitude which
cannot be easily cancelled.
I am, my dear sir,
With great regard and esteem,
Your obedient servant,
j. ii. hammond
hon. wiiitem ahsh 15. ohabrook,
Prcs't of the Stale Agr. Soc.
44 native," and other cattle.
Messrs. Gaylord <$* Tucker,?1 have
read, with great interest, the first volume
of the Transactions of the New York Agricultural
Society; and with none of the
papers trierein contained have I heen
more pleased, than with the one on * Neat
Cattle," by Henry S. Ilandall, in which
ire in?ny useful suggestions in regard to
ihe improvement of our cattle, and the
production of a breed or breeds suited to
ir climate and purposes.
Mr. It. fears that too many are 44 too
prone to underrate our native stock." |
which he thinks ' has produced animals
that would suffer Lttie bv comparison with
ihose of any other breed." In some re.
narks on Mr. Randall's ideas, by Mr.
Win. H. Solham. in the Sept. No. of the I
Cultivator, is ibe following rnIhtrr vllra
expression: "Me [Mr. R.] may select
tile best [??f the native stock] if be chooses,
and breed them until lie i* of the age oi
man, and mv word for it, he-will never
breed n beast that a pood judge would
condescend to put his hand upon."
There may he a difficulty, 1 confess, in
deciding such a proposition. In the first
place, tho premises should lrc understood
and admitted bv the parties. What, then,
I
is "native stock?" Here ?s the gran
point ; and they may an well disput
about the merits of British sheep, or an;
other species of animal which embrace
varieties very widely different in thoi
characters, as to attempt to decide tha
matter until this point is so'tied.
If Mr. Randall is to ho allowed, (am
this is obviously his intention,) to tak<
such animals as Mr. Rust's fat ox as spe
cimens of the scrub or "native" breed, i
appears to me he would be under no ne
cessity of breeding till he is three scon
years and ten, before he could "produce
an animal that a good judge would condu
?cend to put his hand upon." While or
my late trip to the East, I saw this ox o
Mr. Rust's. He is truly u most super!
animal. He has. both in shape and color
? ii -1? i??: 1 ? U
fill Hits itoiuiiig \;iiiiinv.icii.iiii.9 <>i u
f(ird ; his shoulders are well set, his chirm
full, hack short, loin and hips very wide
rump long, legs clean and sinewy, and he
is considerably heavier than any othei
animal I over saw of so little hone anri
offal. At the time I saw him, Mr. Rusl
thought nis weight could not he loss than
8.700 pounds; and it had been ascer.
tamed by repeated weighing, that his gain
was at least three pounds per day. Not
with-itnndmg his immense weight, ho was,
from the justness of his proportions, very
active. Wlmn lying down, he would gel
up as quick as a sucking calf.
I saw the man who said he raised this
o\ ; and the history wh.eh ho gave of him,
was that the hull which sired him was
'"purl HerefordIn this, both he anil
Mr. Rust agreed. I cannot seo why this
statement need he doubted; for accord,
ing to an account which Mr. Bemenl has
??? ? finrfto wpm intro
|jlluii9lll~l|y owiiiu tawi ??(vi % %? .. v. w
iuced into this part of the country severe
years ago. But history and tradition oul
of the question, it appears to me therr
would he as much propriety in taking an
animal which should show ail the princi
pal points in shape and color of an irn
proved Short Morn, as a specimen of the
native stock," as there is in taking the
ox as such. All example of tms kmc
would probably be regarded by the advo.
cute* of the Shorl Homsas not altogcthci
fair.
Your reviewer, Commentator, in the
Oct. No. of the Cultivator, in his remark:
on Mr. Sot ham's expression, given above,
says Mr. Bakewell made a similar experiment
in England to that proposed by Mr.
Randall, "and it is presumable with nc
belter cattle to begin with than Mr. Ran
dull might probably find among what i:
called the native breed' in New York.'
Now it may be pretty near true thai
Bikewell began to breed with catth
which were not better than those which
some have called native in this country
hut from the best evidence to he had, ii
seems to me certain, that the animals with
which Bakewell began to breed, were no!
only very g' od in themselves, but belongec
to a race whose superior excellence hac
been long acknowledged. That undei
o ~
his master mind they attained still highci
improvement, is neither denied nor doubt
od ; but that the originals were nltogeihei
superior to our common cattle js plain, i
we admit testimony on this subject.
The Hr*t great advantage which Mr
Bakewell possessed over any one win
might attempt a similar experiment, con
fining hun.sclf to the common cattle o
this country, was ihe Jixed character o
his stock. Their leading points had bcci
the same, without admixture, as far as w<
learn, for ages. Hence he might calcti
late on a certain transmission of the quali
ties possessed by those he H st selected
hereditarily, to their offspring. The ori
ginnls of our common cattle have beei
brought Irom almost every country am
district front which this country has eve
received emigrants. These animals, n
heterogeneous in their character, havi
generally been bred in an indiscriminate
haphazard manner, until they have, ii
most cases, lost all marked resemblano
to any distinct breed.
Youatt, in the work on British Cattle
gives a very interesting account of Ih?
stock frc.i: which Mr. Bakewell made hi
original selections. Under the head o
the "Long Horns," ho savs: "In thi
district of Craven, a fertile corner of th<
YVe?t Riding of Yoikshire, bordering 01
? / ti; .
Lancashire, and separated trom >vesi
nioreland chiefly by the western moo
lauds, there has been from the earliest re
cords of British agriculture a peculiar an
valuable breed of cattle." At page 1?!
is given a portrait of a Craven bull, "sup
po.-cd to bear about him many of th
characters of the old breed." The pni
i rait conveys an idea of a most exccller
Hiiiinai; one of the best in the book ; th
body and limbs indicating surprisin
strength, with a rich, mellow coat t
j flair.
in 1720, it is stated that a black.smit
by the name of YVilby, commenced 111
work of improving th? Craven cattle, wit
some cows which he procured from S
I ThomasGresley. "Soon after this,"sa)
j Mr. Voutttt, "Mr. Webster, of Canle)
i near Coventry, distinguished himself as
(! breeder. He, too, worked upon S
i Thomas Grcsley's stock. Ho was at cor
-adorable trouble in procuring bulls froi
Lancashire and Westmoreland; and he i
said to have had the best stock of cattl
1 ihen known-" At pages 191, 192, it
said, " improvement had hitherto bee
attempted to bo produced by selecting f<
males from the native stock '?" the coui
d try, nnd crossing them with males of an
e alien breed. Mr. B.ikewell's good senso
y led hitn to imagine that the object might
j? be better accomplished by uniting the aur
perior branches of the s-une breed, than
t by anv mixture of foreign ones. On this
now and judicious principle he started ?
1 Ho purchased two Long Horned heifers
e from Mr. We.bster, and he procured a
promising Long Horned hull from West,
t morelnnd. To those and their progeny he
'*onfincd himself." ? * ?. Many
3 years did not pass before his stock was
? unrivalled for the roundness of its form,
the sinallness of its bone, and its aptitudu
) In ncnilirn ovlornnl \'a f ivhilfl WCT?
... .... ...... j
( small consumers of food in propoition to
) their size."
I The object in making these quotations
is to show ihnt the ancestor* of Mr. Bako*
5 well's stock had been considered excellent
1 long before he began his cartel as a breed.
5 er.
I Tn what I have said, I disclaim any in.
, lention to * underrnto the native stock,"
but hnve been influenced onlv by ? *?sh
i . . .
that (he public may be set right in matters
( of fact.
SANFORD HOWARD.
, Albany Cultivator.
From the Southern Planter.
GUIXKA CRASS.
Along with some grass roots, for which
i l.-J . .L. i
i vvc arc inueoieu 10 trie puouc spun. ?nu
i politeness of Mr. Garnctt, we received
' the following note :
, Messrs. Botts& Bcrfoot:
Gentlemen,?1 now send you the Guinea
I grass roots which your North Carolina
t friend requested you to procure for him ;
. and, with your permission, I wiii avail
, myself of th:s occasion to publish onco
inure what 1 think of this grass, ns [ find
that some of my good friends have attri.
hutcd to mu opinions which 1 never enj
tertnined. Not that I consider those
I opinions at all important to ?ny of my
brother farmers; hut having once publish.
ed them, and perccivtng that somo persona
have thereby been induced to make a trial
. of the Guinea grass, I o*vc it both to them
. and to myself to guard them, if I can,
from forming an erroneous opinion on thu
, subject*
The good friends to whom I allude,
? have called it 44 my favorilo grass," pre
ferring this, I presume, to the somewhat
< ruder term?1 hobby," although it means
' pretty much the same thing. But (ho
t truth is, that if I must have a hobby?
; like most of my brethren?it shall neither
i be o\'grass nor straw; and as to the grasses
; I have been content to rank them as those
t have done who have most expeiience in
t their culture. What I formerly said of
t the Guinea grass I still think; and it is,
I that it will produce a greater weight of
I green food?counting the four cuttings
r which it uncertainly bear, ut an average
r weight of between two and three feet, in
high, dry land, of ordinary quality, than
r any grass of which I have any knowledge,
f 1 infer from this, it will yield u greater
quantity of such food, on nigh, dry land,
. of any quality. I have also said, that it
) will stand drought better than our other
irrucjuc flint hnrsns and cattle cat it vcrv
n'"-""*'
I* freely, for I have seen them do so. How
f it would compare with other grasses in nu.
) tritive properties I do not know, as none
e of them, I helieve, have yet been analyzed
tn this country. It is certainly a coarse
grass, if suffered to reach a greater height
, before cutting than I have mentioned,
and- therefore less suitable for hay than
ft the grasses commonly used for that pun
J pose. It is also hard to extirpate, but not
r more so than the red top, which is gencr.
o ally preferred to ail oihers, for very wet
e land. From all these facts, then, which
f, I have noticed tor four years, 1 deem my.
a self authorize.! to say of the G uinea grass,
a that in all high, dry, and oven sandy soils
of ordinary quality, such as are unfit for
t, cither clover, orchard grass, timothy, rtd
e tGjv-^: oat, it will produce a much
s greater weight of green food than uny of
f them ; that it will stand drought much
b better, and that horses and cattle eat it
e freely. But in all situations where the
a climato and soil are well adapted to clover,
. orchard gra?s, and timothy, it might conr
tent any farmer to cultivate no other
kinds. Still, the knowledge of their oxd
cellence should not prevent small cxperi*
U mcnts with other grasses ; for our maxim
> should be, that there is no stopping place
e for those who wish to acquire a thorough
- know ledge of husbandry in all its branches,
it Let your friend then, procoed to make a
-1 .1 /I .?
c small experiment wnn tne uumcu grass
g roots, which I now send you for him.?
>f They should he buried in the earth until
the ground ceases to freeze in the spring,
h Then cut the roots into pieces two or threo
e inches long, and plant them in well pre.
h pared land, between two and three inches
ir deep. Let the rows be twelve inches
s apart, and place the cuttings in each row,
/, at the distance of eight or nine inches,
a The plants will require working the first
ir | year; hut after that they will occupy the
i-; ground to the exclusion of any other
ii growth, and w ill bear cutting at least four
is tunes n year. In one season 1 cut it five
le tines. With sincere wishes for the sue*
is i cess o?
n ; 1 remain, gentlemen,
5.1 Your obedient servant,