Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-10-25

high degree to which It may be raised in Morris
Caroline, and the ample nesns st heEs dsposAi
that end. He thenwent on to sllude TO some OF the
obstacles to her advancement. The oW, nat grounds
most part they were worthless Some Of them, If
properly drained, might be reclaimed with great
profit A second quality of land he said, had dee
hciency of lime, which must be supplied to render
it useful. He then pointed oat the availability Of
lime and mari. for every purpose required third
obstacle which he designated an evil produced by
man himself, and which could and mustbe removed
if progress is to stamp career is system of
overtaxing the land, and almost total disregard
of the proper rotation of crops. He would not say
what crops should follow each other; but the pea
crop, which is peculiarly adapted to our State was
perhaps the greatest improving crop that could be
| used.
Having taken general view of these obstacles
and the remedies, where such can be applied, Mr..
Rufin proceeded to remark in detail upon some OF
them. He first took up the question OF drainage as
| applied to swamp lands, which he divided 9nder
| two heads-low lands and low firm lands. These
low firm lands, he said required more draining than
any other. About two feet below the surface WILL
| be found LAYER of sand saturated with water In
proof of this he instanced the wells dug in the low
er counties in which the water rises doooe the str
ia of sand This is caused by the pressure upwards
| of the water of the strata And this continual up
rising of the water keeps the soil above saturated
It is usual to attribute this condition Of soil to stt
| land This was mistake. 1t is, in fact, quite the
reverse and is inseparable from the causes ABOVE
| alluded to- Land in this condition cannot receive
the water as it contains already much as it can
hold. Superficial draining does remove the super
fetal water; but the underylut must be got - OF
anv benefit to the land be looked for-the sand beds
| must be drained, and then the surface water will
take care of itself For this purpose deep dstchsng
must be resorted to. Mr.: Ruffip proceeded to give
some very interesting and instructive experience on
this point in the course of which he limited at
theory of his own regarding quicksands. Many
wears ago he commenced running deep ditch
through large tract of his low grounds. His bo-
rings fully justified his belief in the underglut OF
the sand beds as he found in almost every instance
where he penetrated the bed, copious flow of wa
ter upwards-in land, too where spring was new
er known to be- In his progress he was frequently
interrupted by qucksands, which much retarded
the work. He passed on over these places, but re:
turned to them the following years and then he found
hard sand. This he continued year after year. and
each succeeding year he gained depth by this hard
enine process This proved that quicksand is moth
ing more in these cases, than sand saturated with
water; and that by draining, its character is thus
changed The final result exceeded his most SAN
guine expectations, and he succeeded in retaining
his land-proving, at once, the existence OF these
undergluts, and the certain remedy of deep ditch.
ing. ..-.
His second great division was the swamp lands,
and these he subdivided under two heads-land of
firmer kind, and boys. The former of these he re-
garded almost useless and the principles applied
to those Just noticed might be said to apply to them.
The peat lands, he remarked are found to be lower
than swamp lands and the interior of swamp lands
is found to be higher than the outer portions; and
lakes in swamps are found to be the highest por-
lions of them These lakes, doubt, resulted from
fire. He proceeded, at considerable length, to show
the general uselesness of attempting to reclaim these
peat lands on account of the great expense attend
ing the process, and then alluded to the policy of
the State in regard to them. He believed that the
State had not received the slightest advantage fir
her policy of the last eighteen years. During that
period these lands had remained as so much dead
capital. Had she given them away, some good
might have resulted to her revenue, the SANITARY
improvement of the State, or the physical condi-
ton of her people. Or if she received nothing by
that course, it would be doing as much she has
done. He could not tell what would be the result
Of the next eighteen years. But he was clearly of
opinion that she should investigate this natter as
regards their title, topography and the physical con-
dition. Then the people might know what they
we're about in the purchase of them. The best
means should be adopted to bring them into use
Give them away, if necessary on the condition that
at least portion of them be brought into If
something is not done, they will remain seeded
Of pestilence, affecting materially as they are now
DOING the character of the State as regards health
With proper drainage, &C., lower North Carolina
may be made as healthy as lower Virginia now is.
and that Is as good as needs be, ard was produced
by similar means. This is necessary, as the forma-
ton of coast prevents the junction of salt and
fresh water, SO needful to health.
The speaker then returned to the peat lands, to
show how rapidly they increase, by the decomposi-
ton ofvegetable misunderstanding the body and ex-
tending the sides, to incredible extent-and sta
ted that but for the wants of man for fuel the in
crease would be astounding. 1t was seIfevident,
that the greater the increase of turf the greater the
quantity of water it will hold
He then took general view of the calcarious mat
ter in lands. The Marls were extensive and very
rich in North Carolina In addition to the marls,
abundance of lime could be obtained In reference
to this latter fertilizer he remarked upon the guam
tity used from Thomason, at fully five times the cost
required to produce it at home He alluded to the
importance of lime, and showed the results in his
own State, which has been prospecting under its eff
fects in even greater ratio than that in which it
formerly declined, and then asked why North Caro-
lima should not avail herself of such accessible ad
vantages. In the course of his remarks on this |
branch of the subject Mr.. Ruffin paid high com.
pliment to the farmers of Edgecombe.
The third branch of the question was now taken |
up-rotation of crops, &c-and in this particular |
even the Edgecombe farmers were at fault. The |
continuation of one kind of crop he believed to be
the cause of much of the disease in crops, and of
existence of insects.-Change the crops-the more |
extreme the change the better. Not to the same |
description of crop; for insects in kind of grain
will be apt to trouble another kind. But change, |
say from corn to cotton, from cotton to peas, &C.
Mr.. Rufn then gave the results of his own expert
ence in this matter, showing the best possible
Suits In the rotation of crops he showed that low
er and middle North'Carona, having more adj |
vanccd spring. &C., could profit much more than he
had done by it. He thought that peas would be
found, as an improver and cleanser, much more adj
vantageous than clover; and with the pea, we need
be at no loss for rotation His own experience con-
vinces him that cotton does better after peas.
His remarks applied more particularly to lower |
North Carolina He had seen but little Of the upper