Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-08-02
Reported Expressly for the Journal.
Meeting OF the Spring Garden and Rocky
Point Agricultural Club.

The regular monthly meeting of tn
above Agricultural Club was held at Worth
q lington Farm, the residence of A. E. Hall
Esq, on Rocky Point, on Thursday last
large number of the enterprising and in
y dus srious farmers of the county were il
i, attendance, accompanied by their wive
!, and children, who, while business was be
= ing transacted, proposed passing the time
in a quiet, social manner
. The meeting was called to order by thu
o President, W. S. Larkins, Esq, after which
O the Corresponding Secretary, DR.. S. S
:, Satchwell, stated that it was his pleasan
,, duty to announce that he had succeeded il
prevailing upon General Robert Ransom
to accept an invitation to address then
on this occasion, and took great pleasure
in announcing that he was there for that
purpose. After few remarks compliment
tary to General Ransom, he was formally
presented to the Club.
By vote of the Club the delivery OF
this address was appointed for the after
noon. The views of several practical, eff
Gent farmers were then called for upon
the subject of drainage, and direct invita-
ton extended to Mr.. B. Oliver, member
of the County Society Of Duplin, to ad-
dress the meeting upon this subject, and,
also, to give some information regarding
the damage done to crops in his section by
the recent rains, the workings of our pre-
sent labor system, etc
This gentleman, in compliance with the
invitation, arose and addressed the meet
ing for some little time He stated that he
came from a similar organization in his
county to express their fraternal regards,
request correspondence, and to extend
invitations to meet them. The crops in
Duplin have been materially injured bv the
recent rains, though the speaker was Of the
opinion that more than one-half crop of
corn, and fully that proportion of cotton,
! would be made. The cotton of his section
had improved more than corn and had not
been injured to such an extent as it was in
the Neuse river section just above. He re-
ported that the farmers were not despon- !
dent, but with hearty good will were APP
plying their shoulders to the wheel and |
seeking to retrieve their losses The labor
system in his county was working as we'll
as can be expected, and there were few
1u1cIS duu lOdlCIS Ill Uu0 country dfOuQO.-l
The gentleman asserted his belief that tho
rough draining was the basis of all good
farming Experience had taught that the
application of fertilizers was of no avail
where the land is saturated with water
He suggested the manufacture of a kind of |
tile or brick for under-drainage, and allu-
ded to the success which this method has
met with in the agricultural districts of
England.
After the remarks of Mr. Oliver, D.
Mcmillan, Esq, President of the County
Agricultural Society, followed, and in the
course of his remarks also advocated
thorough draining He considered it Just
as futile to plant in wet land as to throw
straws against the wind The question of
draining was then fully and generally dis
cassed by several of the members present.
Mr.. Henry Mutt submitted the theory that
water was the blood of the earth, and when
it is allowed healthy circulation is produc-
tive of good results, but when the land is
not properly drained the water cannot cir
culate, and hence becomes stagnant and
kills vegetation. He argued the fallacy of
open draining and the utility of under or
tile draining He stated that in a tour
through the eastern counties of this State
recently, he observed that where the land
had been properly drained and cultivated
the crops had sustained but little injury.
Mr. Mcmillan took issue with Mr.. Mutt
on the question of the fallacy of open drain s
ing. and contended that when the system
was properly conducted its efficacy was .
plainly apparent that while he concurred
fully with the gentleman in the advantages
resulting from tile draining, still, he be-
ieved open draining not wholly devoid of ,
utility.
According to the usual custom, the gen
tlemen of the Club then adjourned to in
spect the farm and examine the imple- {
ments, and were engaged in informal dis {
cussions until the dinner hour arrived, !
when all present repaired to the tables
grooming under the weight of "good
things with which it was spread, to par {
take Of the sumptuous repast awaiting them.
There all took occasion to do justice to tho +
extended hospitality of Mr.. Hall, :
and arose from the table much refreshed
and invigorated for further discussion. /
Immediately after dinner, the ladies and 4
gentlemen assembled beneath tie large @
overspreading branches of the trees in a
grove near the house to hear the address l
of General Ransom. This gentleman. L
though no practical farmer, read an adj C
dress containing much information and not =
a few hints, which, if needed, will prove of !,
benefit to our farmers. He
begun with the assumption that a farm Il
StOCS AoU @IiCISA everything IN COM II
mon use among farmers in the wav of pro- 6,
auctions, is no farm at ALL The address c
was more particularly in relation to sys A.
tenn and close cultivation was urged and Il
the fallacy of multiplicity of crops shown. a.
1t were better, it was advanced, to bestow T
entire attention to tho cultivation of some n
one product, than to waste time in almost ~
ruthless efforts in the attempt to cultivate q,
variety New England was cited as an
as to what could be done by the y,
to system and the plan of close y,
cultivation. 1t is true that difference in ~
'oil exists, but there is no acre there which 81
S broken that Is not required and made to IL
produce an abundant yield. There the Ia. ~,
Dor is free and the same difficulties with 81
which we are now contending in this re- NJ
pect have been met there. No more Ia il
Dor should be employed than is absolutely v
and this should be directed II
o the best advantage. He thought that too h,
much attention had been bestowed upon o,
he culture of cotton with too poor re- b.