The constitutional union., 1860-11-30
AGRICULTURAL.

MR PEABoDY's CoTToN.-Having heard much said about the fine appearance of the cotton crop now growing on the farm of Mir. George A. Peabody, in Russell county, Ala, few miles from this city, we concluded last week to pay him a visit and see if half We heard was true. Mir. P. has what he calls fifty acres of pine land planted in cotton some of 1t has been in cultivation for twenty or more years, some four, ten, etc. Like his neighbors, and nearly everybody in this sec tion, his crop passed severe ordeal of drouth in June and July, but unlike everybody else's cotton, his seems to have come out unscathed. The weed averages from hip to high waist and taller, and is heavily loaded with bolls and forms from bottom to top. The bolls are large and the stalkyigorous. It is planted in checks, four feet distance each way, and in the fresher land the limbs lock. Scarcely boil CT form has fallen of. It is evident that the Iuxuri- ant growth and bearing is the result solely of the mode of maturing, planting and cultlva- tlon The land Is poor, and could not, in the ordinary mode of planting and cultivation, have produced, this year, more than one eighth what Is now on the stalks. Mir. ?. in- formed us that he put on the land about ITO pounds of American guano to the acre. Our judgment Is, that the yield this year will range, according to quality of land. from 1900 to 1900 pounds to the acre. The lint Is of an exceedingly fine texture and the staple long. He informs us that he has a bid from Man chester, for his entire crop, at twenty-five cents per pound, if 1t shall come up to his samples of last year. The present crop is fully up to last in quality.
 What commentary is this on the mode of cultivation of the cotton plant, which has been handed down from our fathers, and is still stubbornly persisted in. Planting is the only one of the arts that has not been i'm proved. Why has it not, and why should it not be? Why persist in a mode of culture for forty years without even an effort to i'm prove? That it has not been done is a se- were commentary on the intelligence of the 1 producers of staple, now termed not only king of commerce, but which it is thought regulates the temper of nations. The ad- vance made by Nlr. Peabody, by experiments running through about three years, has accom- 1 plished about as great revolution in the pro- duction of cotton as Fulton accomplished above three horsepower, when he proved the applicability af steam as a prorclIng power There are possibly some who are stupid enough to conclude that if all should do as Mr. Peabody, the market would at once be glutted, and the staple rendered of little value. We trust, however, that of these there arc few If by improved culture We can l produce, on half the land and with half tho labor, sufficient supply of cotton to meet the demands of consumption at remuneratm2 prices have we no use for the surplus land and labor? We have, and far more, in the production of brcadstutIs mules. horses, etc for home consumption For these articles alone Georgia is annually sending millions out of the State
 The experiment. has been made and the result proves that, with the expenditure of about four hundred dollars per acre for ma- nures. lands which are considered worthles. throughout the cotton States, and can be pur- chased for from twelve and half cents to one dollar per acre. can be made to produce more cotton than the best fifty dollar lands in Georgie and Alabama can be made to do without 1t.
 The mode of cultivation adopted by Mr. Peabody is worthy the attention of every plan- ter, and none who will pay him a visitand see the results, can come away unconvinced Of its being within the power of every planter to produce the same results with less labor than is required by the common mode of culture. It is well worth the travel of one thousand miles to see the present growing crop. and we advise all who can do so, to give Mr. P. acaIl. He will take pleasure in showing them through, and explaining his mode of cJlltiya- ton. The seed used by Nr. r. is of his own improving. LColambus Sun.