The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-01-21
AGRICULTURE.
MR.. PEABODY ON CONNER
CIAL MANURES.

EDITORS SOUTHERN CULTIvAToR :
As 1 am constantly receiving letters
from all parts of the cotton growing
States, asking my views of Guano-
what kinds I prefer-hcw use it, and
what quantities; I will make the Cul-
tivator the medium Of my answers to
all. Some twenty-five years ago, be-
gan to experiment with guano. First,
I tried Peruvian. This gave good sat-
isfactiou, but was, I then thought rath-
er expensive. I have since tried all of
the other varieties of note! Some were
good-others worthless. I had come
to the conclusion that the Peruvian,
however costly, was the cheapest in the
end, as a working, industrious
man could manipulate it, with any 9TH
er substance he thought proper. [
have found salt, plaster, aower oFbones
swamp muck, &c, valuable to manipu-
late with Peruvian Cuano, but the Ia
Dor of manipulation, is great, and in
process of manipulation, much Of the
ammonia escapes. From this fact l
have been led to inquire, whether there
was not an excess Of fammonia IN PERU
Wan Guano, and VIII ther it would not
be more advantageous to pay for the
volatile ammonia. Whilst full of this
idea, l struck the Pacific Soluble, and
was so well pleased with it, that last
year l manured one half Of M cotton
with it, and the other half with the c.
ruvian. The same quantity Of each was
per used acre The land was Of the same
quality, the planting and culture wasfn
all respects the same, when the crop
was gathered, it was impossible to tell
which was the best. Now the Pacific
Soluble cost me $50 less per ton, and
as a consequence, I have this year used
the Pacific Soluble alone. 1t cost ME,
at the Agents Depot in Columbus SIS
per ton.
1t may be well here, to state the
character Of my land. I do not live
on exactly what would be called pine
Larrens, but it is next to it. The older
portion of my land will not, with ordi-
nary culture, bring three hundred
pounds Of seed cotton to the acre. \
field of ten acres, which I wished to
experiment on with the Dickson Cotton,
hybridizing it with my Upland Long
Staple, 1 plowcd and sub. soiled in March,
leaving the surface perfectly level the
twentieth Of April, 1 laid it off in lands
about twenty-five feet wide, and sowcd
Pacific Soluble guano broadcast, at the
rate Of two hundred pounds to the acre
This I turned under, with turn shoveI
plow, then opened furrows three feet
apart, with long point scooter, follow
ing in tho same furrow with a shoyeI
plow; in this furrow [ put two hundred
pounds more Of the guano to the acre.
Then I threw the furrows together into
the centre, with q turn,shovel, which
left but slight ridge, and on this ridge
planted the seed. The Dickson variety
bears much thicker planting than other
kinds. The growth and fruiting of the
crop was superb-nothing equal to it
had ever been seen in this section of the
country, and if the worms had not
swept all the top and end bolls, it would
have made two good bales to the acre.
As bad as it has turned out, it has
made bale to the acre. 10 half acre
near my dwelling, that had COW pen
ned last winter, I applied two hundred
pounds of the Pacific Soluble in the
drill, and Notwithstanding excessive wet
weather in August, and the worms,
which tooli Ill the late crop, I hayo