The Gonzales inquirer. [volume] (Gonzales, Tex.) 1853-current, 1854-04-08
NUMBER 4s.
Treatment Of Prairie Land.

1IeaIment OF frairie Land
feel willing, once .norc, though yours in
years, and possessed of but little agricultural
knowledge and expericnce,--,o enter the wide
extended fields Of agriculture, lhat may learn,
If not instruct. The subject which heads this
communication Is Of paramount Importance to
many OF the planters OF Alabama. Were /
qualified, mentally and expcriinentally. TO han
die this subject, / would not hesitate one mo-
ment. But shall content myself with hoping.
soon, to see more able heads and more expo
rienced hands in defence Of it. will, how
ever, throw out . few observations, which
have noted, which may be Of some importance
to the young and inexperienced planter, w lao.
Is about TO embark, with his capital, upon the
wide ocean Of agr culture. 1t IL now given
up, by all, that the prairie lands, under iavora-
bic circumstances, are tho most fertile lands
in existence; and, in the hands of prudent
skili'il, and enlightened ngriculturist, pono
more productivc--none more rcnumerating,
and none capable of Improvement. Without
limc, no permanent Improvement can be ac-
compshed in agriculture. We find these lands
contain this necessary element in the grcatcst
abundance; and, in many places, this constit.
ues't predotnina,es so excessively rs to act I'm
iavorably upon the young plants growing there
on, especially during hot, damp, weather; con.
vincing us, at once, that thorough-going sys-
TEN of drainage should be practiced BY ovory
prairie planter in fact, for successful farming,
II isnbsolutely necessary. Experience has taught
inc this much 1t should DO the aim of tho
planter to see that he has sufficient quantity
OF bitches to drain his land thoroughly, and
always kept open, and prepared for water
And when agricultural science Is taught, and
learned, in our schools aud colleges, and when
its principles arc moro gennrally undsrs,aod
applied, and practccd, Il is then that prairie
lands will DO more in demand TO the eve OF.
an enlightened farmer, there Ia nothing palmer
than the word, incxhaustiblc, stamped, In bold
relief, upon tho face Of these lands Ines exha,ist-
ible, only in the hands Of wise and prudent
farmers; "hook farmers ,f you please,
But these lands, under the system ofculture
that IL now practiccd In this section of tho
country, ,--and, / presume, Il IL pretty much
the same In other sections Of tho country
Will become, cyery year, less productive. lesa
certain, III cropping g--more compact aud glucy
In their nature, and In my opinion, more suh.
ject TO tho ravagcs Of tho bollworm, insects.
rust, and the thousand. and.on caiamties that
cotton Is heir to- And this system of culture
liz nothing more nor less than tho surface. &
scratching or skinping systcn, practiccd. gen.
eratons ago, by our forcfathcrs, and which
has Frustrated, and laid waste, so many rich
and fertile tracts of land in this high!y-fayored
country OF ours, But our ancestors nrc not 40
''"N" S''" bSuo'o tp' .hclr ptn1 ignorance OF
the art OF cultivation nv the farmers of modern
days for, at that remote period, education
was in the embryo agricultural science un.
thought OF and unknown and nothing familia-
TO the farmer but his rife; the bound Of a ms.
jestic deer across his pathway; or the ycll Of
proving savage, lurking around his forest.
homo.
II is conceded, by all scientific and prac,ic.t
farmers, that shallow cultivation not only ex-
hansts the elemeots of fertility, and iinpoyer.
isiss o soil, bot ID less ren,Imcfating TO this
planter. knowing these facts, why still cling
10 the old understanding system. Whv
not abandon II al once, aud plough like Paddy.
"sock IL In up TO the bame." 1'hc practice OF
plouehing these lands when they arc too wst
has done more injury to them than any ono or.
ror the prairie planter is guilty Of in managing
this soil. Lands thus prepared, bccorno hard
and impervious, aud seem toloSo their yftalitx.
Cotton and corn make poor progress in growth.
become siunied, and look yellow and sckiy,
as IL q winters blast had swept over the tlcIda.
The young plant never rallies until the warm
rays OF tropical sun begins to crack tho rock-
like earth, and lets the roots down where thay
ean meander in search ofnoutishment.
On tho contrary, If the planter vii. exercise
little prccaution, and plough his lands when
they are dry, and IN proper condition for
poughing, they will work loose, mellow. and
easy all the year, and the cotton will ero,y
luxurantly, elmest without one drop Of rain.
One more error, and that In this tho uni.
versal custom of burning cotton aud corn.
stalks, and every other vegetable matter that
may bc upon tho land. This custom wa. Ia
practice NJ far back as have any recollection
Of farming, aud is still continued. Il Ia moth.
ing uncommon to hear farmers complaining Of
their lands rusning together, and becoming
stickey and glucy. and II Ia otYinr, IN ths losss
Of vegetable matter, or humus, in tho soil.---
They will find, AFTER knocking down tho cotton
and corn.stalks. ploughing ,hem under, aud
incorporating them with tho soil this defect
will soon he corrected and they viii find
thor lands viii plough much CASTOR and bottor:
and the best Is. they viii produce botter. aud
last ai~ays. - hiss'ssippi correspondent effas
ISeuthsra Cuitivaior.