Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-12

/ Damage to Crops I'm the Eastern Counties.
We learn from gentleman, wko has re-
Gently returned from tour through por-
4 ton of the Eastern counties, that the plant
ers estimate the damage done to crops in
that section at fully one-half. In some OF
the counties our informant states that he
saw acres of corn at least one foot under
water The reports from Hyde and other
counties also place the damage sustained at
fully at one-heif. A scene of the greatest
dev astation was observable throughout that
section of the county.
/ Especial Correspondence of the Journal
Rocky Point and Spring Garden Farmers
CIub-AgricuItural Matters-Manures-
The Guano Company-Don,estIc and For
i eisn Taient-Address by MIR. Hutt-F:srm-
| ing Practically Discussed.
Nessys. Editors The Club held its last
meeting at Messrs. James S. and Calvin V.
Hines. on Saturday, June Goth, 1867. w.
S. Larkins, Esq, in the Chair. The at
tendance was full-several visiting gentle
men were present also, quite number OF
ladies graced the occasion with their pres
.
the benefits to agriculture, these farmers
meetings exert capital influence on the
community. They bring about unity of
sentiment, and concert Of action, which is
the sheet-anchor of success in every de-
partment of human efforts. Falling, as
they do, on each member Of the Club only
once year, the expense is not felt. And
they have such fine dinners Epicurus
himself would feel honored with IA seat at one
of them. The last was the peer Of any OF
its predecessors, furnishing in profuslon
the choicest vegetables of the season, and
all other good things necessary.
The proceedings were interesting and in
structive. The discussion on the subject
of Manures, held over from last meeting,
was resumed, and the arguments seemed to
weigh on the side of manures collected on
the farm, especially when mari and lime
are so abundant as in this neighborhood.
! The subject Of taking stock III the GuanO
Company in Wilmington was mooted. But
the idea that this concern may send to Eu-
rope for chemist as has been intimated,
met with marked disapproval, and was con-
sidered the first step In humbuggery, II car
ried out It was insisted that Il chemist,
fully competent can be found in the two
Carolinas, without running to Europe for
one. That this Company, challenging the
confidence Of our people, might as well en-
courage talent among them, especially as it
expects to make its money out Of them
That it is high time that all ideas ignoring
talent among our own people, whilst en-
couraging it in others, should be put down.
Our people have already too often been i'm
posed on by this practice. A foreign chem
ist-as in reality there exists no need for
such-will be viewed by u majority-of our
farmers with suspicion-0s lie supple t00lOf
spectators.
The Club WAS highly entertained by an
address delivered by Henry Mutt, Esq, of
Wilmington. This address was impronlEtu,
and mainly on topics suggested by mem
bers of the Club during its delivery; and
was doubly interesting, rs the speaker had
verified most of his conclusions by expert
ment. We shall not attempt full synop
sis of Mr.. Nuts address, as we feel certain
we cannot do bin justice. We will only
give few Of the prominent ideas.
He showed that the old sluggish plan of
farming had to be abandoned. 1t is not
profitable. But farming, properly conduct
ed, is very profitable, and men grow rich
at it. There are various well established
reasons why men should desire to grow
rich and in view Of this fact, farmers
should study how to make their farms most
profitable. Every acre must be cultivated
SO as to make the most money out OF it
To make the most of land the first thing to
be done is thorough draining and then
thorough cultivation must follow. Land
should be plowed deep. Two feet IS not
too deep. The roots Of corn will follow the
pillow, no matter how deep it goes, and they
will not go where the ground has not been
broken. This he had learned from obser-
walton. With thorough draining and thor
ough preparation of the soil, even the
heavy rains of this season could not iniure
the crops. Too much rain never falls on
land that IS properly cultivated. It perco
lates through the soil, leaving behind va
rious fertillzing elements, such as nitric
acid, carbonic acid, and various exhala-
tons carried down by the rain.
Soils are sometimes spoken of as bad;
there are none such. Most soils are good,
especially if they contain clay in them
The clay serves as filter and retains the
various fertilizing elements in the soil
Sand would not do this. Experiment had
established this fac He predicted that the
time was not distal,J when many OF the sa-
vannahs in this county, now considered
worthless, would be converted into protita-
BILE farms Many of them are already
known to be underlaid with ineXhaustible
beds of mari, only few feet below the sur
face. Drain the savannahs, and mari them,
| and they will produce bountiful crops. This
county is destined to become one of the
first agricultural counties in the eastern part
of the State. It has the lime and the mari
to make it such.
The turpentine business has greatly re-
tarded the prosperity of this county, and of
all sections where it is worked One man,
| perhaDs owns twenty thousand acres of
land, with only few hands on it to make
turpentine. He excludes population by
keeping out the great number that might
make a support from the soil. So it is with
mining operations. There is, properly
speaking, little wealth in them. The wealth
of country consists in population, and the
cultivation of the soil is the only way to
support population. individuals flourish,
and nations flourish when the farmers make
good crops, but when they fail, everything
else languishes. From this the necessity
may be seen of always securing good crops.
This he believed could be done by skillful
cultivation.