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the escape of the superabundant moisture, and to establish a communication from the outside of the plant to the interior; indeed, light is so important to plants that they cannot survive its protracted absence.

Observation has taught us that light colors fruits, and that heat accelerates their maturation, so that the highest colored and earliest fruit, is ripened on a tree trained against a black wall * where the light and heat of the sun can produce the greatest effect. Skilful cultivators take advantage of the sun's light and heat to give taste to vegetables, or to deprive them of it, by exposing them to, or withdrawing them from its influence ; thus we expose melons, peaches, &c. to the sun, whilst we keep lettuce, cabbage, car-doons, &c. in the shade, in order to render them less bitter and more tender.

Thus much of the physiology of vegetables is deemed important, Mr. Editor, to the understanding of the improvement of vegetables by cultivation, which shall be the subject of the next paper from A Naturalist.

C. T. Botts, Editor of S. Planter.

BERKSHIRES AND DURHAMS.

What bold sceptics those Boston boys are. In days of yore, they dared to raise a doubt as to the jure divino of kings, and now they do not hesitate to sneer at the pretensions of Berkshires and Durhams. It seems they hold certain weekly meetings, {in old Faneuil probably,) where a Mr. Colman had the temerity to more than insinuate, that Durham cattle, for the pail, were not equal to the native stock; and other free spirits, not having the fear of speculators before their eyes, declared that Berkshires are selling for more than they are worth. These insinuations have not been without their effect upon the excellent Editor of the New England Farmer, who says, that the report is that butchers and meat sellers dislike the pure Berkshires, and he concludes with the following pretty broad hint as to his own opinion : " Those,'' he says, " who have them already and like them, will of course continue to keep them; those who have fair hogs of a different breed, may do well not to incur much expense to obtain this famous kind, until their relative worth is better understood."

An intelligent, farmer, it was stated, in the neighborhood of Boston, who recently slaughtered Berkshires, found his pork so indifferent that he would not eat it, and several concurred in the statement, that, notwithstanding their roundness of appearance, they do not measure so much in the rib as some less valued breeds, thereby verifying the old maxim, that " all is not gold that glitters."

* It ha8 been observed tbat plants protected from the motions of the wind by walls or espaliers, grow fo a larger size than under other circumstances.

It w r ould be strange indeed, if, after all the discussion upon the merits of the true breed, we should discover the tests, at the same moment, that we found that they were not worth talking about. We should be pleased to have some statements of facts from any of our own people, if such there be, who have slaughtered and cured some of the Berkshires. We see no reason why they should not make as good bacon as any other hog, and care should be taken that an unfounded report does not retard the progress of a stock, that, judging by the eye alone, certainly promises a great improvement. We design to give fairly the views of both sides in the contest, which we see is about to arise on this subject, as well as our own conclusions, so soon as we collect facts on which to found an opinion.

To the Editor of the Southern Planter.

I wish to communicate to the public through the medium of your paper, a simple, but efficacious, if not an infallible remedy, for that vexatious disease in horses called scratches. I have never known this remedy, when properly applied, to fail to effect a cure even in the most aggravated cases. It is, to cleanse the ancles and parts affected with warm soap-suds, then take fresh (warm if you can get it) cow dung, and spread it on a piece of coarse cloth, and apply it to the diseased parts—the cloth should be large enough to completely envelope the leg, and should be securely fastened in front by strings sewed on to it. The dung should be put on sufficiently broad to cover the parts affected, and thick enough to retain moisture for twelve hours, at the end of which time it should be removed, and a second application made, which scarcely ever fails to remove inflammation. It may, however, in some cases, be necessary to make a third application, after which (or when the inflammation is removed) the ancles should be carefully washed, and annointed with mutton tallow moderately warm. My reason for preferring this mode, is, that it will effect a speedy and permanent cure, without subjecting the horse to the slightest pain. I wish also to communicate a remedy for the relief of horses that may chance to be choked, which is as simple, and at the same time as efficacious as the one above. It is simply to bleed the horse in the mouth.

Your readers, Mr. Editor, may feel inclined at the first view to sneer at this remedy, but "a second sober thought" will, unless I am much mistaken, work a wonderful change in its favor. The horse, when bled in the mouth, will lap the blood with his tongue and endeavor to swallow it, and this, coining in contact with the substance by which he is choked, has a tendency to moisten and dissolve it, and also slightly to distend the throat, thus rendering the passage of the substance into the stomach comparatively

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easy. Simple as this remedy may seem, Mr. Editor, I assure you I have seen it almost immediately successful in a most aggravated case, and when all other remedies had failed. J. W. Hanover Co. 10th March, 1841.

Our readers in this neighborhood will easily recognise in J. W. of Hanover, a gentleman well known for his care and success in the treatment of stock. Although there are many efficient remedies for the scratches, the Captain thinks the preceding to be preferred both on account of its certainty, and the speedy cure it effects. Our readers may depend upon it.

ther of these opinions, but are desirous of availing- themselves of any means of reducing labor and adding to their conveniences, 1 send }ou the enclosed drawing of an arrangement that 1 have found a great convenience in handling my cooked food. The drawing represents the usual furnace with a copper boiler, over which sets a cask, with holes in the bottom, suspended in an iron frame, to which is affixed a lever, working on a gallows. With this lever one man raises the cask containing the steamed food, as soon as it is sufficiently cooked, up and off from the boiler. Another, whilst it is in this position, by causing it to revolve in the eyes in which it is swung, empties it into a tub or bin of cold water setting by, when the cask is again returned to its place.

If any of your readers avail themselves of this product of my ingenuity, it is but fair to ask them to give me some information or effort of their brain in return. Otherwise, to make use of it amounts to embezzlement at least, if not downright stealing.

Yours,

J. B.

Mr. Editor, —Is it not somewhat singular that the poorest farmers, those who most need them, are the very last to avail themselves of labor-saving and economical contrivances ? They are indeed in a double sense the poorest farmers. One would think that after all that has been said and written on the undisputed and indisputablesaving from steaming food, that every man, whose means enabled him to raise only a small crop, would provide himself with so cheap an apparatus as a steaming box, that they might make the littlo they raise go as far as possible. The large and wealthy farmer may afford the waste of feeding raw food, but that certainly is not the case with many who are not provided against it. Why is this? *Do they doubt the fact? If they have reason to do so, it is most important they should give their views to the public—if they admit it, why are they without such an apparatus a moment longer ? They lack the money to make the purchase—let them sell an acre of land, if necessary; it will save them more food than the acre will make. Nobody seems blind to his own interest but the farmer. In every other branch of business, men watch with the eye of a hawk for every opportunity of reducing ! labor and cheapening their products, whilst the farmer seems to think either that his present system is perfect, or that it is already so profitable that he need take no pains to make it more so. For the benefit of those who entertain nei-

Richmond, March 13, 1841.

C. T. Botts, Esq.

Dear Sir, —Why is it that we see men so eager to embrace new theories on most subjects of doubtful utility, to the entire neglect of those about which there is no possibility of doubt? For instance, let some scheming stranger introduce a subject, which will create the impression that a speculation may be made (and thereby entrap the unwary,) and you will see three-fourths of our population eager to have a hand in it, never supposing for an instant that they may be losers thereby, but calculating how much they will realize; and then propose some plan by which mankind in a moral, intellectual, as well as pecuniary point, may with certainty be improved, and you will perceive those same persons advance with the utmost, caution and distrust.

The above reflection was suggested by my attendance, for the first time, at a meeting of the " Henrico Agricultural and Horticultural Society," held this day in Richmond. It is a matter of astonishment to me why there has never been such a Society in this vicinity, ere this; and now that there is one formed, a nucleus around which to cling, that gentlemen of fortune and leisure should not step willingly forward, with their names and money to its assistance, is a still greater cause of wonder. Do they think such a Society is of no use? The continued success attendant on similar societies of other countries, as well as the more northern portions of our own, will be sufficient to give a negative answer to this. Can they suppose for a moment that we have arrived at perfection in the agricultural world? No, they cannot—then

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why this apathy on a subject which ought, of all others to be the absorbing topic of talk and action ? Can it not be made profitable ? The fact that the farmer supports himself and the rest of creation by the sweat of his brow, proves that it is profitable under the worst management. And what will it not be, if we strive to improve our system, by emulating the agricultural portions of other countries 1 They have found out that the formation of societies have had the most beneficial effect, and our land-tillers will come to the same conclusion, after they find that book-farming is not so terrible a thing as most of them have taken it to be. Agricultural publications are beginning to be duly appreciated. Intimately connected with the reading of them is the formation of societies. By means of both we may enlarge our views, by an interchange of opinions and ideas. We frequently meet with a hard-fisted practical farmer who will readily impart to an inquiring friend any information, verbally, that it may be in his power to give, but who will say that he cannot write for a paper. All we want is for him to give it to the public in the rough state, and they will be perfectly willing to make all due allowances for any little imperfections in orthography or diction. To return to our " Society:"—of its officers it is sufficient to state in this place, that they have been selected generally for their practical utility: they are men who may either " hold or drive" as occasion may offer; who, if their own exertions or unflagging zeal in the cause which they have espoused, can do any thing, will reap the reward at no distant period, which the founders and supporters of such institutions invariably attain. Let me urge it as an imperative duty upon all classes to come forward, if not for themselves, for their country and their posterity. The practical farmer needs no stimulus to press on in the good work. He sees in prospective the ultimate, as well as present good to be derived from it. Come then one and all, lose no time in enrolling your names on the list of members, pay up your dollar, and then to finish the business so well begun, call at No. 3, Governor street, and subscribe to the Southern Planter.

I am your well wisher, R. H., Jr.

It is with pleasure that we comply with a request to give insertion to the following- minutes:

At a meeting of the Henrico Agricultural and Horticultural Society at the Washington Tavern, 13th March, 1841,

Rev. Jesse H. Turner took the chair, and W. H. Richardson was appointed Secretary pro tern.

On recommendation of the Executive Committee, the following gentlemen were elected honorary and corresponding members, viz:

James Barbour, of Orange—Jas. M. Garnett,

of Essex—Edmund Ruffin, of Petersburg— Thomas J. Randolph, of Albemarle—Hill Carter, of Charles City—Charles J. Faulkner, of Berkeley—Dr. Carter Braxton, of King William—General John H. Cocke, of Fluvanna— Archibald M. Harrison, of Fluvanna—Richard Sampson, of Goochland—Randolph Harrison, of Goochland—William J. Barksdale, of Amelia county.

Thomas S. Dicken, and Richard G. Haden, -were elected Vice Presidents.

The following resolution was passed:

Resolved, That it be recommended to the members of this Society, to procure for their own use the Farmers' Register, and the Southern Planter.

And then the meeting adjourned.

J. H. Turner, President.

W. H. Richardson, Secretary pro tern.

(We hope that in this Society we have the nucleus of an institution that will do honor to the State of Virginia. It certainly starts with the fairest prospects. Its officers are well selected, being all plain, sensible men, remarkable for their soundness and discretion, and devoted to the cause of agriculture. The President, by his wise and successful operations upon a very unpromising soil, has demonstrated his capability to afford instruction to others, whilst his integrity and suavity eminently qualify him for the station he fills. Our own opinion is that institutions of this character will seldom be successful, except in a large city, and that opinion has been strengthened by observations made in the north, where they most prevail. Want of funds is the general difficulty. The most attractive, interesting, and strengthening feature in such an institution is its exhibitions. For these money is wanting, and to rely upon individual contributions altogether, is extremely precarious. In the northern cities, where they have charged a small fee for entrance to these exhibitions, the attendance has been overflowing, and in this manner a fund has been created which ensured the continuance of the Society. Funds, we repeat, are the very life spring of such an institution, and any facilities by which they can be secured are to be most highly valued. All this Society needs from the farmers of Virginia is a start. Will they withhold it from an institution that may redound so much to their advantage ? an arrangement whereby they can have an opportunity to exhibit the effect of their own labors and witness those of others 1 wherein, they will be enabled by an annual meeting, and free interchange of opinions, to add to their own knowledge the experience of farmers from all parts of the Commonwealth ? And to effect these mighty ends what is required? That the farmers of the Commonwealth (for to all is the invitation extended) become members

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of this Society by remitting their name and one dollar to this office, where the books are deposited, for the present. On this subject we conclude by referring our readers to the able article from R. H., Jr. in another column.)

For the Southern Planter.

Experience derived from the cultivation of a small farm in the neighborhood of Richmond, has impressed the writer with the following views for the promotion of the interest of the owners of the soil, similarly situated.

If the owners and cultivators of the soil in the vicinity of Richmond, will make up their minds to make the exertions, and give the personal attention requisite, I do not doubt, but that it is certainly within their reach in a reasonable time, to make their lands not only fertile but rich, and during the process, derive compensation for the labor, and also a handsome interest on the capital employed. By cultivating such crops as the consumption of the city encourages, it can be afforded to apply fertilizing manures and substances from the city, which can be procured on terms that will justify the expenditure, and in a few years leave the land rich.

An error prevailing with many, is that they endeavor to make too much surface rich in one year. Select as much as can be cultivated well, and manure generously in the hill or furrow, immediately where the crop is to grow: and after the deposit of manure is thus made in the hill or furrow, sprinkle it over, and whiten it with lime; and with the hoe, or plough, mix the deposit with the earth, and plant the crop. By planting in the same land several years and changing the hill or furrow, the manuring becomes general, and quite as good a yield is had every year as though the manuring was equal all over the surface. By thus adopting the hill or furrow root, or tobacco year.

Crops that will yield the greatest value, on the smallest surface, are best suited to the tedious system of manuring—Irish and sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, cabbage, peas, tomatoes, corn, and hay—I would also enumerate tobacco as liable to but few casualties, not a great exhauster, and as yielding a large value on a small surface. The great variety of fruits suited to our climate, consumed in the city, can be profitably raised in the vicinity—melons and wine no doubt can be profitably made. It is a great desideratum to have as much of your crop as can profitably be, consumed on the plantation. I should consider that butter and cheese would promote that end, and be profitable: that sheep, veal, and hogs for shoats, and early bacon, should be raised. I doubt the propriety of raising cattle at much expense, they being here,

manuring, the whole of the corn and crop, can be manured every

very subject to a fatal disease—also I doubt the propriety of raising horses except on roots and hay.

On our lands I believe the ploughing in green crops cannot be relied upon to obtain desirable fertility; it may, however, be indulged in as a valuable auxiliary.

If no other motives should induce us to throw in our mite, through your well conceived publication, but to aid in bringing about a prudent and prosperous population to leave our children with, I should regard that of itself sufficient. I am disposed to subscribe to an idea expressed by the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, "that no extensive community or society of people can be happy and prosperous unless their business and amusements are at home."

A Subscriber.

ROTARY KNITTING LOOM.

Messrs. Walker & Mclntyre have, for the last two or three days, been exhibiting at our office a knitting machine, that has attracted universal admiration. The} 7 demonstrated its capacity to turn off forty pair of stockings a day by the simple revolution of a crank, within the power of a child twelve years of age. The cost of knitting a pair of stockings is estimated at one cent. It is equally applicable to forming a negro sock or a silk shirt. We are not sufficiently acquainted with knitting looms to institute a comparison between this machine and others of the same kind, but, from the representations of those better informed, believe that the advantages are manifold. The quality of the work is certainly very far superior to that from any other machine we ever saw, and in no respect inferior to the product of the most skilful hand. The instrument is extremely simple, and within the management of any person of ordinary ingenuity. We doubt not that this invention is destined to have a wonderful effect upon the price of all kinds of knit goods. We shall watch its progress with great interest.

We find, as we expected, great difficulty in procuring communications from those best able to afford them, the practical farmers of the country; they seem to have an unconquerable aversion to putting pen to paper, and yet, they constantly urge upon us the necessity of furnishing the results of well tried experiments. Whence are we to obtain them ? Mr. A. tells us that, although he can do nothing to help us, Mr. B. ought to afford us his assistance, and Mr. B., perhaps in a few hours afterwards, calls to express his astonishment that Mr. A. does not exert himself to impart to the world some of his valuable information. Each is impressed with the obligation that lies upon the other to furnish

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his quota to the common stock of knowledge, but neither recognises the rule as applicable to himself.

A very erect, spruce old gentlemen called at our office a few mornings since, as we supposed, for the purpose of subscribing to our paper. Far different, however, was his intent, for walking in a very stalely manner, up to our table, and striking his cane upon the floor, he asked, if it was our intention to dwell upon the paved streets of Richmond, and teach the farmers of Virginia how to cultivate the soil. We replied, that we had formed no such presumptuous expectation, but that we had humbly hoped to afford gentlemen, such as he appeared to be, experienced and learned, an opportunity, through our columns, of conveying the results of their experience to their younger and less observant countrymen—he paused a moment, and observed there might be something in that, and finally had his name enrolled amongst our subscribers, giving us reason to believe that the world should no longer want the light of his knowledge.

Now toe ask our readers do yow expect us to dwell upon the paved streets in the city of Richmond, and from our own resources afford you a constant supply of the facts you so loudly call for ? To do so would certainly be a little unreasonable. Lend us then your assistance— stand not back because of a supposed incapability of writing; we want no fine words; give us those facts that are worthy of observation, and which must more or less come under the cognizance of every man, who pretends to till the earth—give us the naked fact; from our wardrobe we will contrive to furnish it with a dress. Of those who can, and do not, contribute to agricultural papers, there are several classes. First, there are those who are too inert, to do any thing which does not redound to their immediate advantage—there is another, we hope a small class, who are so selfish as to desire to conceal the knowledge they possess; and there is still another, that are willing and able to communicate knowledge, without being aware of it. In the course of time facts have become so familiar to them, that they are supposed to be known to every body else—they forget that a practice universal in one region, may be totally unknown in another. Every man too has some way of doing something, that he thinks better than his neighbor's; let us hear it, and perhaps he will hear of another better than his own.

Every one can afford us some assistance—if he has knowledge he can impart it; if he has none, he can inquire for it, and thereby be the means of extracting it from others.

Upon written communications, however, we have but little reliance—we know the inaptitude of farmers to write, in spite of the most striking appeals to their patriotism. But there is an-

other process, more productive of information.

j We have, in the back room of our orhce, a patent knowledge press; in the shape of a point of interrogation, under which we sometimes put

i a burly farmer, and give him a squeeze. The effect is prodigious; sometimes, at the very first turn of the lever, information flows from him like sugar from the maple tree. Such is the virtue of this machine, that it never fails to elicit something good. The operation is by no means an unpleasant one, and we call it the squeezing

process —farmers generally are respectfully invited to come and try it—if required, the most confidential secrecy is observed with respect to the name of the individual operated upon.

HEMP.

During the last week, Major Yancey called to see us, and happy were we to find the old gentleman looking as hale and hearty as he did ten years ago. Whatever the Major may be in politics, he is certainly a wheel horse in agriculture. We gladly availed ourselves therefore of the opportunity of taking him into our back room, and putting him under the press. The consequence was, as might have been expected, that we obtained information of the most important kind to our agricultural friends. The first subject upon which the Major expatiated was hemp. Every farmer should cultivate at least two or three acres of hemp, for his own use— he will find it simple and convenient in the extreme. The crop is a fertilizer, rather than an exhauster. A piece of rich ground should be well prepared and sowed broadcast. The Major has in the last twenty-five years taken twenty-five successive crops from two acres of land, without adding a particle of manure during the time, and he thinks the ground in better condition now than when he began. He only needs a windlass and the common flax break to convert this hemp into leading lines, bed cords, hame strings, and all the other purposes that rope is needed for. The Major declares that there are no two acres on his farm that he esteems more valuable than these two, which are regularly put in hemp.

From this celebrated farmer we also obtained some valuable hints upon other subjects, such as tobacco, wheat, the use of lime, &c, with which we shall furnish our readers from time to time.

J\Ir. Editor, —All my hopes of a very fine litter of Berkshire pigs have been nipped in the bud in consequence of their being eaten up, hair and hide, tooth and toe-nail, by their unnatural mother; and this too, notwithstanding I have pursued the system of change of food, recommended as a preventive by Dr. Morton.

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Can any of your readers account for this perversion of the laws of nature, which is, I believe, peculiar to the bog, and which becomes an important point because of the value the animal is assuming. If we w r cre possessed of more extensive knowledge of the facts connected with the subject, we might be enabled to draw deductions which would lead to means of guarding against a consequence, which in its nature is very provoking, to say the least of it. The only facts that t myself have noticed as connected with the subject are, that of two sows which pigged about the same time and under similar circumstances, the after-birth was carefully removed from the one, whilst no such precaution was taken with respect to the other. The one from which the after-birth was taken eat her pigs, the other did not. I only state the facts, without saying, or even concluding, that th^re was any other relation than an accidental connexion between them.

Yours,

B. S.

BONE DUST.

In a conversation held a few days since with Mr. Richard G. Haden, he informed us, that, during the last summer he procured a quantity of bone dust from the north, which he drilled in with a part of his turnip seed, by way of experiment—the result satisfied him, that he was more than remunerated by the increase of that crop for all the expense of the dust—he has not yet had an opportunity to form any opinion as to its permanent effect upon the land. Mr. Haden cannot be particular as to the quantity of bone dust that he used, but thinks that it might have been about a gill to the running foot—he sowed it in a continuous stream in the drill, so that an unbroken line of bone dust could be readily perceived from a considerable distance. Mr. Haden.promises to inform us of his observations upon its future effects, but, if he never sees any thing more of the bone dust, he considers himself a gainer by the operation. We asked him to compare the cost of bone dust with that of stable manure—he said it was difficult to do so, because of the variation in the cost of stable manure. When made by the fanner himself it varies with his management and mode of creating it, and when purchased, so much depends upon the distance hauled, that it is impossible to set an average price upon it. He, himself, lives within two miles of the cit}^ of Richmond, where he can buy stable manure for a cent a bushel. Under such circumstances, he thinks that the manure that he can either make or purchase for one dollar, is infinitely more efficacious than the bone dust he can get for the same amount; but then he considers that drilling manure, as he always does, for his turnips, mangel Wurtzel, and other drilled crops, is a very tedious Vol. 1—4

and lengthy business; he often has not time to effect it; then the bone dust, which is more easily disposed of. enables him very much to extend his drilled crops; and this he esteems a wonderful advantage. From Mr. Haden we have obtained a fund of practical knowledge, which we shall bounteously communicate to our readers. We know of no one gentleman upon whose assistance we place more reliance than upon that of Mr. Haden, and if our readers knew him as ^ell as we do, they would be most happy to know that he is earnest and indefatigable in his desire to impart as well as to obtain information.

AMERICAN FARMER,

[What a wonderful change the last twenty years have wrought in the agriculture of the United States. Barbarous and" exhausting systems by which the most fertile plains were reduced to cheerless deserts, hare been abandoned—ignorance has been enlightened—science has been brought to the aid of practice, and agriculture has assumed her station amongst the noblest arts. Principally instrumental in effecting this happy change has been the extension of agricultural papers, which are more numerous at this time in America than in the whole world besides. This single fact speaks volumes for the effect of our free institutions, in dispelling the clouds of darkness that rest upon the human mind. The farmers of America, that class which is so numerous in every Country, and which is so ignorant elsewhere, pay for and receive more information than the balance of the world. The effect must be, that notwithstanding its immature state, this country will soon rank first in the world for her agricultural know T -led^e. Whilst our people exult in this proud reflection, they should never forget who was the pioneer in the attempt, which is to result in these happy consequences. Mr. John S. Skinner, inspired certainly more by a patriotism than any pecuniary gain he could hope from the undertaking, established we believe, in the city of Baltimore, the first agricultural paper ever published in America. The old American Farmer is still edited by Mr. Skinner with unflagging ability. The agricultural community owe him a debt of gratitude they never can repay, and from the fraternity he is entitled to the greatest respect, not only on account of his seniority, but for his uniform courtesy and politeness.

To the people of the south, particularly, the Farmer is recommended, as well by its locality, as its devotion to their peculiar interests.

As a small recompense for the pleasure and information we have derived in by-gone days, when we were one of the farming community, from the early numbers of the American Farmer, we lend our assistance to give circulation to Mr.

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Skinner's liberal proposal. With great pleasure will we receive subscriptions for the paper at our office.]

A PROPOSITION.

The publisher of the American Farmer

proposes that

Any one obtaining 20 subscribers for the American Farmer, and remitting the money therefor, ($50,) for one year, (or become responsible for the same,) shall receive for his trouble a handsome full-bred Berkshire, eight to ten weeks old, or a pair of Tuscaroras, (a cross of the Berkshire on the China,) caged and furnished with food, if necessary, to any part of the United States.

Or, for the same number, and on the same terms,

shall receive any agricultural implement, fruit or ornamental trees, shrubs, seeds, or books, to be found in catalogues, which will be forwarded to subscribers at a distance in a few days, to the value of $12 50.

Jllso, any one obtaining five subscribers, and remitting $10 therefor, shall receive volume 1 or 2 of the new series of the "American Farmer," neatly bound in boards if required, or forwarded in sheets to any part of the United States.

For ten subscribers and $20, volumes 1 and 2 do. do.

For twenty do. and $40, volumes 1 and 2 American Farmer, and 3, 4 and 5 Farmer and Gardener, all bound, if desired.

BACHELDER'S PATENT CORN PLANTER

This implement has given great satisfaction to the members of the Legislature, and others to whom it has been exhibited in our city during the last week. We have not had an opportunity of seeing it in operation, but its construction is so simple that its efficiency cannot be doubted. Our exchange papers from the south, the east, and the west, speak of it in the highest terms. The Editor of the Farmers' Monthly Visiter, a paper of very high repute, published in New Hampshire, declares it to be far the best implement of the kind he has ever seen. It is intended for the sowing or planting of any kind of seeds, but is peculiarly adapted to planting corn. The intervals can be increased or lessened at pleasure, and with a little attention the operation is made certain. The peculiarities of this machine are that it does not open a furrow, consequently does not need coverers, which increase the expense and complicatian of other machines. It also has an excellent apparatus for guaging

the depth of the planting. We are clearty of opinion, to say nothing of increased expedition and saving of labor, that a farmer with a large corn crop to plant, would save more than the price of this machine in one year, from the advantage to be derived from the uniformity both of depth and distance, which the most particular hand cannot equal. Not the least of its recommendations is, that the implement is remarkably well and substantially made. We have ordered a half dozen, several of which are already bespoken. Price $25.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

[Of all the classes in our community the first in numbers and importance is undoubtedly the Agricultural; and yet, we are about io record the first Legislative enactment in Virginia intended for their peculiar benefit. We are no

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groat admirers of Legislative interference generally in any branch of business, and think that, most frequently the favors of the Legislative body are as ill timed and injurious as the carcasses of the ass in the fable, dissatisfying and destroying where they are intended to please and preserve. But with the following we have no fault to find—it proves at least that Virginia is aroused to the importance of her agricultural interest. Indeed, if the selections are well made, and gentlemen can be found, (which we doubt not,) who will discharge a laborious duty faithfully for the honor alone which it will bring to them, and the benefit it will bestow upon their country, then, inestimable are the advantages to be derived from the following:]

BILL TO ESTABLISH A BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

Whereas, it is represented to the General Assembly of Virginia, that the agricultural community have various interests, requiring the fostering care of the State, which should be extended to them according to some system approved by observation and regulated by experience. And whereas, it appears to the General Assembly that these ends would be promoted by the establishment of a Board whose duty it should be to present to the Legislature from time to time a general view of the agricultural statistics of the Commonwealth—to inform the public of the progress of improvement—to communicate such facts, as when collected and digested, may promote the agricultural interests of the State: and to suggest such measures for the adoption of the General Assembly, as the aforesaid Board may deem proper for the development of the resources, and the protection and advancement of that important branch of industry in the Commonwealth ;

Be it therefore enacted, That a Board, to be called a " Board of Agriculture," shall hereafter be constituted, to consist of eight members, to be appointed triennially by the Executive of this Commonwealth ; of whom two shall be selected from each of the four divisions of the State, as specified in the second section of the third article of the Constitution, for the apportionment of representation in the House of Delegates ; any three of whom may constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of said Board to present annually to the Legislature a general view of the condition of agriculture in the State :—to report the nature and quantity of the agricultural staples, so far as they may be able to ascertain the same: to collect and digest such facts in relation to the improvement and cultivation of the soil, and the best modes of preparing its various products for their appropriate uses, as they may think would afford useful information to the agricultural community—to report, so far as they may ascertain

the same, the relative degrees of encouragement afforded by the State of foreign and domestic markets to the various agricultural productions of this Commonwealth, and to suggest to the Legislature such measures as they may deem desirable for the development of the resources, and the promotion of the general interests of agriculture in this Commonwealth.

And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of said Bdard to hold one session in each year, at such time and place as may be fixed upon by the Board, with the consent of the Executive.

This act shall be in force from the passage thereof.

Let it not be forgotten, that this bill, passed on the 20th March, 1841, is the result of persevering- action on the part of the Henrico Agricultural Society.

KICKING COWS.

From the Cultivator we learn that a Mr. Kidder has communicated to the Hancock Agricultural Society a mode which he pronounces an effectual cure for the bad habit which cows sometimes acquire of kicking under the operation of milking. This is neither more nor less than to tie their heads up a few times, until they become perfectly quiet. We can see that this would effectually prevent a cow from kicking up, that is 3 from raising both her hind legs off the ground at the same time, because, for this action the head must be thrown down, but we do not exactly see how it would prevent the cow from kicking out with one leg, which we believe is the most common practice. But Mr. Kidder speaks with great confidence of the success of his remedy in every case, and its simplicity certainly entitles it to a trial.

CLOVER IN CORN.

We notice a piece in the agricultural papers, stating that a Pennsylvania Senator near Philadelphia, who is a good farmer, is in the habit of sowing a full crop of red clover the last time he works his corn. His success is reported universally good, and if this S}'stem were successful in the southwest, we believe it would contribute much to our husbandry. It is said the corn shades and protects the young clover, so that it gets a firm set, and gives a good crop the spring after sowing. Has any one in the west tried it 1 — Agriculturist.

LARGE GARDENS ON SMALL FARMS.

[The most profitable acre on every farm is a well cultivated garden. Not only is the product more abundant, but the nett profit is infinitely greater. Why is this? Because of its superior cultivation; because of the concentration of labor, whereby a small surface is made to yield a product as great as a larger one, and the con-

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sequent saving of the labor, which is lost in the frequent traversing the greater space. The cost of production consists in the expense of manuring, working, reaping, and sowing. Now, suppose a man has thirty acres of land, and a given amount of manure and labor, if you can show him that the manure applied to one acre will yield as much as if scattered over the thirty, will he not save himself the labor of spreading it over the other twenty-nine? It is true that the one acre, to produce the same yield as the thirty, will require a much more minute and tedious cultivation than any one acre of the thirty, but certain it is, that the same amount of yield can be obtained with less labor than will be required to cultivate the whole thirty, and that, for the reason we have before mentioned, viz: the saving caused by the smaller space to be travelled over in the frequent operations of ploughing and hoeing, reaping and sowing. The man who, under such circumstances, does not concentrate all his force and means upon the single acre may be likened to a miner, who would leave a solid seam of gold to hunt over a tract of land for surface ore.

There is undoubtedly a limit to this mode of cultivation ; there is certainly an extent of labor and of manure to be applied to an acre, beyond which it is not profitable to go, but that point we are afraid is and will be for a long time beyond the common standard of our country. Until an acre of ground however is brought to that point, it is the height, of folly in any cultivator of the soil to cultivate more than a single acre. What is that point it will be asked, to which we now allude, and of which we have spoken before 1 The answer will depend upon the crop that circumstances will render profitable. For some crops the point is much higher than for others ; as for roots and vegetables it is much greater than would be necessary for wheat and rye. The question then occurs, to what extent can you use root and vegetable crop 1 The difficulty of keeping the most of them limits the market for them as well as the home consumption, and it unfortunately happens, that those crops, which are not so profitable, because so much of them cannot be raised on the same surface, keep best, and must continue to be the great agricultural staples, until this difficulty is removed from roots and vegetables. But the great error is, that here, to the south, we do not cultivate these profitable crops, so much of which may be raised upon a small surface, even to the extent for which there is a demand for them If we are right in our supposed value of them, the farmer should first secure these crops to the extent to which he can use them, before he turns his attention to another more unprofitable acre. If any is to be neglecied, it should surely be the poorest and least profitable. The various uses tp which these root crops may be applied is not

properly understood among us; if they were 7 the farmer who now has only a single acre in this kind of cultivation, which he denominates his garden, would exiend it to several acres, and attach more importance piobably to his garden than any other portion of his ground ten times as great in surface.

We have been led into this article by the following excellent extract from the Farmers' Cabinet:]

"And now let me say a word in favor of a large garden, even upon a small farm", if the experiment were to be made, it would surprise any one to see how much the consumption of meat in a family could be reduced, to the manifest advantage and comfort of all, by the substitution of large quantities of vegetables of different varieties ; and I would recommend, that at all times a greater quamity of these should be cooked than are expected to be eaten by the family; this, and a great variety, would be an I inducement to their expenditure, if they were well prepared ; and every fragment that remains should be gathered up, and fed to the poultry, with the water also in which they have been boiled with the meat ; all this, if well mashed up and mixed with meal, will afford excellent food for poultry of all kinds, and is by far the best means of affording plenty of eggs the year through, after all that has been said and done upon that subject.

"A calendar of work to be performed every month in the year in such a garden, would take but littte space in ihe pages of the Cabinet; and if a few remarks at the commencement were to be added, pointing out the benefits and advantages to be derived from a more plentiful use of vegetables, and a less consumption of salted meats in this hot and dry climate, the result would, no doubt, be happy, and very much tend to the preservation of the health of the agricultural community in general. K.

" N. B.—It would be an excellent plan for the farmer to devote an hour or so to the garden before breakfast in the morning; then, if all hands turn to heartily, much labor could be performed in a very short time.""

FOOD FOR HORSES.

Can the Editor of the Jeffersonian Republican give us any information as to the practical character of his correspondent "A Mountain Farmer," who recommends the use of d/y chop feed. It is contrary to the universal custom, is certainly objectionable in some respects, yet conies from him who "speaks as one having authority."

SHEEP.

Wc have loner thought that this animal was too much neglected in Virginia and the southern country gene-

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45

rally. We know a very practical farmer, who thil.kfl the sheep, beyond question, the most profitable animal that has yet been domesticated. In pursuance of these views, and to bring- attention to the subject, we copy following from the Farmers' Cabinet:

STALL-FED SHEEP.

JMr. Editor, —I find in the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, a very interesting- account of two experiments on stall feeding sheep. One is at a loss to comprehend why this is not oftener practised in this country than it is, for the advantages would be great, not only in the supply of the market with a superior quality of meat, but to the feeder, who would find a ready sale for his sheep, at a considerable advance in j price: while the convenience of stall-feeding sheep— their quiet, cleanly habits rendering them a peculiarly pleasant household family —must be apparent to every practical man. After this, comes the advantage in point of quality and quantity of wool, the first of which ought to weigh with the wool-buyer in this country, as it does in every other where this system is pursued. The greater variety of articles as food for fatting sheep, which might be grown here, would be of very considerable moment, for to no other stock is a change of diet of so much importance, as is well known to all who have practised the system of slall-feeding, whether for making fat mutton or house lamb.

The first experiment was conducted by Mr. Wilkin, with sheep, a cross between the Cheviot and Leicester or Dishley, of the age of over one year, denominated technically, Hoggs. The best sheep in the lot weighed 157 pounds alive, l indicating about twenty pounds per quarter, dead weight; they had been kept in a shed and open court since the 25th of November—the time of slaughtering being the 16th of April—and the average increase of live weight during that time on each sheep was forty-eight pounds and a half. The daily weight of turnip for each sheep was seventeen pounds, and the cost of grain and oilcake for each was seven shillings and six pence. The increase of value was from twenty-two to twenty-five shillings; and afforded a considerable profit on stall or house-feeding.

The second experiment was made by Mr. McBiyde. During the month of December,

1838, he tied up a number of the pure Leicester breed in stalls, and fed them on turnips, rice, sago, sugar, and linseed oil; and in December,

1839, he tried the same experiment on a lot of common-bred wethers; he gave them daily a quantity of linseed, and as many turnips as they would eat, and the experiment far exceeded his expectations. The quality of the mutton was of the finest description, and the wool, by being sheltered, one day from the cold and drenching rains, and the sun and drying winds the next, was soft and fleecy, far superior to that on the same kind of sheep which had been fed abroad;

and another great advantage which the stall possesses over trie field-feeding is, preservation from the diseases which the damps and vicissitudes of the weather often engender. The whole lot was sold to Mr. Boyle for slaughter, and so high was his opinion of their excellence, that he paid seven shillings per head more for them than for others of the same lot that had been field-fed.

Mr. McBryde remarks, " although the last lot has proved exceedingly prosperous, yet the purebred Leicesters were more so; and although at first confinement to the stall they consumed a greater quantity of turnips, yet in the end there was a great saving, as they did not require near so much as they would have done in the fields. The nutritious quality of the linseed made the mutton of the very richest flavor, peculiarly firm and juicy." He expresses his opinion that many farmers will try the experiment, for during both seasons those tied up in the stalls were exceedingly healthy—far more so than the lot from whence they were taken at random, and required but little attendance. The first which was killed weighed eighty-two pounds of mutton, having eighteen pounds of fat. Joshua Stiles.

Berks County.

As there are many persons that, even in summer, cannot obtain green meat for cows, we copy the following from the Western Farmer, notwithstanding the season, for which it was intended, has passed:

WINTER FOOD FOR COWS.

Mr. Charberf, the director of the Veterinary School of Africa, had a number of cows which yielded twelve gallons of milk every day. In his publications on the subject, he observes that cows fed in the winter upon dry substances give less milk than those which are kept upon a green diet, and also that their milk loses much of its quality. He published the following recipe, by the use of which his cows afforded him an equal quantity and quality of milk during the winter as during the summer:

"Take a bushel of potatoes, break them whilst raw, place them in a barrel standing up, putting in successively a layer of potatoes and a layer of bran, and a small quantity of yeast in the middle of the mass, which is to be left thus to ferment during a whole week, and when the vinous taste has pervaded the whole mixture, it is then given to the cows, who eat it readily."

The sugar-beet answers the same purpose well.

MEASURING CORN.

The following rule for nscertaing the quantity of shelled corn in a house of any dimensions, is by Win. Murray, Esq. of South Carolina, and was read before the St. John's Collection Agricultural Society, and communicated

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by them for publication in the Southern Agriculturist.

Rule. —Having previously levelled the corn in the house, so that it will be of equal depth throughout, ascertaining the length, and breadth, and depth of the bulk; multiply these dimensions together, and their products by four, then cut off one figure from the right of this last '< product. This will give so many bushels and a decimal of a bushel of shelled corn. If it be required to find the quantity of eared com, sub-1 stitute eight for four, and cut off one figure as before.

Example. —In a bulk of corn in the ear, measuring 12 feet long, 11 feet broad, and 6 feet deep, there will be 316 bushels and eight-tenths of a bushel of shelled corn, or 633 bushels and six-tenths of ear corn, as:

12 12

11 11

132 6

792 4

132 6

792

316,8 633,6

The decimal 4 is used when the object is to find the quantity in shelled corn, because that decimal is half of the decimal 8, and it requires two bushels of ear corn to make one of shelled corn. In using these rules a half a bushel may be added for every hundred, that amount of ears results from the substitution of the decimals.

quarters, till j^our pit or cistern is full, and ready to be cleansed out, to give room for another " making/'' When the material is thrown out of the pit, it will be always necesssary and proper to cover it over entirely with weeds or some kind of refuse, as straw, &c. but the more vegetable matter the better. It will be found, if this process be earnestly persevered in, that a greater quantity of this kind of manure to produce fine crops, than is usually made from the farm yard, will not be necessary, and the good effects will remain in the soil, and appear on the future crops. Buts should be made in different parts of the surface of the heap, the liquid being always immediately covered over. Lime in successive layers would greatly add to the richness and value of the above compost, and leaves from the woods might be added to it occasionally with great advantage. Now, learned essayists, classical theorists, and scientific exposers of modern terms may laugh at this simple plan of agricultural enrichment, but here is a matter on which we may exercise nearly all our senses—we can see it, touch it, most certainly smell it, and at any stage of the process we can readily hear it. But before concluding, we must observe, that different manures are adapted to different soils and different plants, and a long continuance of the same manure to the same soil is often injurious. We must here also remark, that we have known many farmers to draw manure, at a dear rate, from towns, w T ho were allowing much liquid manure, for want of a trifling arrangement in the stables, viz: wooden gutters, to " waste its sweetness in the desert air." E. J. H.

From the Western Farmer. HINTS FOR MAKING MANURE.

As it is not in the power of small farmers and gardeners to keep a sufficient number of animals to make a large quantity of manure, (usually prepared in the farm yard,) to form a source of wealth so much neglected in situations really requiring these means, and difficult to obtain them, we will now give some directions for the best substitute for this purpose. First, then, dig a pit in a convenient part of the farm or garden premises down to the clay, if there be any, or a kind of tank or cistern near the house would be still better, and put a layer of finely broken earth on the bottom, on which throw for some little time, say a week, all the suds, dirty water, and ail other liquids from the house and farm that can be collected,—the whole to be properly mixed together with a shovel, the operator standing on the brink of the pit or tank; and afterwards a thin layer of earth, road scrapings or sods to prevent evaporation. In another week, or as often as possible, add another layer of finely broken earth, and other liquids from ail

LUCERNE. It is now time that farmers and gardeners were sowing this valuable grass : some diversity of opinion exists as to the question of drilling or sowing broadcast; in either case, the ground should be nicely prepared and made very rich. It forms an excellent edging for squares in gardens, where it answers the double purpose of ornament and profit by its most productive yield. Its value is beginning to be understood, and its cultivation is too general to make any particular directions necessary. It has been considered very valuable because of its early maturity, and the fact of its affording green food at a time when none other can be had. Against this use of it, however, we are cautioned in the following extract (taken from the Western Farmer,) from a little work published by order of the French government, to be distributed amongst the dairy keepers of Paris and its vicinity:

"Lucerne given green, alone, without discretion, before the flowers open, covered with dew,

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47

or wet with vain, and not yet withered a little by the sun, is apt to give cows the gripes, and blast or blow them, a disorder which sometimes ends fatally. This plant, so far from being cooling, as some have imagined, is really very heating. It not only makes the milk of middling quality, but it is even certain, and fanners who are candid acknowledge it, that this milk taken alone, is of a heating quality. It. has also been observed by farmers, that when pressed by a deficiency of other nutriment, or from economy, they are induced to keep their cows on green lucerne, and especially the second crop, and on no other food, they are subject to eruption, and an oozing of a yellowish or reddish fluid, which generally first appears on the pasterns of the hind legs, and spreads successively to the hocks, the thighs, the udder, and the belly. It does not often attack the fore legs. The skin chops, or is drawn up into folds, and exudes a sharp humor, which gradually dries, and forms yellowish crusts or scabs, which gradually fall off with the hair, and leave the skin naked. The thighs are so inflamed that the animal feels great difficulty in lying down.

" This eruption causes so much weakness sometimes, that the cows cut the inside of the leg with the opposite foot, and make themselves bleed : the appetite and milk diminish, but at the same time they ruminate, and do not appear in other respects ill: it is observed that they always drink more than other cows. It continues about fifteen days, and terminates more quickly when the farmer does not apply butter, fat from the frying-pan. or other greasy matter to it which is a common practice with them. The using these greasy and rancid applications leaves swellings in the legs which are a considerable time in going off. The sooner the cause of eruption, lucerne, is taken away from the cow, the more quickly does the disease cease; but the farmer has not always a sufficient quantity of other food to give them: he must then mix with, the lucerne as much as he can of that fodder, whether green or dry, which he can procure ; which should not be given till the day after it has been cut; during this time it should bespread out, and exposed to the sun. It will be useful also to sprinkle it with water in which some salt has been dissolved, immediately before it is given, and it should be given in smaller quantity than usual. In addition to these measures, they should be allowed white water to drink; that is, water with a little flour mixed up in it; the eruptions should be kept clean with warm water, or with an infusion of elder flowers: this, with walking exercise, pure air, good litter, and a strict attention to cleanliness, will soon subdue the disorder, which, though not of a very dangerous nature, is extremely disgusting, and cannot fail of giving those who see it a distaste for milk."

We ore generally a little shy in repeating- floating' rumors of wonderful improvement*, which frequently

turn out to be wonderful humbugs; but the following is so important in its nature, and comes in such an unquestionable shape, that we are induced to copy it from the Boston Cultivator, a paper of the highest respectability:

A NEW MODE OFJMAKING CLOTH.

A correspondent of the Post writes from London that an American by the name of Wells has invented a new mode of manufacturing woollen cloth which will reduce the expense not less than three fourths. It is made without 'spindle and without loom, and is fully equal to I any spun or woven broadcloth. Our readers , well know that hats have long been made of I wool without a single thread, and that the body | of the manufactured article is more firm and durable than any woven cloth.

If it be a fact that three-fourths of the labor I may be saved by compressing the wool instead i of spinning and weaving it, the advantage to \ this country will be greater than to any other in proportion as labor is higher here than elsewhere. I The writer of the letter says:

About six months ago, I was introduced to an American who visited this country for the purpose of securing a valuable patent for a new method of manufacturing woollen cloth. I examined numerous specimens of the cloth, all of which appears very well, and possessed important improvements over the English broadcloth, and cassimere; but as I know little about the article, I did not make any mention of it at that time, for however sanguine an inventor of any new instrument may be, or however strongly convinced the discoverer of any new theory or system may be, that it is superior to all others, the public do not always find it to prove such. As this woollen cloth is now offered for sale, and as several of the large London houses have purchased hundreds of pieces for the purpose of introducing it, I am justified in calling attention to it. The Colonial Gazette thus noticed the patent several months since: " Mr. Wells has invented a machine, and has discovered a process by which woollen cloth of every sort is produced at less than a fourth of the cost hitherto usual. The material is not woven but compressed. Two urchins, with the machine, can turn out one hundred }'ards of the broadcloth in twelve hours ; and where twenty-four shillings were demanded per yard, six shillings afford the new manufacturers abundant remuneration. We have inspected and handled, as roughly as we liked, specimens of every variety, from the finest scarlet cloth for officers' uniforms, down to blankets and carpets, and we certainly could not, either by sight or touch, distinguish them from corresponding pieces made in the old fashion."

The new cloth is likely to create a great re-I volution among the manufacturers, for already

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they discover that it is something more than a mere bubble of an hour. The Austrian government has purchased the right to manufacture in Austria, and several other rights to manufacture it in England and France have also been purchased. There are four or five large mills now in constant operation in this country, which turn out daily several hundred pieces of the cloth of various qualities. Soon the markets here will be filled with it, and no doubt a large quantity will be sold in the United States, as Mr. Wells, who is a New Yorker, informed me that so soon as he had completed all his arrangements for supplying the European markets, he should establish several large factories in America. Mr. Wells has worn a frock coat made of his new cloth, almost every day during the last six months, and it is an elegant garment even now ; the material being compressed, there is no thread in it, and the nap has the same smooth, glossy appearance as when I first looked at it. The cheapness, durability, and beautiful appearance of this cloth must give it a decided advantage over all other kinds. So far it has met with great favor from the most extensive dealers in cloths in London.

but the best in use; although, I always prefer hanging my gate to the outside, rather than the inside of the post; by this means, the post protects the gate from the consequences of careless driving.

I am much pleased with the practical character of 3'our paper, and hope it will find its way into the hands of every farmer in Virginia.

Yours,

P. H.

SAW DUST.

Mr. C. T. Botts :

Sir, —I liked the " Hanover Gate" of your correspondent in some respects very much ; but, whilst he writes very sensibly on the subject, there is a very important part of every gate that he has entirely omitted, both in his cut and description—I mean the brace. I herewith send you a drawing of a gate that I have been long using, to my entire satisfaction, made also all of cedar, "gotten out with the grain," that I think is superior for common purposes to any other I have ever seen. The frame is made by tenoning four pieces of hewed cedar, if you please, together, and then running cedar poles through thorn in the manner indicated in the drawing—each slat here serves as a brace, and the whole makes a remarkably strong, neat and light gate. A light narrow slat may run across the gate, and serves as a latch. The hinges described by your correspondent I know to be not only the cheapest,

The "Cultivator" says, that where abundance of straw cannot be obtained, saw dust may be used to advantage as a litter for stables, piggeries, &c. where, hy absorbing the liquids of such places, it will make a valuable addition to the dung heap. It is used in this way by the Shakers at Canterbury, N. H. who think it preferable to straw as a litter for stables.

ROHAN POTATOES.

In the last Cultivator there are several attestations as to the value of Rohan potatoes, and Mr. J. A. Thompson the gentleman who first introduced them, expresses the opinion that much of the prejudice that exists against them has arisen from the use of a spurious article, which he avers has been extensively sold and cultivated in some parts of the country, and also from the use of the genuine potato before it was well ripened.

At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Henrico Agricultural and Horticultural Society, on the 27th Hay of March, 1841, the following were determined upon as the subjects for and amounts of the Premiums to be awarded at the first exhibition of the Society, which will be held on Wednesday, the 26th day of May next, instead of the time heretofore reported, viz:

1. For the best Horse or Colt, calculated to

produce the best stock for the draught

or saddle $15

2. For the best Brood Mare do. - - 10

3. For the best Jack - - - 15

4. For the best Bull for domestic purposes 10

5. For the best Milch Cow - - 10

6. For the best yoke of Oxen - - 10

7. For the best Boar of improved breed 15

8. For the best brood Sow, to be exhibited

if practicable with her litter of pigs 10

9. For the best specimen of Fruits, the pro-

duction of the exhibitor—a fruit basket of the value of - - 10

10. For the best specimen of rare and beau-

tiful Plants or Flowers—a silver bouquet holder of the value of 10

11. For the best specimen of Vegetables 15

12. For the best cultivated Market Garden,

not loss than one acre—a set of garden tools of the value of - - 15

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49

$10

LO

10

l;

15

13. For the best specimen of domestic Wine,

the production of the exhibitor

14. For the best specimen of domestic Silk,

not less than one pound, the production of the exhibitor

15. For the best specimen of Butter, not

less than 5 pounds—a silver cream pot of the value of

16. For the best suit cf Clothes of Virginia

manufacture,_ the premium to be given to the producer of the mate* rial of which the clothes are made

17. For the best specimen of Agricultural

Implements, including cutting machines, corn-shellers, &c. -

The Committee have not felt themselves warranted in offering higher premiums at this time, but will increase and enlarge the subjects as the funds of the Society may enable them to do.

They deem it proper to give notice, that at ■the Fall Exhibition the following additional premiums will be given, and that they will be as large as shall be practicable, to wit:

For the best Cultivated Farm.

For the best Field of Corn, not less than five acres.

For the best Crop of Turnips, Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Sweet or Irish Potatoes, not less than half an acre of each.

For the best Piece of Domestic Carpeting, not less than twenty yards.

For the best Hearth Rug.

For the best Table Cloth.

For the best Counterpane, Bed-quilt or Comfort.

And for other articles of household industry.

The members who have not subscribed to the Constitution, and the citizens generally, will be called upon by some member of the Society to enable them to become members.

Jesse H. Turner, Thomas S. Dicken, Richard G. Haden, William H. Richardson, Joseph Rennie, William D. Wren,

Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee desires us to state, that it is expected a Fair will be holden during the exhibition, for the sale of such articles and animals exhibited as the owners may choose to dispose of. Here a fine opportunity will be afforded those desirous of seeing and supplying themselves with the best stock the country will afford.

It is desirable that those persons intending to compete for premiums, should enter their names as soon as possible, which may be done by application to any member of the Committee, or to the Editor of this paper.

Individuals to whom premiums maybe awarded, can receive the same either in money or in the shape of plate as they may prefer. Vol. 1—5

SWEET POTATOES.

Mr. Dicken, (Vice-President of the Henrico Agricultural Society) called at our office to state his entire approval of Mr. Bernard's mode of cultivating sweet potatoes, (see page 18,) with one exception. He prefers cutting off the first fibres that are put forth ty running a plough or cultivator close to the hill, instead of throwing the earth to them, which he does at the second working rather than the first. By this means he lessens the number of fibres, and prevents the accumulation of small potatoes, or strings, as they are technically termed.

Mr. Dicken says he was inclined to think his neighbor, Mr. Bernard, was riding a hobby, in his estimation of the value of sweet potatoes, until he gave them a fair trial; he is now satisfied that, as food for stock, they are invaluable.

GARDENS.

From Cobbett, whose excellent little work on the subject ought to be in the hands of every gardener, we condense the following directions for locating and preparing a garden. The importance of the subject, and the excellence of the matter must form our apology for the length of the article. We have been at some pains to collect and condense his views upon the subject. These directions are intended chiefly for those who have their gardens yet to make, but may be valuable to all:

" The ground should be as nearly on a level as possible; because, if the slope be considerable, the heavy rains do great injury, by washing away the soil. However, it is not always in our power to choose a level spot; but, if there be a slope in the ground, it ought, if possible, to be towards the south. For, though such a direction adds to the heat in summer, this is more than counterbalanced by the earliness which it causes in the spring. By all means avoid an inclination towards the north, or west, and towards any of the points between north and west.

"The garden should be an oblong square with the length from cast to west twice as great as the breadth from north to south. By this form three important advantages are gained. First, we get a long and warm border under the north fence for the rearing of things early in the spring. Second, we get a long and cool border under the south fence for shading, during the great heats, things, to which a burning sun is injurious. Third, by this shape of the area cf the garden a larger portion of the whole is sheltered, during winter and spring, from the bleak winds.

From a kitchen-garden all large trees ought to be kept at a distance of thirty or forty yards ; for the shade of them is injurious, and their

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roots a great deal more injurious, to every plant growing within the influence of those roots.

" Grass, which matts the ground all over with its roots, and does not demand much food from any depth, does not suffer much from the roots of trees ; but, every other plant does. A kitchen garden should, therefore, have no large trees near it. In the spring and fall tall trees do great harm even by their shade, which robs the garden of the early and the parting rays of the sun. It is, therefore, on all accounts, desirable to keep all such trees at a distance.

If it be practicable, without sacrificing too much in other respects, to make a garden near to running water, and especially to water that may be turned into the garden, the advantage ought to be profited of; but as to watering with a watering pot, it is seldom of much use, and it cannot be practised upon a large scale. It is better to trust to judicious tillage and to the dews and rains. The moisture which these do not supply cannot be furnished, to any extent, by the watering pot. A man will raise more moisture, with a hoe or a spade, in a day, than he can pour on the earth out of a watering pot in a month.

The plants, which grow in a garden, prefer, like most other plants, the best soil that is to be found. The best is, loam of several feet deep with a bed of lime-stone, sand-stone, or sand, below.

We ought to reject clay and gravel, not onty as a top soil, but as a bottom soil, however great their distance from the surface.

Oak trees love clay, and the finest and heaviest wheat grows in land with a bottom of clay; but if there be clay within even six feet of the surface, there will be a coldness in the land, which will, in spite of all you can do, keep your spring crops a week or ten days behind those upon land which has not a bottom of clay. Gravel is warm, and, it would be very desirable, if you could exchange it for some other early in June; but, since you cannot do this, }^ou must submit to be burnt up in summer, if you have the benefit of a gravelly bottom in the spring.

Having fixed upon the spot for the garden, the next thing is to prepare the ground. This may be done by ploughing and harrowing, until the ground at top, be perfectly clean ; and then b}' double ploughing: that is to say, by going with a strong plough that turns a large furrow and turns it cleanly, twice in the same place, and thus moving the ground to the depth of fourteen or sixteen inches, for, the advantage of deeply moving the ground is very great indeed. When this has been done in one direction it ought to be done across, and then the ground will have been well and truly moved The ploughing ought to be done with four oxen, and the plough ought to be held by a strong and careful ploughman.

This is as much as I shall, probably, be able to persuade any body to do in the way of preparing the ground. But, this is not all that ought to be done; and ii is proper to give directions for the best way of doing this and every thing else. The best way is, then, to trench the ground; which is performed in this manner. At one end of the piece of ground, intended for the garden, you make, with a spade, a trench, all along, two feet wide and two feet deep. You throw the earth out on the side away from the garden that is to be. You shovel out the bottom clean, and make the sides of the trench as nearly perpendicular as possible. Thus you have a clean open trench, running, all along one end of your garden ground. You then take another piece, all along, two feet wide, and put the earth that this new piece contains into the trench, taking off the top of the new two feet wide, and turning that top down into the bottom of the earth of the new two feet, and placing it on the top of the earth just turned into the bottom of the trench. Thus, when you have again shovelled out the bottom, and put it on the top of the whole that you have put into the trench, you have another clean trench two feet wide and two deep. You thus proceed, till the whole of }'our garden ground be trenched: and then it will have been cleanly turned over to the depth of two feet.

There is no point of greater importance than this. Poor ground deeply moved is preferable, in many cases, to rich ground with shallow tillage; and when the ground has been deeply moved once, it feels the benefit for ever after. A garden is made to last for ages ; what, then, in such a case, is the amount of twenty dollars? It is well known to all who have had experience on the subject, that of two plants of almost any kind that stand for the space of three months in top soil of the same quality, one being on ground deeply.moved, and the other on ground moved no deeper than is usual, the former will exceed the latter one-half in bulk. And, as to trees of all descriptions, from the pear-tree down to the currant-bush, the difference is so great, that there is room for no comparison. It is a notion with some persons, that it is of no use to move the ground deeper than the roots of the plant penetrate. But, in the first place, the roots go much deeper than we generally suppose. When we pull up a cabbage, for instance, we see no roots more than afoot long; but, if i we were carefully to pursue the roots to their utmost point, even as far as our eye would assist us, we should find the roots a great deal longer, I and the extremities of the roots are much too J fine to be seen by the naked eye. Upon pulling

: up a common turnip, who would imagine, that ! the side, or horizontal roots extend to several \feel? Yet I have traced ihem to the length of | four feet; and Mr. Tull proved, that they ex-

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51

tended to six feet, though he could not see them to that extent with his naked eye. But, though the roots should not extend nearly to the bottom of the moved ground, the plants are affected by the unmoved ground being near at hand. If this were not the case, plants with very short roots might be cultivated on a brick pavement with earth laid upon it to the thickness of a foot; and yet, no plant will live and thrive in such a state, while it will do very well in ground along side the pavement, though moved only a foot deep. Plants require a communication with, and an assistance from beneath, as well as from above, in order to give them vigor and fecundity. Plants will live and will grow to a certain extent in earthen pots, or in boxes made of wood ; but there must be holes in the bottom of both, or the plants will die.

It is therefore of the greatest importance, that the ground be moved to a good depth, and he who is about to make a garden should remember, that he is about to do that, the effects of which are to be felt for ages. There is, however, one objection to trenching in certain cases. The soil may not only not be good to the depth of two feet, but it may be bad long before you come to that depth, and, in this case, the trenching, in putting the good soil at bottom might bring a hungry sand, or even a gravel or clay to the top, which must not be done by any means; for, even in the case of trees, they would perish, or become stunted, because their roots would not find their way from the bad soil to the good. In such cases the top soil must, in the trenching, be kept at the top; and, in order to effect this, your mode of proceeding, in the .trenching, must be somewhat different from that described.

Your first trench must be opened in the manner described ; but you must not then proceed to turn the top of the next two feet into the bottom of the trench. Let us suppose, now, that you have your first trench, two feet wide as before directed, open and clean. This being the case, take a foot deep of the next two feet all the way along, and, for this once, throw it over the open trench to add to the earth that you have already thrown out of that trench. Then you will have the bottom foot of earth left. Dig out this and turn it into the bottom of your open trench, and then the first trench will be half filled up, and }?ou will have got your second trench open. Then go to a new two feet wide, that is the third two feet. Take the top foot, deep off from this, and throw it on the top of the earth that }^ou have just turned into the first trench; and then, where the first trench was there will be earth two feet deep ; the bad soil at bottom and the good soil at top. Then you go on regularly.

At the end of your work, you will, of course, have an open trench and a half; and this must

be filled up by carrying the earth, which came out of the first trench, round in a cart or wheelbarrow, and putting it into the space that you will have open at last.

It must be observed, however, that though the soil be good in its nature down to two feet deep, that which comes to the top in the first mode of trenching, will not be immediately, so good for use, as the soil which has been at top for ages. It is, in such a case of great advantage to place the old top soil at the bottom : because when roots find the soil good to such a depth, the plants and trees thrive and bear surprisingly. But, then, the new top soil must be exceedingly well worked and well and judiciously manured, in order to make it equal to the old top soil; which object is, however, very soon accomplished, if the proper means be made use of.

Thus will the ground be prepared; and here I close my directions with regard to the nature and preparation of the soil. But, it seems necessary to add a few words on the subject of manures as adapted to a garden. It is generally thought, and, I believe, truly, that dung, of any sort, is not what ought to be used in the raising of garden vegetables. It is very certain, that they are coarse and gross when produced with the aid of that sort of manure, compared to what they are when raised with the aid of ashes, lime, rags, and composts. And, besides, dung, in hot soils and hot climates, add to the heat; while ashes, lime, rags and composts do not.; but, on the contrary, they attract, and cause the earth to retain moisture.

All the ground in a garden ought always to be good ; and it will be kept in this state if it be well manured once every year. Perhaps it will scarcely ever be convenient to any one to manure the whole garden at one time ; and this is not of so much importance. Clay, or any earth, burnt, is excellent, manure for a garden. It has no seeds of weeds or grass in it. A compost, made of such ashes, some wood-ashes, a small portion of horse-clung, rotten leaves, and mould shovelled up under trees, round buildings, or on the sides of roads. All these together, put into a heap, and turned over several times, make the best manure for a garden.

A great deal more is done by the fermentation of manures than people generally imagine. In the month of June take twenty cart loads of earth, which has been shovelled off the surface of a grassy lane, or by a road side, or round about barns, stables, and the like. Lay these twenty loads about a foot thick on some convenient spot. Go and cut. up twenty good cart loads of weeds of any sort, and lay these well shaken up, on the earth. Then cover the weeds with twenty more cart loads of earth like jl^e former, throwing the earth on lightly. Ip tjvfcd. days you will see the heap smoke as if ajjh fire.

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If you put your hand into the earth, you will find it too hot to be endured. In a few days the heat will decline, and you will perceive the heap sink. Let it remain a week after this, and then turn it very carefully. This will mix the whole well together. You will find the weeds and grass in a putrid state. Another heating will take place, but less furious than the former. Turn it a second time in seven days; and a third time in seven days more. And by this time you will have forty cart loads of manure, equal in strength to twenty of yard dung, and a vast deal better for a garden, or, indeed, for any other land. It is not expensive

to obtain this sort of manure ; and such a heap, or part of such a heap, might at all times be ready for the use of the garden. When such a heap were once formed, some ashes, fish-shells or bones reduced to powder, or other enlivening matter, might be added to it, and mixed well with it; and thus would a store be always at hand for any part of the garden that might want it.

[Although intended for gardeners,farmers may 1 derive many useful points from these observa-| tions ; they could not well be more condensed, I and the subject would not admit of division.]

STRAW CUTTER,

C. T. Botts, Esq, Editor of the Southern Planter :

Dear Sir,—Having used one of your Straw Cutters for more than twelve months, I heartily unite with "Arator" in recommending it to the agricultural community, and should he not furnish you with his real name, you are at liberty to use mine in a request for a description and promulgation of it in the Southern Planter.

You may recollect that, it was with some difficulty that I was induced to even look at your Cutter, being at that time under the impression that the old fashioned one I was using could not be excelled. A single look, however, served to convince me of my mistake and induce me to make the purchase—subsequent experience has only confirmed my opinion of its value, and I am satisfied that it has already saved me more than its cost.

I shall send you an order, in a few days, for one to go to Lynchburg, which I hope will be the means of introducing it in that section of country.

Very respectfully, &c. Henry Ludlam.

[Having received several other requests of a similar character, I have had a very handsome engraving of the Cutter prepared, which is so distinct as almost to explain itself.

The cutting part is made entirely of iron, compact and solid, finished in the heaviest and

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03

most substantial manner; it may be packed in a box twenty inches square and sent over the world, without injury. You may screw it on any kind of box, or on a stump, if desired, being totally unconnected with the wood work. It consists of two perfectly plain, straight knives, which any blacksmith can make, screwed on a twisted head. By the revolution of a crank these knives are made to pass by a stationary cast-steel knife, from heel to toe, so as to cut upon the principle of a pair of shears. The feeding- apparatus is most perfect, consisting simply of one cog-wheel working in another, without the use of a spring, or any thing that can by possibility require adjustment. v

The superiorit} r of this Cutter is supposed to consist in its extreme simplicity. The roughest and most careless hand may use it with impunity. I defy them to injure it except by gapping the knives, the restoration of which is within the power of the meanest capacity, since they are as easily ground as an axe or a chisel. Of the quantity of food that it will cut, and the manner in which it will cut it, 1 sa} T nothing, except, that I keep by the side of it every other description of cutter of any note, that I can find, that the purchaser may judge for himself. Hundreds of testimonials can be adduced of its superiority, if necessary; but one from Mr. Thomas Sampson, of the firm of D. I. Burr & Co., so well known for their mechanical establishment in this city, is the one most relied on. Mr. Sampson is a Scotchman by birth, well acquainted with the agricultural implements both of Great Britain and America, of whose mechanical skill it is useless to speak. He pronounces the Cutter the best he ever saw.

The iron part alone without the wooden box is packed and sold for $30—complete $35.

P. S. A box, not exhibited in the engraving, is used to cover the knives and cutting part, which affords a complete protection against accidents, and also keeps the straw from flying.

The reader is respectfully referred to a voluntary communication on this subject, in the Whig of March 22d, from Mr. Garland Hanes, who unites in his own person the characters of mechanic and farmer, and who has been long celebrated as a maker of agricultural implements.]

TO THE READER.

Our subscription list is increasing so rapidly, and we have received from every part of the State so many flattering letters of encouragement and promises of support, that we have not hesitated at once, to give to our paper the form and shape that we consider worthy of the extensive patronage we believe it is destined to enjoy. In point of style and execution we think we may now say it has not its superior in any agricultural paper in the Union. The size is increased one half, which, in our opinion, makes it almost too large ; certainly, no further extension can be desirable.

If we make such exertions to furnish a paper worthy of our good old State, will not our friends do something to assist us in the expense we incur? We know they will; we have already had the most substantial proofs of the fact. Of our personal friends we ask assistance for our own sake—of the farmers we ask assistance for the sake of the agricultural interest, and of the community generally we ask assistance for the sake of a dissemination of knowledge in their na-

tive State, which can only be effected in a cheap form, by bringing information within reach of the humblest means. When we ask an individual to assist us, we do not mean to ask him for his subscription: we mean to request him in the name of human improvement, to lend his assistance to our partly disinterested and wholly laudable enterprise. Every exertion upon the part of its friends, continued and repeated, is necessary to sustain a paper so handsomely gotten up, at so small a price. Let us get fairly under way, and we will trouble them no farther. If our own exertions then will not sustain us, we are content to sink. But, in the mean time, we earnestly request our well wishers to extend the knowledge of our establishment as far as their convenience will permit; hundreds of their neighbors, by a little exertion, may be induced to cooperate in a design, which must eventuate to the benefit of all; for without arrogance we think we may venture to say, that every subscriber must get more than his dollars worth in j the course of a year. It would be hard indeed, I if, engaged as we constantly are, in reading, ! sifting and reporting, the product of our years : labor should not be worth more than one hundred j times the price that is paid for it. Let it be re-\ membered that every individual reaps the same j benefit from our exertions as if we were laboring ; for him alone. Can it be then, that any one can i go wrong in subscribing to.our paper? Surely |not; the investment is a good one, the only doubt can be between this and other periodicals. I Here we have but little to say. Our exterior

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knows no superior: and in point of ability we will not fear a comparison with the ablest periodicals in America, if we effect our object; that object is, to secure the assistance of the farmers of Virginia; for whilst the conductor of this paper places but little reliance on his own talent or experience, he believes that the farmers of Virginia possess more agricultural skill and information than belongs to any other State in this Union. This assistance may be elicited by zeal and industry, and in those qualities the Editor will yield the palm to no cotemporary.

nish any kind of seeds gratis, we shall always expect the individual receiving them, if the product is valuable, to return us at least double the number the succeeding year for public use.

POSTAGE.

We inadvertently in our last number gave our assent to the transmission of subscriptions at our expense. We find we were rather green in doing so. Postmasters, to w T hom as a class we beg to return our thanks for the courtesy we have received at their hands, will always frank such communications, so as to save the expense of postage to both parties. Our eyes were opened to the necessity of making this requisition by the following circumstances. A gentleman wrote to us requesting us to send our first number for j examination; we paid 12^ cents for the request \ and complied with it. He then said he should like to see the second number, this also was sent, and another 12^ cents paid. This morning we received his enclosure of one dollar, for which we had to pajr twenty-five cents, leaving us the nett sum of fifty cents for the year's subscription, a good deal less than the paper cosls us.

To guard ourselves therefore against absolute loss, we are compelled to require that henceforth all letters, addressed to the Southern Planter, shall come to us free of postage.

It may appear from our dates as though w r e had treated the month of March with utter contempt.

The truth is we got all wrong in consequence of an error in the first number, which was dated January instead of February. In this number, however, we have gotten right, and we hope henceforth to go on smoothly, issuing the paper regularly the middle of every month. Our design though, is still to furnish twelve numbers during the year 1841, so that the second volume may begin with January, 1842.

Farmers on a visit to our city, without regard to any thing but the fact that they are farmers, are invited to call at our office, where they may spend an hour to relieve the tedium that sometimes besets a traveller in a strange place. We keep files of our exchange papers, which shall always be at their disposal.

Having enlarged our paper, we have concluded to extend somewhat our miscellaneous head, which we find a favorite one with the public.

MISCELLANY.

NEW SEEDS.

Through the politeness of the Representative from this District, we have obtained from the Patent Office a variety of seeds for distribution. These seeds have been sent home by the foreign consuls and patriotic travellers, and may be presumed to have been much esteemed in their respective countries—they are made up into small packages, some containing not more than half a dozen seeds. They will be distributed to any | part of the State of Virginia, without regard to ] location, if early application be made at our office. The recipient, will be expected to carefully cultivate and report to the Editor the character of the product.

If any gentleman is in possession of any rare and valuable seed which he is desirous of disseminating, either for love or money, we will be pleased to take charge of it on his own terms. We have already been promised a few seeds of a valuable winter melon, which we shall distribute amongst our friends. Whenever we fur-

How often do we see politicians of the present day advocating- general principles that excite our warmest admiration, yet permitting- their passions or prejudices to prevent their application to particular cases. Illustrative of this point is the following anecdote of

BISHOP PORTEUS. In one of the debates in the House of Peers in 1794, a noble lord quoted the following lines from Bishop Porteus' poem on law :

"One murder makes a villain;

Millions, a hero! Princes are privileged

To kill, and numbers sanctify the crime.

Ah! why will kings forget that they are men ;

And men, that they are brethren? Why delight

In human sacrifice'? Why burst the ties

Of nature, that should knit their souls together

In one soft bond of amity and love?

They yet still breathe destruction, still go on,

Inhumanly ingenious to find out

New pains for life; new terrors for the grave.

Artificers of Death! Still monarchs dream

Of universal empire growing up

From universal ruin. Blast the design,

Great God of hosts! Nor let thy creatures fall

Unpitied victims at ambition's shrine."

The Bishop, who was present, and who very warmly advocated that particular war, was asked by a noble Earl on the opposite side, if he were really the author of the excellent lines here quoted? He replied, "yes my lord ; but they were not composed for the present war."

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55

SQUINTING.

Dr. Bolton, of this city, has recently performed, probably for the first time in this State, the highly ingenious and novel operation for squinting. It has been so completely successful, that it is now, (three weeks since,) impossible to distinguish which eye was formerly subject to this unsightly deformity; in addition to which the sight of the eye is much improved. The operation is entirely free from danger, and almost from pain ; it occupies but two or three minutes, is adapted to any age, and is almost certainly successful. Who will fail to avail themselves of this opportunity, happily afforded, to obtain relief from that sinister expression always imparted by an obliquity of vision'?

HANGING.

Richard Penn, Governor of Pennsylvania, at the time of the revolution, was in company with several members of Congress, one of whom remarked, that such was the crisis, u they must all hang together." " If you do not gentlemen," said Mr. Penn, " I can tell you, that you will be very apt to hang separately."

The American Farmer well remarks that the following anecdotes of ex-President Adams are worthy of being recorded :

"A worthy and respectable gentleman, somewhat impatient for office, applied to Mr. Adams to turn out a certain postmaster, and in the way of inducement, placed in his hands certain essays which that officer had written in opposition to Mr. Adams' election. Mr. A sent for the Postmaster General, and telling him he was urged

to remove Mr. , inquired if he, having

that Department, in his charge, was satisfied with the manner in which the office was conducted. ' Perfectly well,' answered the Postmaster General. ' Then,' said Mr. A. ' tell him he has nothing to fear—he may write against me as much as he pleases.'

" On another occasion, he was waited on by a committee of his friends, most respectable gentlemen, with a request that he would remove a certain officer. ' O yes,' said he, ' certainly—it shall be done.' The applicants, delighted with the success of their mission, were about to depart, and indulge in mutual felicitations ; when the President said dryly, ' But, stop gentlemen— what has this officer done? of what mal-feasance has he been guilty V ' Oh, nothing, sir, in his

character; but he is opposed to

official

I Oh !' said Mr. A.

opposed to me, am

you

is that all ? Well, if he is I not opposed to him 9 If t be let alone!' "

that be all, he mu

Upon a similar occasion, when application was made to the venerated Washington to eject

an individual from office, whose crime was that he was opposed to him, he is said to have confounded the applicant by asking, if he could show that the obnoxious individual was opposed to the country.

JURIES.

In this country, thanks to the free character of our noble institutions, it is not often necessary to vindicate the independence of jurors. But even here, judges have sometimes forgotten the dignity and courtesy due to this humble, but favorite tribunal. Such an one was eloquently reproved in the following address, reported verbatim by the late Rev. Edmund Butcher. The whole circumstance proves that true eloquence is the child of nature.

A judge on the Northwest Circuit in Ireland tried an action for assault, brought by a neighboring land owner against a poor tenant who had resorted to this method of redressing wrongs of the most grievous character. The jury found him not guilty.

"The judge was enraged, and told the jury they must go back and reconsider the matter: adding, he was astonished at their giving such an infamous verdict. The jury bowed, went back, in a quarter of an hour returned, when the foreman, a venerable old man, thus addressed the bench : ' My lord, in compliance with your desire, we went back to our room; but as we there found no reason to alter our opinions or our verdict, we return it to you, in the same words as before— not guilty. We heard your lordship's reproof; but we do not accept it. as properly applying to us. Individually and in our private capacities, it is true, we are insignificant men ; we claim nothing out of this box, above the common regard due to our humble, yet honest stations; but, my lord, assembled here as a jury, we cannot be insensible of the great importance of the office we now sustain. We feel glad that we are appointed, as you are, by the law and the constitution, not only to act j

impartially between the king and his subjects, j

the offended and the offender, but to form the barrier of the people, against the possible influence, prejudice, or corruption of the bench; to which we do not wish to offer the smallest degree of disrespect, much less of insult; we pay it the respect which one tribunal should pay to another, for the common honor of both. This jury did not accuse the bench of partiality or oppression—no, w r e looked upon it as the sanctuary of truth and justice; still, my lord, we cannot erase from our minds the records of our school books. By them we were taught that kings and judges are but fallible mortals; and