Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1857-05-06

your corn also, and in low, dampish land, it
IL quito necessary, but In the cultivation OF
the cotton plant, you must proceed upon
different principles entirely. You may
make cotton, and frequently will make line
crops, on this new, rich, maiden soil of ours
by working the plant just as yon do corn.
It is, however, or should be, at least the OBJ
iect of every planter to operate in all his
plantation economy to the very best adran-
tage. The cotton plant differs very matcr.
ally in its natural history, habits and growth,
from the cereals, of which family the corn
plant stands prominent. The cotton plant,
like the noble oak of your forest, compara-
lively, requires a rich, firm and compact
bed. and when this bed is once thrown up
in the winter or early spring, as it should
always be, it is wasteful economy for any
purpose to plow it down. If you desire
your cotton to set its young bolls and bear
full ofsfruit, preserve scrlpulously in all
your subsequent work. after the plant is up,
the bed mjoIrn. Marx his' The first
work then is TO scrapc. instead of tor dorm
your beds. The Mississippi scrapcr is said
to be fine implement for this work-wc
have not tried orc. We rely mainly on
the hoe, though we have used for the last
few years very good instrument made by
Ruggles, Noursc & Mason, Of Boston, which
does the work very well, and preserves the
bed unbrokcn. The prolific source of all
the difficulty in making cotton, is this con.
stantly blowing down and bedding up your
cotton ridges after the cotton plant has com.
menced growing. And we again reitcrate
the fact that though the bollworm may de-
stroy his thousands or millions if You please,
the plow-share destroys its tens of millions!
In all your work then, pulverize the surface
and preserve. at the peril Of great loss, your
beds unbroked.
Towards the close of this month, peas
should be planted. The best and surest
plan for a crop on rich or improving land, is
to SOW them broadcast, at the rate Of a half
bushel per acre, and cover them by running
twice in the row with harrow-we use in
variably side harrow for this purpose. Do
not neglect this crop under the apprehen-
sion that "peas will kill hogs" Our opin-
ion is, that many more die for tue want of
them.
Do not neglect your sweet potatoes-itis is
difficult to supply the place Of this crop,
neglected. Look well also to your vegeta-
bic garden; all vegetables should now be
out and growing, and a little additional at
tention will bring them to maturity. Moth
ing SO healthy for working men as good
vegetables.
TIE CHAIR. Have gentlemen any views
to present, either by way Of comment upon,
or addition to, the article of the CoTroS
PLANTER
Nix. SCOOTER (Rising aciM It eery de-
ternsined air. Mr.. CHAIRMAN. have listen
ed to the article of DR.. CLOUD and must
say that in so far as it treats Of corn culture
it is admirably conceived and expressed.
But | must be allowed to have my doubts
in respect to his notions Of cotton culture
| mean as to keeping the beds of cotton un-
broken by the plow. What harm, ! ask, is
likely to result from our usual Carolina
mode of 'sidimy' cotton closely the first
working with twistcr shovel, bar side to
the cotton? If it takes the dirt away from
the plant for the time, the very next plow
ing throws it all back And do not think,
sir, it can be said with any correctness that
the brief displacement of the soil thus cf-
fected is at all injurious to the plant. The
roots are then too young to feel more than
two inches distant. Before they extend
an inch farther, the earth is all back again
to its original place and the bed once more
round and smooth. have heard more
than one practical farmer maintain that this
partial exposure of the roots of the cotton
plant to the sum- warming influence was q
real advantage to it, giving more vigor to
its early growth | do not however answer
for the truth Of this notion. One aIvan-
tage though will uphold as appcrtainins to
our mode: mean the cflectuality and case
with which we thus cover up (and kilD all
the grass between the cotton by two fur
rows. speak of three foot rows of course.
But, Mr.. CHAIRMAN, the CorroS PLANTER
goes on to say with strong emphasis, that
we should scrupulously preserve, in all sub
sequcnt work, after the plant is up, the ted
unJroken and he bids us "iNHrA this"
Now, sir, am aware that Dr. CLOUD has
experimental very successfully in cotton.
He raised one year, or at least it was so
reported, some 1000 lbs. upon single acre.
Will he tell us that he then used this top
culture only? If so his land must have
been rich deep mould, kept porous Dy the
quantity Of manure throuyaoutits every cubic
inch. Many Of our cotton fields in South
Carolina would become as hard as floor,
Sir, under this treatment We are obliged
to break the Jed to admit the skyey inluen-
ces. And, cotton having a tap root without
long lateral feeders, do not sec how judi
cious plowing can do harm. "Scraping,"
may suffice for the allurial bottoms of the
West but it will not here, Sir We have
to plow our cotton generally three times,
and of course it is better to plow shallower
each time. But to adopt the plan of never
breaking our beds after the cotton comes