Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-05-22
AGRfCULTUK AL.
From The Com. Reviep.
gUg-gOH ~pLOUGHINE.

/ consider the article on " Cotton and
the Cotton Planters;' in your last number,
as Of far more value than my subscription
money for ths whole year. tits q volume
which | mean to study, and If cannot
make out of 1t u profit fifty times the ..
mount of five dollars by the years end, |
shall, indeed prove a dull scholar.
Tie time will come, and Is now TO IN
extent, when we shall be compelled TO pay
more regard to the thorough culture Of our
soil than we have. The caterpillar in the
Cotton, and the worm in the Tobacco, as
also, the new epidemic, the rot in the pota.
toe, / consider as the effect Of disease, and
not the cause.
To guard against them, We must do our
best 10 render our crops so strong and heal
thy, as TO be able TO throw off q slight at
tack, or to bear up under severe infection.
Many years ago, Jetbro Tall discovered
that the pulverizatiotl Of the earth was the
best manure that could be given TO the crop;
and after five crops Of wheat in succession
had been grown on this principle, he de.
clAred that they had been uniformly greater
every year TO the end Of the experiment.
Now, this speaks volumes in favor Of a
more thorough culture -four lands; but am
inclined 10 doubt, whether our small and
sharp.cutting ploughs are the best calcnla'
ted to produce bat state Of uniform pulve.
r~ization, which is more especially needed
in our a~lluvial soils in the vicinity Of the
river. BY means Of larger ploughs, We
should penetrate deeper, and operate BY
breahing up the earth, rather than BY cma
Gne it on the principle Of spade labor
which has been denominated "the perfcc
ton of good hnsbandry !" and ! have M
doubt we should find a benefit 10 the croI
and a saving Of labor in the ~after-culture
that would secure tous such an increase il
the Weld as TO constitute the difference be
tween a profit and loss At the end Of th'
wear. At any rate | mean to try it.
| saw and examined the ploughs tina
were exhibited at the Baton Rouge Fair
and, in connection with your valuable ar
ticle, as also in unison with the opinion ez
pressed by the editor Of the Concordi
In~telligencer,' ofthe 9th instant. in a yer
interesting and elaborate description {
them, would take leave to say, they appea
the best adapted Of any | have before seer
to the purpose of renovating our soils an
strengthening our crops. They were tn
"Prouty Il Mears' or +" Centre Draft
Ploughs of extra workmanship and big
finish.
perceive the use ofthe Sub-soil ploug
is coming into notice. Threesof these !
the same makers were exhibited, and / r
GREETED exceedingly that no opportuni
Lcould be found of putting their pretensiol
ITO the test. A friend from the tobacco r.
gion informs me, if just at the time whe
the prognostic Of the worm makes its a
/. pearance-a particularly vivid appearan'
\ Of growth, like the hectic glow or a co
= sumptive patient-a sub-soi Plough is n
between the rows 10 the greatest depth
5 can be worked, by two or three horses
mules, in length, SO as to allow a super
bundance of moisture to pass of, or IN
season Of drought to permit ~evaPorati
from the sub-soil, a difference in the We
dure of the plant is soon percePtible, ant
natural yigor of growth such as to thrc
off the attack he also advocating the q
vel doctrine, that both the caterpillar a
the worm are the effects of disease, a
moi the primary causes.
For your next number hope to farn.
Won with an article on the all-impOrti