Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://archive.org/details/southernplanter211sout THE SOUTHERN PLANTER; Bcbotcto to &srfculturc, JQovtfculture, several gentlemen to whom I have sent pigs of u P on whose judgment and candor we would his get, speaking in the highest terms of them. \ sooner rely for a sound and fair opinion upon ft was my intention to have exhibited him again such a subject. 24S THE SOUTHERN PLANTER CABBAGES. A writer in the "Agriculturist" states, that he succeeded in destroying worms and bugs infest- ing his cabbages by sprinkling them, with strong soap suds, when lime, soot and ashes had failed. CAST-IRON BUILDINGS. It is gratifying to learn that cast-iron is ra- pidly coming into use, as the principal building material for houses. In England, many dwell- ing houses are being constructed of this mate- rial, in a manner that will give them many ad- vantages, beside being much cheaper than those built of stone. The walls are to be made of hollow sections, which will render them easily kept warm; or, if occasion requires, they may be easily taken down, and removed. The cost of a three story house, containing twelve rooms, is estimated at only $5,000. We should be pleased to see this mode of building introduced in this country, and will readily furnish plans, drawings and section-models, to any iron founder, who will introduce it. What will the enterpris- ing Bostonians, say to the proposition? — Am. Mechanic. PRESERVING ROOT CROPS. Our northern friends certainly excel us in sav- ing and preserving potatoes, turnips, carrots, &c. Something may perhaps be credited to their climate, but much more, we apprehend, is to be attributed to their superior habits of care and attention. The following excellent article is taken from Mr. Kendrick's new "American Or- chardist," which is esteemed very high authority wherever it is known. We would call particular attention to his re- marks on cooking food for horses and cattle, for if he is correct, and he is supported in the opi- nion by man}' judicious farmers, it serves to prove how cautious we should be in encountering ex- pense upon statements made in agricultural pa- pers. The value of cooking has been testified to, whilst it was new, over and over again, and thousands have been expended in steaming and cooking apparatus. We would not be at all surprised if it turned out to be one of the hum- bugs of the day. " Irish potatoes, if it is desirable to have them in all their excellence, should never have the sun shine on them after they are dug, and should be exposed to the air and light as little as may be. Potatoes pitted or buried in holes in the field, retain their freshness and good qua- lities much later than those put in open bins in the cellar ; and the farmer will always do well to have a few pitted for spring use. The ne- cessity for this may in a great measure be ob-, viated. by lining the bottom and side of a bin with turf, and when it is filled, covering it in the same manner. Potatoes will keep perfectly sound and good for years, if placed so low in \ the earth as to have a temperature too low for vegetation. Experiments made in a compact soil on the north side of buildings or walls show that four or five feet will usually be sufficient ; i in a lighter or more porous soil a greater depth is requisite. No water in any case should stand on potatoes, as it will soon destroy them. If potatoes are dug and pitted early, there should I] be an opening made at the apex of the heap, and filled with a wisp of straw, to keep out the rain, but at the same time to allow the heated air to pass off. " Turnips, ruta baga, &c. are among the easi- est of roots to preserve. They should be left in the ground as long as consistent with safety from frost, then drawn and put in cellars of mo- derate or rather low temperature, or pitted in the field at once. The turnip will sustain a much greater degree of cold than the potato, without injury ; but heat has a worse effect upon it, and in saving this root, heating is what is mainly guarded against. A hole made in the top of the pits with an iron bar, to be covered with a flat stone when the cold grows severe, will per- mit the heated air to pass off and prevent dan- ger from this source. In the experience of a number of years we have scarcely had a turnip lost by frost or by heating, either when pitted or in the cellar ; a proof to us of the ease with which this root can be secured. " Carrots and beets, like the potato, require more care than the turnip, to prevent the effect of frost upon them. The best way we have yet tried upon them, is to pack them in bins or barrels, ancf strew fine earth among and over them, to exclude the air, and preserve a uniform temperature. " If your pigs have had the run of your or- chards in September, they will be found doing well in October, and afford proof that apples are worth something to the farmer when not made into cider. The cheapest mode we have yet tried in fattening hogs is with apples and pota- toes steamed, always finishing with good ground food, such as corn, peas or barley. All food given to the hogs should be cooked ; fruit and roots by steaming; grain or meal by boiling. If the latter is not convenient, the grain or meal should always be well soaked or mixed a little, it will be none the worse for it. Farmers who feed dry corn and peas to their pigs, pursue a very wasteful course, as they may easily ascer- tain by experiment. Where corn is fed, there is a great saving in having it ground in the cob, and particularly when fed to cattle or horses. From what we have seen, we think there is less THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 249 advantage in cooking food for horses and cattle than for hogs, and that with such it rarely re- pays the expense. Grinding, however, where economy is consulted, will always be practised." ROOFING. A writer in the October number of the "Agri- culturist" who claims to be a carpenter, and as such to have had much experience in building, asserts, that shingling upon laths will last 33 per cent, longer than on sheeting. He, more- over, urges the superior lightness of the roof and the consequent decrease of pressure on the walls, as a great advantage. The superior eco- nomy and lightness are evident, and we think it is hardly less certain, that the more the under side of the shingle is exposed to the air the longer it will last. FRICTION PASTE FOR WHEELS. The best composition that can be prepared, to relieve carriage wheels, and machinery from friction, is composed of hogs' lard, wheat-flour, and black lead (plumbago.) The lard is to be melted over a gentle fire, and the other ingre- dients — equal in weight — may be added, till the composition is brought to the consistency of common paste, without raising the heat near the boiling point. One trial of this paste, will sa- tisfy any one, of its superior utility. — Am. Mech, If the black lead is considered too expensive far common wagon use, great economy will be found in making a paste of common grease by the admixture of flour, which prevents its melt- ing and running away as soon as applied. BRIERS, To the Editors of the Southern Planter: Gentlemen, — I have seen some notices in your paper recently concerning the destruction of briers, and with your permission, I will give you an account of a discovery which I accidentally made. Intending to give to ten acres of land an ex- tra preparation for corn, I had it ploughed last fall, and this spring it was ploughed again, fol- lowed by a subsoil coulter in each furrow after the plough. This piece of ground was very much infested with briers. The subsoil coulter being put deep into the earth passed under the roots of the briers and brought out the entire bunches of roots to the surface, leaving scarcely a vestige behind. I would remark, the coulter was square on the front and nearly an inch thick ; consequently the roots were not cut but Vol. 2—32 actually pulled out of the ground. So large was the quantity of roots thus pulled up, before planting the corn they had to be thrown into large piles and burned. The first working the corn had after planting was with cultivators, which completed the de- struction of the briers, pulling out the broken roots left by the coulter. I examined the piece of ground a few days ago and could scarcely find a brier at all. Any of your numerous readers having land infested with briers, need only give this plan a fair trial, and I. am convinced it will be attended with the same gratifying result. I remain yours, truly, Geo. Woodfin, Richmond, \Ath Sept. 1842. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION. It is said, that linseed oil, coming in con- tact with cotton or sponge, will frequently in a few hours produce spontaneous combustion. — Dead men tell no tales, and burnt houses, if they could speak, could, we doubt not, tell many a tale of lire arising from spontaneous combustion. For the Southern Planter. HAY— NEGLECTED IN LOWER VIRGINIA. In the course of my travels in lower Virginia, I have very frequently expressed my surprise that the farmers in this part of the State h ve not turned their attention to making hay. The article is but rarely seen in many of the counties below Richmond, at least as far as I am ac- quainted, except what is shipped from the North. A few farmers, here and there, raise clover for the purpose, and some others, who reside near the water courses, mow the natural growth of the marshes, which is, however, a coarse article, and is not very well relished, it is said, by horses and mules. But, notwithstanding the making hay of clover and marsh grass, it may very em- phatically and correctly be said, that lower Vir- ginia is not a hay country. The question now arises — Is there a want of adaptation in the soil or climate of this part of the State, to the culti- vation of grasses for ha}'? Or docs the almost entire non-existence of these desirable and profita- ble productions in Eastern Virginia, originate in some other thing, as want of knowledge in these matters, or want of enterprise 1o put into practice whatever amount of knowledge may be had upon such subjects? I cannot say that I speak from my own observation or certain knowledge of what I have seen in the way of hay growing and making in this part of the country, when I express almost unlimited confidence in the adap- tation of many of the lands down here, to the cultivation and growth of grasses ; for so little 250 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER at'itation is paid to such things here, that no one caU exactly know what the lands would do, if a fair trial were given them. But from the na- ture of the soil in many places, compared with that in other parts of our State, where I have seen the most luxuriant meadows, and from the quality and quantity of the native grasses which it yields spontaneously, I am led unhesitatingly to conclude, that a large portion of the lands in Eastern Virginia would produce excellent hay, and that if they were cultivated in this, they would be far more profitable to the owners, than in any other way. A large portion of the lands to which I allude, are not cultivated in any way whatever. Hundreds and thousands of acres of low, swampy lands, at present uncultivated, might, without much expense, be made to yield luxuriant grasses of different kinds. As the native grasses are so exceedingly fine, it is fair to infer, that other kinds, as timothy, herds and orchard grasses, would do well in many of the same lands, if they were suitably prepared for them. A good meadow, when once in order, will generally yield more to the farmer, than the same piece of land would, if cultivated in al- most any other way, and that perhaps with less labor. A meadow, once made, does not require the plough and harrow like the corn and wheat crops, but will remain for years. The labor of mowing, curing, and putting by the hay, is to- lerably heavy and warm work while it lasts, but it does not last long. The average yield of hay to the acre, on lands suited to it, is about four thousand pounds, or two tons. Now this amount at fifty cents a hundred would be twentj' dollars — and hay is often worth much more. Twenty dollars an acre from lands that are now suffered to be al- most if not quite profitless, would be great gain indeed : for it is upon many of those lands that are not cultivated at all, that grasses might be raised with the greatest success. These general and unconnected remarks are made with the hope that they may lead to the discussion of the subject, and eventually to the successful and highly advantageous cultivation of hay. * * * Isle of Wight, August, 1842. LIME. We see it recommended upon the authority of Mr. Raymond Baker, in England, to apply lime to land and turn it under in its quick state ; to do which it must be carried out immediately after burning. From the heat evolved, he says, during the slacking of the lime under ground, and its causticity, which diffuses itself by the agency of the moisture it meets with through the soil, it will be found to destroy, or at any rate to be extremely obnoxious, to wireworms, slugs, grubs and other enemies, which the far- mer has to contend with and which are very frequently the cause of failure in his crops, as well as to render most vegetable matter in the soil soluble and food for future crops. This, we believe, is endorsed by the Royal Agricultural Society, and we may be considered sceptical for doubting the advantages of it ; but in the first place, this mode of application is attended with very great difficulty and inconvenience, for such is the attraction of lime for moisture and carbonic acid, that the slightest exposure to the atmos- phere converts it into the carbonate. Again, lime comes from the kiln in lumps, and conse- quently cannot be as readily spread and distri- buted as when it has been reduced to powder by slacking ; but suppose your lumps with great care and expedition to be preserved in the quick state, and spread equally under the surface, the moisture of the earth, probably in fifteen minutes, converts it into a mass of slacked lime and may possibly in the operation scorch a few bugs that have not sense enough to withdraw from the heat. But we think, with all due deference to the Royal Society and Mr. Baker, that it would be about as cheap to catch them, and tickle them to death. In sober earnestness, we are afraid that any advantages of this mode are more than counterbalanced by the extra difficulties of haul- ing and spreading that it includes. For the Southern Planter. SWAMP MUD. Messrs. Editors, — Mr. R. G. Morris, of Buck- ingham, in your August number, speaks very favorablj' of river mud as a manure. I have no right to question the statement of Mr. Mor- ris ; but similar experiments have been made under my observation with siuamp mud, and I regret to say that the effect cannot be seen. I once saw on a lowground lot a thick top dress- ing of deposite from the bottom of a mill pond either at the time it was done or vears after- wards. And I have frequently removed small portions of mud from swamps and ditch banks after it had been well pulverized with the frosts of winter and spread it broadcast or put it in the hill, and have not been able to perceive the advantage. I have observed that ditch banks whlie elevated on the margin of the ditch in- variably produce well, even when much clay had been thrown out in the mass, and yet when the richest of these banks have been removed , THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 251 and spread in other places or put abundantly in the hill, they will not produce. I am surprised at this and am anxious to know the cause, as I have several bogs that I wish to use in this way. Perhaps you or some of your correspondents can explain the mystery. Some act upon this selfish plan, Say nothing, but hear all they can; Therefore I will add, by way of atonement for the trouble I give you, an infallible rule or re- cipe for keeping sweet potatoes. Had I known it, and my father before me, we might have saved many a fine crop and been spared much trouble and disappointment. Have a dry cellar under your house, put down plank for the bottom, put in 3'our potatoes fresh from the field, and line them well at the sides with dry oak leaves from the forest, and when your heap is made, cover them with the same. Respectfully yours, &c. A Subscriber. We wish much that the writer of the above had thought fit to append his real name to his communication instead of leaving it as he has done for private inquirers. He says he does not wish his name published because it is not of sufficient importance to give weight to any doc- trine or theory ; but he is stating important facts 3 which are of course invalidated by coming from an anonymous source, especially when they are contradicted by statements over real names. So much injury has been done by anonymous mis- statements, that we have determined to publish no important facts for which we have not the authority of a name. These remarks do not apply to this communication because we have the author's name ; we only regret that false delicacy prevented his giving it to the public. For the Southern Planter. HILL-SIDE DITCHES. Messrs. Editors, — Believing as 1 do most sin- cerely that horizontal or hill-side ditches are a most efficient auxiliary in the cause of agricul- tural improvement, I have been somewhat sur- prised that nothing has appeared in the Planter upon that subject. I am aware that prejudices exist on this as on many other subjects ; but candidly believe them founded in error. To me these ditches have been invaluable in preventing the formation of gullies and in filling up those that were already formed. Nor have I found them expensive to cut or troublesome to keep in order. During the past summer we have had some very hard rains, and yet not one of my ditches has broken, nor is my land injured by washing. The following hints are designed for those of your readers who know nothing about them — those who are familiar with them, will, I trust, be induced to correct m} r errors and give us something better on the subject. The Level represented in the ninth number of the last volume of the Planter, is a good one, except that it would be more handy to have it ten feet with a fall of two inches. To which, and the instructions there given by "A Drainer" I would respectfully refer your readers. Having supplied yourself with a proper level, repair to your field at some leisure time, accompanied by a servant, hoe in hand. Carefully survey the field — observe the bottoms most liable to wash ; at the head of these, just where the hill begins to decline, some few feet above where it shows a disposition to wash, plant your level. Whilst you are raising or lowering the shortest leg to the line to fall in the mark the servant will make a chop or two just behind the longest leg. This done, move the long foot to where the short one stood before, and whilst adjusting the line, the servant will continue his chops as before. — Thus proceed till you reach some branch or bot- tom into which you wish your ditch to empty. Your ditch being marked off to suit you, (if not, try again,) your plough will commence where you did, following the chops made by the ser- vant. Widen and deepen sufficiently with this, then with your hoes, beginning at the lower end, draw out the loose dirt and form a good bank. Some fifty or seventy-five yards lower down the hill, construct another, and then more if needed. To keep these ditches in order it will be ne- cessary for the master to walk through them occasionally and throw out whatever may have fallen in calculated to choke them ; and if he takes his hoe with him sometimes it will per- haps be the better for hirn and them too. One objection to these ditches is that they somewhat obstruct the passage of cartsand wagons through the field. This difficulty may be obviated by exercising a little judgment in their location. — It is not often necessary that a ditch should run entirely across the field. One may commence at a certain point near the middle of the field, and run in a certain direction — the other may commence a few feet from the first, either above or below it and run in an opposite direction, thus forming a gap through which wagons may pass. I am aware that a correspondent of the " Far- mers' Cabinet" has characterised the article of "A Drainer" as about as strange a jumble of ideas as could well be "squeezed into so small a space." Perhaps this effort of mine may be quartered in some corner of the same u nutshell" if it happen to be seen by that writer. Not- w.thstanding a dread of such a squeezing, I am yet prepared to assert that a less fall than two inches in ten feet will not carry off the water in 252 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. high land ditches, though it might answer in underdrains. To cut a ditch it is necessary to begin at the lowest point — to lay it off it is of- ten necessary to begin at the highest. For in- stance, 'we sometimes find a wet spot on the side of a hill. To lay this off we commence with the level near the upper part of it, and proceed down the hill — to ditch it we begin at its mouth and proceed towards its source. With "A Drainer" I have no acquaintance, except that formed through the medium of the " Planter." Though he thought proper to with- hold his name, I wish he had given us his locality. Your friend, P. B. White. Nottoway, October, 1S42. SMALL FARMS. The cultivation of too much land is the be- setting sin of Virginia and the South. By this, we do not mean that any system is desirable by which the cultivation of the country is broken up and divided amongst small proprietors ; for in agriculture, as in every other art, there are many advantages in a concentration of capital and an extended scale of operations. Expen- sive labor-saving machines may be procured by the large farmer that cannot be afforded by the small proprietor, and a thousand other facilities, lessening the cost of production, are within the means of the one that are too costly and expen- sive for the other. But extensive operations can be carried on on much less land than is commonly used for the purpose, and we believe that fifty hands may be more profitably employed on five hundred, than on a thousand, acres. To keep every thing neat and clean on five hundred acres and to carry the cultivation of every acre to the highest point that profit will justify, will occupy a force that is generally given to a much larger space. Since the eyes of our people have been opened to the defects of our agriculture, a very general desire for improvement has arisen — but the means are wanting. We are told daily and hourly, I should like to improve my farm — I am satisfied it is folly to cultivate poor land, but I have not the means. And this is said too by men, who own eight or ten hundred acres of land, that will sell for five or six dollars an acre. Suppose they were to sell four hundred acres for two thousand dollars, and use it in obtaining proper tools and fixtures for the other four hundred, would not the product of the half be quadruple that of the whole? Oh yes, but then they would not be such extensive landed proprietors. Ah ! this it is that lies at the root of the evil, the overweening pride of being considered ex- tensive landed proprietors. They may be as barren as the desert of Arabia, but it sounds so well to be known as the proprietor of a thou- sand acres, and it looks so " pitiful" to own only two or three hundred. Until this false pride is $3 eradicated we can never have good farming, and with Mr. Durand, in the last number of the " Cabinet," we esteem amongst the greatest blessings of this life "A little farm well tilled, A little house well filled, And a little wife well willed." For the Southern Planter. CURE FOR DISTEMPER OR MURRAIN IN CATTLE. Take a handful of peach leaves, same quan- tity of the bark of dogwood root, same quantity of sheep-mint, roots and tops, and as much of the roots and tops of the golden rod as can be grasped in the hand, put the whole into five or six gallons of water, and boil down to about a gallon and a half, so as to make a strong decoc- tion. Give one quart of the decoction every two hours, with a heaping tea spoonful of salt- petre in each quart, until the animal begins to get better ; after which, the doses must be given less frequently and diluted with water. The next day, some of the decoction, diluted with two or three times its quantity of water, may be placed within reach of the animal, which is to be kept from water, entirely, for two or three days. The above remedy was sent me by the Hon. J. W. Jones. I applied it forthwith to a large ox then lying, never to rise, as I thought. On the third day, in the morning, the animal was upon his feet, the fifth day he was chewing his cud, and is now ready for the cart-. Samuel Hobson. Cumberland County, October 11, 1842. For the Southern Planter. jr- Fluvanna, Sept. 19, 1842. Messrs. Editors, — I have been a constant reader of the Southern Planter, and think it worthy of the patronage of every farmer and planter in the country, and although I am no professed writer, yet I have thought proper to make you acquainted with my mode of raising turnips. In the spring I select the land intended for the crop, and commence penning my cattle on it; in the month of April or May 1 plough it, and THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 253 repeat the operation several times between that and seed time, so as to keep the ground clean and stirred, (omitting- to pen the cattle on it when very wet.) In the first week in August, (or as near that time as possible) when I can get the land moist as well as fine, I sow between a half pint and a pint of seed to the acre ; after which, if the land is not sufficiently rich, I put .jOn rotten manure of any kind, so as to make it rich, and then harrow it over ; when done, I cover it moderately thick, with straw, chaff, or green brush, (which ever may be most conve- nient. The covering protects the plants from the fly and intense heat of the sun, which often proves fatal to the crop. It also keeps the land moist and prevents the heavy showers from run- ning the land too close together ; nor do I un- cover until I take off the crop. In raising my seed, I select, when I take them up, such as I like to raise from, and set them out in a trench, and cover them sufficiently to keep them protected from the frost and snow ; or I keep them on the land and raise the earth about them so as to keep them from freezing, and put. them out in February ; either will an- swer the purpose. I had intended to give you this anonymously, but as I see a premium of £20,000 has been offered in England for a preventive for the tur- nip fly, and as I feel confident of securing it by this method, I wish you to have my name en- tered as one of the competitors. Yours, T. C. Noel. principal staple is wheat, sowing as he usually does from five to seven hundred bushels annu- ally. He states it as his conviction and that of the farmers around him, that the application of plaster increases the tendency to rust. He gave me the details of an experiment which he insti- tuted to test it, which was almost conclusive. In sowing a field of wheat through which a ridge of thin land passed, he plastered the ridge alone. At harvest all except the plastered por- tion was slightly affected by the rust, while it was entirely ruined. The repeated failures of the wheat crop some years back on the Oak Ridge estate of Mr. Rives, he thinks was cor- rectly attributed to the excessive use of plaster. I give these as incontestable facts, derived from authentic sources, and which will be useful to the public in forming a judgment in this matter. W. M. Peyton. PLASTER PRODUCING RUST. Since we printed Mr. Peyton's letter, with which our number opens, we have received the following, which he intended to be appended as more full and satisfactory than the postscript that is subjoined. The interest Mr. Peyton takes in this important subject, and his indefati- gable exertions to gather facts from authentic sources, (after all the only true foundation of knowledge,) entitle him to the thanks of the agricultural community. Lynchburg, October 29, 1842. Messrs. Editors, — Since I wrote you last, I have learned some facts which throw light on the subject of Rust and Plaster. In travelling to this place a few days since I met with an in- telligent farmer of Bedford who informed me that a great many of his neighbors sowed plas- ter on their wheat during the past season, and that in every instance the plastered wheat was more seriously injured by the rust, than that which was not plastered. In Lynchburg I fell in with Mr. Massie, of Nelson, a gentleman of considerable agricultural experience and whose IMPROVEMENT OF SOILS. The subject of renovating soils by means of I broadcast corn, instead of clover, has for some I time engaged our thoughts ; and we are con- vinced that it will be found by far the best of all ! crops ever yet tried for that purpose. The fact ! that, the stalks of corn contain so much larger a 'proportion of those soluble salts known now to I be the chief nutriment of plants, and the fact that such a vast quantity of corn stalks and fodder can be produced, (eight to ten times as ,-much as of clover,) seem to leave little doubt on the subject. These facts are at least suffi- cient to induce every farmer to try the experi- ment on a pretty liberal scale, and with very little delay. Mr. Taylor, the distinguished Vir- ginia farmer, long ago tried the experiment, in an imperfect way, but with decided success. — His method was to plant his corn in the usual way, and, after pulling the corn, (which he did before it was fully matured,) to plough a deep furrow, and then cut and cover up the corn stalks. The next year he planted on this fur- row, and buried his corn stalks as before. Thus, in five or six years, without an}' rotation of crops, he succeeded in producing from forty-five to fifty bushels of corn to the acre, on the poorest pine- land. Had he sown his corn broadcast, he would have brought his land to a far higher de- gree of fertility in a much shorter time. Our correspondent states the well authenticated fact, that 217,000 pounds of corn, in its green state, has been produced to the acre. Those who have seen thick-sown broadcast corn growing will have little difficulty in believing this. Many farmers may have observed that corn, especially when young, grows much more luxuriantly where it is thick than where only one or two stalks are growing. This same luxuriance is witnessed in the broadcast corn. About the middle of May we sowed in corn, very thick, 254 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER two acres of worn-out ground that had refused to produce rye, throwing a few loads of manure over a part. Wherever the ground was ma- nured, the corn has grown with great luxuriance; surpassing corn in a neighboring field of new rich land, planted earlier and four or five feet apart. Even where no manure touched the ground there is now a heavy covering of corn, much heavier, apparently, than we ever saw of clover. It is our intention to cut this crop for fodder, and then sow again and plough in the second crop in autumn. — Dollar Farmer. CENTRE DRAUGHT PLOUGH. p o c (13 ^0 TjQ £ t- a 43 •4. CO c Cp o PQ S o > p s CO 3 SO **■ 43 CD O "ft 5h ^ p a p t3 "P CO 43 CO p 42 to To W "3 CO a Ph is S-i cd CO 43 a CO 43 CO m CO 4a T3 P cd a CO 43 .b p a p p bp CO <3 p ci) P "5 'p 10 O o 43 '.fl p ' 03 P P Cjj p 13 To p > CO o 43 bn co p cd 42 O Cd s CO 43 CO 43 DO S-. cd CD CO CO a P-r B ci 03 Ph CO p o -i-j o P. 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The common method of cooking 1 this delicious vegetable, by boiling in water, is nearly destruc- tive to its flavor, at least so says a lady, who has sent us the following method of preparing them for the table, which, after experience, we must add, is a great improvement : " Place in the bottom of your saucepan or boiler, several of the outside leaves of head sallad ; put your peas in the dish with two ounces of butter in proportion to half a peck of peas ; cover the pan or boiler close, and place it over the fire ; in thirty minutes they are ready for the table. They can either be seasoned in the pan or after taken out. Water extracts nearly all the delicious quality of the green pea, and is as fatal to their flavor as it is destructive to a mad doe:. AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITION. Unfortunately we were detained at the North too long to be present at the exhibition of the Henrico Agricultural Society held on the 1 9th and 20th of October. We are, therefore, in- debted for the following extracts to those faithful chroniclers, Messrs. Coward in & Davis. The mechanical part is one of the most beau- tiful and interesting features in these exhibitions. We esteem it especially because it is so well calculated to develop and give publicity to the real merits of Richmond manufactures. People abroad are entirely ignorant of the extent and quality of our productions, many of which will compare favorably with the best of Europe or America. Indeed our establishments being com- paratively new, are provided with the very latest improvements in machinery, and in this respect are far ahead of those that are older and better known. THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ITS EXHIBITION AND PREMIUMS. We promised a more detailed accout of the proceedings of the Agricultural Society of our county, and the exhibition under their auspices. We spoke in general terms of the character of the admirable display in the Exhibition Room at the Exchange. What we said could convey but a faint idea of the reality, and was but a feeble tribute to the taste, skill, industry, and in- genuity, there exhibited. Let us hope that the excellent Society, which has thus drawn forth from the quiet homestead the lovely specimens of patient toil, and the delicate fashionings of the better part of our species, may every year add new beauties to its exhibitions, and give ad- ditional evidences of its prosperity and beneficial results, to elicit our admiration and gratitude. The greater part of the day, Wednesday, at Goddin's Tavern, was occupied in the delibera- tions of the Society on their business matters. After they were concluded, the following pre- miums were awarded : For the best stallion calculated to produce stock adapted to the saddle, harness or draft, $15— to Thos. H. Taliaferro, of King William. For the most highly improved and best culti- vated farm, $25 — to Gen. Wm. H. Richardson. For the second best, $20 — to Anthony Ro- binson. Jr. For the third best, $15 — to Richard Whi- chello. For the fourth best, $10 — to Thos. Ginnett, [the cripple who excited so much interest at the fall meeting last year, and whose industry and astonishing labors under his physical disabilities, caused the Society to give him a premium as a mark of their approbation.] For the best field of corn, $15 — to J. W. Tomlin. For the second best, $10 — to A. Robinson, Jr. For the third best, $5— to Thos. S. Dicken. For the best crop of Irish or sweet potatoes, not less than half an acre, $5 — to James Gor- don, produce sweet potatoes 544| bushels to the acre. For the second best, $4 — to Joseph C. Bur- ton, produce 392 bushels Irish potatoes to the acre. The exhibition the first day, was of course neither extensive nor interesting, as there were no premiums offered for cattle, and the exhibition for the greater number of premiums being ar- ranged at the Exchange for the second clay. Messrs. Botts & Burfoot exhibited iheir ex- cellent straw cutting machine; and Mr. Jabez Parker produced a cutting box with a single knife, decidedly the best of the kind we ever saw. The cattle brought on for sale were greatly admired. The premium vegetables were very fine. Mr. James Winston exhibited a sugar beet that beats all nature in the beet line. It weighed 25^ lbs. and looked sound and healthy. We think this "beats the beater." Mr. O. A. Strecker exhibited several pairs of rare and beautiful pigeons, imported by him. — The pigeon, as emblematical of beauty and in- nocence, has always ranked among ihe favorites of mankind. In eastern countries they are not only regarded as objects of religious superstition but held in veneration as the harbingers, or the emblems of peace and love. Extraordinary high prices have been paid for the most esteemed species, viz : the carrier. From the earliest times the pigeon fanciers of London have had a club, in which premiums are awarded, and the notable science of the fancy, through the me- thod of crossing colors and forms, is promoted 256 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. and perpetuated. At different times, laws for their protection have been made by the English government. The two most remarkable kinds exhibited by Mr. Strecker, were the Fan-tail and Jacobin. — The Fan-tail is a beautiful bird, with a broad tail like a fan, slender necked, full breasted, and carries its tail gracefully. The Jacobin is more scarce than the Fan-tail. It is a small and pretty bird, with a range of inverted feathers on the back of the head, somewhat like the cowl of a monk, or the ruff of a cavalier. They were greatly admired. Mr. S. has quite a va- riety, embracing some that perhaps are nowhere else to be met with in this country. Several fine horses were brought forward as competitors for the premium. Mr. George Tay- lor exhibited jacks and jennies of an approved blood. A number of fine hogs were brought for ex- hibition and sale. Thursday the following premiums wereaward- ed at the Exchange, by the President of the Society, after the address of Mr. Bassett : For the neatest and most substantial counter- pane, $6 — to Mrs. John J. Dickinson. For the second best, $4 — to Mrs. Wm. Miller. For the neatest and most comfortable mattrass, made at home, $5 — to Mrs. Dr. Gaines. For the best bed quilt, $5— to Mrs. E. B. Selden. For the second best, $3— to Mrs. J. M. An- derson. For the best table cloth, $5 — to Mrs. George Woodfin. For the second best, $3 — to Mrs. Maria E. Parrish. For the neatest and most substantial carpet, not less than 10 yards, $6 — to Mrs. John J. Dickinson. For the second best, $4— to Mrs. S. Redd. For the best hearth rug, $5 — to Mrs. Lowndes. For the second best, $3 — to Mrs. R. M. Burton. For the best specimen of stockings, socks, &c. $5— to Mrs. R. M. Burton. For the second best, $4 — to the Female Or- phan Asylum. For the best specimen of domestic silk, the production of the exhibitor, $5 — to Mrs. Wm. W. Dickinson. The committee appointed to award the above premiums at the exchange, called the attention of the Society particularly to elegant specimens of worsted work, b}' Mrs. Dr. James Bolton and Mrs. Chas. Marx, and to a counterpane of great taste and beauty, by Mrs. John J. Dickinson, all of which they recommended for premiums. Se- veral premiums had been advertised for articles which were not shown, while a vast number of the finest fabrics were produced, for which no premiums had been offered. For the best specimen of plants, shrubs, or flowers, $10— "to Miss Excy Gill," say the committee, "on account of the variety, rarity, and luxuriance of her flowers and shrubs." For the second best, $5 — to Messrs. Hey- decker & New, say the committee, for the care and taste they have displayed in the culture and management of their flowers and plants. The committee to award the premium for the flowers, reported that they could not pass over Mr. Rennie's selection without awarding to him their warm approbation for the flowers he exhi- bited. They also remark that the collection ex- hibited by Mrs. Woodson Pleasants was very beautiful, — they were not offered for premium, but only to lend beauty and embellishment to the scene. Mrs. Dr. Gaines sent several beautiful speci- mens of household arts, embracing quilts, rugs, embroidered over-shoes, &c. So did Mrs. Maria E. Parrish. These ladies exceeded the others in the variety of their articles. But all deserve the highest praise for the excellence and beauty of the specimens contributed to make the admi- rable display. The worsted and the embroidery work, and the rugs, would vie with choice foreign fabrics. We were delighted with the incident of award- ing a premium to the Orphan Asylum. The parentless and interesting little artificers sent many specimens of their handiwork, which show that in the noble institution, under whose out- stretched wings they are sheltered, their instruc- tion in these useful pursuits, which must fit them for the duties of their maturer years, is not ne- glected. Miss Nelson sent beautiful embroidered otto- mans, one of them by a little girl some ten years of age, displaying extraordinary skill and taste. Mrs. R. P. New sent fine specimens of wax fruit. The pickles and preserves were excellent — equal if not superior to any of the West India articles. Pickles by Miss Excy Gill and Mrs. Goold, were surpassingly fine. Mr. Strecker sent merely for exhibition several cases of American birds, finely prepared for the Berlin Museum, by Mr. Trott. Shoes. — The specimens of these were of a first rate quality. Messrs. Hubbard, Gardner & Co. exhibited some of their excellent plantation shoes. Mr. Hill (late Cook & Hill) produced a lot of very superb workman's shoes and bro- gans, made very strong and faithfully. All these specimens were such as are never imported here. Messrs. D. B. Franklin & Co. exhibited specimens of their ladies' shoes, of the most de- licate shape and finely finished, all "home made." These fine specimens must add great force to the claims of home industry for support. Messrs. Morse and Maddox exhibited a beau» THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 257 tiful Rose Wood Piano, of their own manufac- ture, the tone of which was clear, soft and full. This fine instrument did the manufacturers great credit. It was much admired, and the fact that it was manufactured in Richmond, occasioned general surprise and sometimes incredulity. We learn from the gentlemen that they have met with good encouragement. Bravo, Richmond manufacture ! John M'Connell, Dentist, exhibited a case of teeth, fixed on plate and with springs, remarka- ble for the mechanical skill and ingenuity with which they were arranged. Mr. Benjamin F. Kern exhibited a large show case of surgical and dental instruments, fash- ioned with skill and of exquisite polish. This is a new kind of manufacture for our city. — Heretofore any thing necessary to be done in this line, had to be ordered from the North, and our surgeons have consequently often been put to great inconvenience. We commend Mr. Kern to their support and encouragement. His esta- blishment is on Governor-street. Mr. Cumberson produced some of the finest locks ever manufactured any where. Among them was his ingenious and impregnable bank lock, which we sometime ago noticed. Mr. J. W. Randolph exhibited superb blank books, from his bindery establishment. The articles manufactured in our city, that were exhibited, caused great astonishment by their excellence ; and we thought our manufac- turers deserved a severe reproval for not contri- buting more liberally to the exhibition. Were they to enter cordially into the matter, and send such articles as they can manufacture, to be ex- hibited, a display could be made by Richmond which no stranger would think possible. We do hope they will do this at the next meeting. The prospects of the Society are good. The scheme of making it a State Society is serious- ly entertained by influential gentlemen who ad- vocate the step with much enthusiasm. Let the Society be encouraged, be it state or county. It will pay back fifty and a hundred fold all the efforts and means bestowed upon it. Let the motto be "persevere!" We are indebted to some friend for a copy of the address delivered by our old friend, the Hon. James M. Garnett, before the Agricultural So- ciety of New Castle County, Delaware. From this address we make the following extract : " Permit me here to notice two other obstacles to the progress of American Husbandry, which I fear, can never be entirely overcome, for they seem to be a part of our nature. They are two besetting sins, which, although entirely opposite in their nature, and affecting two very distinct Vou 2-33 classes of our brethren, produce equally perni- cious effects, and thus retard that advancement in al! i he branches of rural economy, which, but for them, we should certainly make. The one class is characterised by a marvellous fondness for, and tenacity of their own crude, come-by- chance, dogmatic opinions ; the other by a too ready credence of the opinions of others, but especially of those whom they consider scientific men. The first are incorrigible believers in what they call ' book-learning ,' being a certain preven- tive to every thing like good farming; and that all they see about agriculture in what Tony Lumpkin styled, '■your print-hand? is nothing more than a parcel of lies or idle fancies. Hence the attempt to prevail on them to study agricul- tural books or papers to improve themselves in their professions, if listened to at all, will usually be met by an incredulous stare, or a mingled smile of ineffable pity and contempt, as much as to say, ' save your breath to cool your porridge.'' do you think us a parcel of gulls and fools ? " The other class, on the contrary, are always ready to jump to conclusions before they well consider the premises : — they are great theoriz- ers, incontinently fond of any thing having even the semblance of an ingenious, scientific theory ; and consequently are prone to be led away by any will o' the wisp talker or writer who claims to be the discoverer of something spic and span new in husbandry. They infinitely prefer to be publicly announced as the inventors of a new system, to the solid but less attractive reputation of being the improver of an old practice ; and would much sooner spend their time in classify- ing and giving hard names to the innumerable insects that infest our crops, than in laboring to discover effectual means for destroying them. — Between the two classes our agriculture has suffered, and is still suffering more, 1 fear, than can soon or easily be remedied. The first class have their minds, as it were, hermetrically sealed against the universal truth, that the man who means to succeed, either in agriculture or any- thing else, must always be open to conviction, and be ever ready to give a fair and accurate trial to all sorts of experiments which hold out a rational promise of success; taking care, at the same time, not to hazard more labor or money in mak- ing them, than a sound discretion will justify. The latter class, on the other hand, have their minds too open for the reception of every pro- fessed novelty, either in science or practice which may be presented to them. Our ne plus ultra brethren usually end their lives much as they begin them, at least in regard to the knowledge of their profession ; and if no other farmers but such as themselves had ever existed in the world, mankind would still be much in thesame situation in regard to husbandry, asthefirst teachers thereof found them to be in. But if impregnable obsti- nacy has kept them stationary in their vocation, 258 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. or nearly so ; too great precipitancy in the lau- dable pursuit of professional improvement has much retarded their hop, skip and jump brethren in attaining the object of their wishes. Although a moment's reflection would convince them, that in no profession whatever can hasty, careless, inaccurate experiments lead those who make them, either to sound theory or practice, they never will command patience enough to make any other ; and of course, very generally waste both time and their money, without gaining any thing but disappointment. To this cause chief- ly, we owe all the numerous changes which have occurred, from time to time, both in the theory and practice of agriculture ; and to this also, I believe we may truly attribute the various conflicting systems in regard to this most an- cient of all arts." Mr. Garnett has well described two great classes to be found in every agricultural com- munity. Between the two, it is almost impos- sible to obtain facts, without which it is folly for any one to talk about the philosophy of agri- culture. Philosophy is the generalization of well ascertained facts, and without the facts, there can of course be no philosophy. Between those who will observe nothing, and those who are too ready to see in every thing a confirma- tion of their own rude guesses, we are quite at sea upon the science of agriculture. At this very moment, learned and able men are engaged in drawing conclusions from what they have received as well ascertained facts. It is no won- der, that, differing as these facts do, their con- clusions should vary too. In this too ready adoption of statements, where so little accuracy has been observed, agricultural writers have vio- lated the first principles of philosophy, and have, as might be expected, subjected themselves to the sneers and derision of the plainest practical men. Thus it is, that certain great theories and systems, promulgated from high places, like other humbugs, have their day, until some plain farmer declares, and proves too, that the aulhor has been mislead by his ignorance of the facts upon which he has attempted to reason ; then is the whole theory exploded, only to make way for another equally as preposterous and short lived. Now, in agriculture, where an experi- ment can be tried but once in a year, and where it requires more than a lifetime to make as many as a chemist can effect in his laboratory in a morning, an insurmountable obstacle is opposed to its keeping pace with other sciences. This only proves the necessity of the greater care in authenticating and recording results, where so few are obtained, and it is for this reason, that we always so much prefer receiving and re- cording well authenticated facts, rather than fine spun theories, based upon surmises and guesses. We desire to fix a solid foundation, before we attempt to rear the superstructure. — Such and so loose, in our opinion, have hereto- fore been the observations of men engaged in the business of agriculture, that in our souls we do not believe that there lives the man, possessed of facts enough, to write a profound treatise on agriculture. We must apologise for introducing so much of the Editor's correspondence into this number of the Planter, probably to the exclusion of much worthier matter ; but much of it depended, for what little interest it might possess, upon the time and season at which it was published. At any rate, we were afraid it was not good enough to keep. New York, October 1, 1842. * * * I wrote you last from. Boston. I left that hospitable city on Saturday, 25th of Sep- tember, and arrived at Springfield about 9 o'clock at night. I was not a little discomfited to find that a remnant of the religious scruples of the old Puritans prevented my farther progress on the morrow, but the tedium of a Sunday sojourn in a country village, was much relieved by a morning's ride through the adjoining country. This is the land of manufactures, and falls of water, that would hardly be known as such in Virginia, are carefully husbanded and thrown upon as many wheels as they will put in mo- tion. Their factories are, I believe, in a very depressed state, and as they are the main reliance of the people, who are by no means agricultural, much suffering has been experienced. Along the banks of the river the land seems to be fer- tile and well cultivated, but the interior appears to be a sandy waste, fit only to grow the stumpy pines with which it is covered. Springfield it- self is a beautiful village, beautifully situated. There is an attention paid in this little inland place to flowers, shrubbery, neatness and deco- ration, that puts to shame many of our prouder cities of the South. I wish that I could present to some of our independent formers' wives, (the farmers themselves are incorrigible,) a view of a Springfield dwelling, with its fresh paint, its neat paling, its beautiful shrubbery, its green grass and gravel walks, and prove to them, by ocular demonstration, how much of comfort, ele- gance, and refinement, could be had for the amount of a single grocer's bill. THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 259 As societies seem to take down our way, I have conceived the idea of getting up a great Anti-No-Paint Society. By the example of a few leading members, we might revolutionize the face of Virginia, and hand our names down to the latest posterity. Is there not something sublime in the conception? To be sure, we would not be the first painters that have immortalised themselves, but it would be something to be placed in the same category with Titian and Raphael. On Monday, the 27th, I descended the Con- necticut to Hartford in a little steamer, drawing eighteen inches water, travelling a distance of 36 miles for 12£ cents. To be sure, the boat was no great things, but then the river and the shores are very fine, making the travel cheap, exceedingly. I could obtain little else than a general outline of this part of the far famed valley of the Connecticut. The lands are said to be very rich and very highly cultivated, but from other portions that I visited, I saw no greater signs of fertility or cultivation, than may be found on many of our own streams. These fields are particularly rich in grass, and possibly, peculiarly adapted to its growth. There is no crop so grateful to the eye, or so beautifying to a country, as grass. Hence it is, that all grass lands obtain a reputation even beyond their merits. I saw here a little tobacco, and when I observed the care and attention they were be- stowing upon the sickly foreigner, I felt as much obliged to the good people, as if they had been nursing a fellow-citizen. ***** On the same day that I left Springfield, I ar- rived at New Haven, which is unquestionably the queen of New England villages. Here I was received and treated with the greatest hos- pitality by the Editor of the Farmers' Gazette, who volunteered as my cicerone in exhibiting to me the beauties of the city, of which its peo- ple may well be proud. Surely, these Yankees can do more with grass and trees than any peo- ple in the world. Here now is the most elegant place I ever saw, and yet there are no marble palaces, no magnificent public buildings ; it is all effected by lofty elms, grass of the darkest green, and paint of the purest white. On the 29th they held here an agricultural and horticultural fair. Tn the latter department, the exhibition was equal to any I ever witnessed. The agricultural show, with the exception of the oxen, was indifferent. The working cattle far exceeded in number and quality any I ever saw. I counted eighty yoke of oxen, I might almost say, the worst amongst them better than any in our part of the country. They were tho- roughly broken and under the most perfect com- mand. It was a very lively and pleasing sight to see them streaming into town in lots of fifteen or twenty yoke, hitched to a wagon decorated with flowers and filled with boys bearing banners, all moving at the word of a single driver. Not- withstanding the perfection to which the animal is brought, both in form and training, amongst the people of New England, I do not believe, from what I have been able to learn, that the average of the farmers' work can be done as cheap with them as with either our horses or mules. * * * * I arrived at Albany, as you already know, too late for the great State Fair, but in time to partake of the agricultural dinner, at which " the feast of reason and the flow of soul," was worthy the occasion which called it forth. The next day was the one designed for the sale of stock brought to the fair. It may have been because it was a rainy morning, but the affair, like all of the kind that I have ever witnessed, seemed to go off dull and spiritless ; indeed there appeared to me to be by far too many sellers for the buyers ; in fact, I believe the day for extravagant prices for fancy stock is over, and those who have heretofore made a bu- siness of it, will have to go to something else. From fifty to a hundred dollars was as much as was bid for any of the cattle offered, and amongst them I was informed there was some of the purest blood and finest form. With the excep- tion of a few fancy specimens in particular hands, I tell you, it is my opinion, that a hun- dred and fifty dollars in cash, will enable you now to pick amongst the cattle of the North ; and it is to this that they must come at last. It is as much, probably more than, in these times, the farmer can afford to give, and it is far be- yond the price of production. * * * * I met here many old acquaint ances that I never saw before, amongst them, Mr. C. N. Be- ment, of whose hospitality I partook at his farm of " Three Hills," about four miles from Albany. This farm was originally a sandy waste, like those around it, but, at much trouble and ex- pense, Mr. Bement has made a garden of a wil- derness. Here I saw the largest and finest crop of ruta baga I ever beheld, and, what I would have valued much more, a perfectly regular and splendid crop of carrots. The neatness and cleanness of cultivation here exhibited could not be excelled. I hope to obtain an account of the expense and yields of these two fields. This is peculiarly a stock farm, the cattle, the sheep, the chickens, the geese, the ducks, and, I believe, the very cats, are thoroughbred. Notwithstand- ing the high state of cultivation, the soil seemed to me to be of a very indifferent texture, and one requiring constant expense to keep it up. What would the energy, management, and in- dustry, that Mr. Bement exhibits here, have ef- fected upon some of our kindly generous soils in Eastern Virginia, that can be purchased for eight or ten dollars an acre. I could not help telling him that he was out of his element, and that I was sorry to see such a man in such a place. 260 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. There was one instance of management, I noticed here, worthy the consideration of every farmer in Virginia. Mr. Bement's farm is called Three Hills ; wherever there are hills, there are very apt to be vallies, and in one of Mr. Be- ment's vallies, or gullies, there ran a stream of water ; where the farm road crossed this stream, we were told, there was formerly a wet, muddy place, in which the former proprietor's horses and vehicles frequently stuck. This crossing place, Mr. Bement converted into a dam, over which an excellent road is constructed for man or beast. The water collected above, affords a fall of five or six feet, under which is placed a small over- shot wheel, which is applied to cutting straw, grinding cobs, and other light purposes. Here, by a little management and less expense, a nui- sance is converted into a source of profit and convenience. ****** Philadelphia, October 20. ***** Since I wrote you last I have at- tended the exhibitions, of the Philadelphia Agri- cultural Society, of the American Institute in New York, and of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The last is purely mechanical, and although very rich and interesting to one who has had as much to do with mechanics as I have, it presented nothing worthy an agricul- tural notice. The exhibition at the American Institute in New York, is agricultural as well as mechanical, and has always been the most extensive and splendid in America. With the exception of the tools and implements, of which there was a great assortment, I had no opportu- nity of visiting the agricultural department. I was very desirous that some of our mechanics should have sent on specimens of their work to this exhibition, and offered to take charge of them. I think they would have competed suc- cessfully with northern products, beautiful as they are, and I would have been proud to show their manufacturers, that we are not the barba- rians they take us to be. * * * * # * * * The exhibition of the Philadelphia Society was purely agricultural. The show of tools and implements was very fine, the variety very great and the quality excellent ; a few of the cows and one or two bulls were very extra- ordinary ] the sheep and hogs common, and the horses very indifferent; but the treat consisted in an address delivered by the President of the Society, Mr. Nicholas Biddle, who, for fluency, unaffected ease, and simplicity of manner, is not excelled by any public speaker, to whom I have had the good fortune to listen. This address was in many respects a most capital one. It is true that individually I dissented from some of the doctrines of the speaker, and I thought that I could have discovered from the whole tone of the speech, that the orator was rather a fancy than a practical farmer ; but the gentlemanly ease and unaffected conversational style with which it was delivered, and the occasional bursts of deep feeling, left you little opportunity of cri- ticising the opinions of the speaker, while you were listening to him. The opening of the ad- dress I thought was peculiarly felicitous. Mr. Biddle began by expatiating upon the sensible objects around him, the different specimens of cattle afforded by the exhition, their history, pe- culiarities, and the advantages of each, the roots and vegetables, the mode of culture, and sup- posed nutriment afforded by each, &c. &c. — This part of his discourse was replete with in- terest and instruction, and marked by proofs of the strongest common sense. It had all the force and interest of a lecture in a professor's room, where the apparatus, with which it is filled, is used to illustrate the truth of what is said. I will be with you in a few days, and inform you of many minor particulars, that it is im- possible to crowd into these general sketches. If you print any of this in the Planter, either correct it, or apologise for it, for it is all written, currente calamo. Yours, C. T. B . . . . From the Cultivator. TRANSPLANTING FROM THE FOREST. Trees and shrubs transplanted from the woods to open situations seldom grow. The cause of failure is, that they are taken from shade and moisture and exposed to the hot sun, which stops the circulation ; the body of the plant per- ishes, and the root in consequence dies also. It is well known that if briers are cut in the heat of summer, the roots generally decay and die. So with the trees and shrubs in question. To re- medy this evil, it is suggested to cut off the tree or shrub close to the ground and plant the root only. The young shoots grow out with the spring, are naturalized to their situation, and soon attain a height and size as great as that which was cut off at planting. The fact that transplanted trees sometimes die at the top, and yet sprout from the root, proves the correctness of the above suggestion. The writer has been informed that the trial of this method has been made in another State with complete success, and recommends the experiment the ensuing spring. It is obvious that trees which do not sprout are unfit subjects for this process ; such as pines, cedars, &c. P. We make the following extracts from a letter received a few days since from General Peter Steinbergen, of the county of Mason : "Our agricultural meeting will be held at Charleston, Kanawha, on the 3d day of Novem- THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 261 ber next. Crops in this section of the State are exceedingly fine. We have some fields of corn estimated to average one hundred bushels to the acre throughout the whole field. When a mea- surement is made, the amount will be accurate- ly reported. Wheat, oats, every species of crop, fine. Such fall pastures for our cattle were never seen before among us. Green sward lodging in all directions on our farms, or at least those of the grazing estates, where attention has been paid to its cultivation. " When we meet this fall, we will renew our old subject, on the improvement of land by the aid of grass, &c." * * * * GATE We have had an engraving made of a model of a gate, constructed by Mr. E. J. Pearce, of Philadelphia, of which we obtained a casual view whilst we were in that city. We are sup- posed to be on the inside of the gate, and must push it to open it. The peculiarity consists in the hinges, and the chain extending from the post to the heel of the gate. When the gate is closed, this chain is tight, consequently, as the gate is opened, the strain upon the chain raises the gate, and the thimbles gradually ascend the rod on which they revolve. Inasmuch as the gate rises from the ground by the opening movement, the possibility of dragging is obviated. Although the same effect can be produced by hanging the gate out of a perpendicular, yet we were so much pleased with the ingenuity of the plan, and the working of the model, that we bestowed upon Mr. Pearce, whom we have never seen, the only premium we can offer, a copy of the Planter, and if we find the thing in practice works as well as the model, he shall have the work as long as it is published. From the Southern Agriculturist. REMARKS ON THE IMPROPER USE OF THE PLOUGH IN THE CULTIVATION OF INDIAN CORN. Mr. Editor : Dear Sir, — By request, I submit to you, for insertion in the Agriculturist, some remarks and experiments, I have made, to prove that the plough is frequently used too late, and much to the injury of our corn crops. It is well known to rice planters, that when rice is in joint and forming its ear, every effort must be made to advance its growth, so that good ears ma}^ be formed. The same effort, to effect the same result, is necessary with corn and all other grains. When the ear is about to be formed, the atmosphere has less influence on the plant than previously ; therefore, more is re- quired from the roots. If the soil is fertile, and 262 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER well broken up with the plough previous to planting corn, innumerable small fibrous roots will run laterally, in search of nutriment, to the distance of six or eight feet, and sometimes as far as twenty feet. These laterals are very small, and easily separated from the stalk ; if cut by the plough when the plant is young, no injury will be sustained, and perhaps a benefit : but they must not be cut or disturbed in any way, when far advanced toward maturity. — Without their aid at that period, the perpendi- cular, or tap-root, will not be sufficient to pro- duce good and well filled ears. It is not unfre- quently the case, that the plough is used when the corn is in silk, and at that time these lateral toots are very numerous above the surface of the ground, and must necessarily be cut, much to the injury of the crop. I have made several experiments which prove conclusively, that the perpendicular or tap-roots, are not sufficient with- out the aid of the lateral roots, to produce good and well filled ears ; and that, if the plough is used too late, a good crop cannot be expected. For my experiment, I selected eight well grown stalks, just before shooting out their tassels. I had the earth cut round two of these stalks about six or eight inches from them, to the depth and width of the spade, and the earth re- moved, so that I could see that all of the side roots were cut. The earth was permitted to re- main in this situation until the corn w 7 as ma- tured. The stalks looked well, and the ears appeared to be well filled ; but, on examination, it was found, that there were but a few scattered grains in them. In the next experiment, a cut was made round two stalks, with a spade to its depth and width, at the same distance as above. This cut was permitted to close immediately, no earth having been removed. The result was, small ears, not well filled. The third experiment was to cut the roots on two sides of the stalks, as they are usually cut in late ploughing. On the other sides the roots were not disturbed. The result — small ears to- lerably well filled. In the remaining two stalks, no roots were cut or disturbed ; the ears large and well filled. The plough is not sufficiently used on our rice plantations, in preparing corn land for plant- ing, and is generally used too late after planting. If the soil has been well prepared, and in good tilth, the cultivator, or hoe-harrow, may be used most advantageously after the second plough- ing. As soon as the plants can be ploughed, the first furrow ought to be thrown from it, and the second to it ; and if used again, the sooner the better, so that the corn may be laid by, when it has attained a third of its soon after. I will here remark, that the planter who wishes to increase his corn crop in quantity, must select his seed in the field. Seed from those stalks that have produced from three to six ears, will, in like manner, produce again from three to six ears, if the soil is well manured and well cultivated ; and seed from those stalks that have produced one ear, will again, in all probability, produce but one ear. Respectfully, your obedient servant, John H. Tucker. Hampstead, Sept. 9, 1842. We laid aside this letter to show it to our friend Mr. Thomas S. Dicken, whom we consi- der the highest authority we know upon the subject of the corn crop. Mr. Dicken is proba- bly upwards of fifty, and has been making com all his life. For many years he was a manager on a large estate in Virginia, and in that capa- city was remarkable for his industry, intelligence and success. After reading Mr. Tucker's letter, he shook his head, and very modestly observed, that he might be right, but that his doctrine was contrary to the conclusions he had drawn from his own observation. Mr. Dicken said, he would be unwilling to use the plough in late culture, whereby the roots would be turned up and exposed, but that he had found great benefit from the frequent use of a coulter, especially in a drought, after his corn had tasselled. We understood him to say, that he took care to keep the ground clean and well broken in the early cultivation, and then, the more it would not rain, the more he stirred it with a coulter, and this until the corn was done growing. We conceive that it is only by giving our readers the testimony on both sides of a ques- tion that we enable them to form a correct opi- nion. growth, or very PREPARING FOOD FOR SWINE, &c. Among the various modes of preparing food for fattening swine, I do not recollect seeing in " The Cultivator," the favorite plan of the writer of this note, viz: That of having all kinds of meal from grain intended for fatting hogs, in- stead of boiling or steaming, put into water in vats or tubs of sizes in proportion to the number fatting, and there remain until fermentation takes place, before feeding out to the swine — not giv- ing any meal to hogs or pigs, until this acid fer- mentation is observable. In this state I have never known swine to become cloved by over- eating, however freely fed. On farms where cheese is made, I have found, as I apprehend, not only a safety but profit in putting the new whey into the vat where this process was going on. The concistcncy of this preparation, I think, THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 268 should not exceed that of good cream. In this way I have seen swine fatten faster than from meal given in any other form, and seen less marks of food having passed the animal undi- gested, which is often visible when food of a fa- rinacious kind is freely given, unprepared; and I may add, according to my experience, (though on a very limited scale,) the most profitable. The Yankees of New England have long since discovered, that the point of an old scythe, rendered unfit for mowing grass, by long usage, or broken by accident, sixteen or eighteen inch- es long, attached to a handle of wood, at right angles, or somewhat obtuse, serves all the pur- poses for cutting up corn, that the more formi- dable machine proposed by our Virginia farmer would — and almost without expense. A Farmer of R. I. A very ready method of disposing of the small cobble stones lying upon the surface of ploughed fields laid down to grass is the passing over them with a heavy roller in the spring while the ground is yet damp. By this process the stones will be sunk so low as not to be in the way of the scythe. These stones, we are confident, will be of essential benefit to the subsequent grass crops. — Ed. F. M. Vis. MILKING COWS. The owners of cows should pay particular attention to milking. Children must not be trusted with this business, and there are many grown people who never milk well well though they have been brought up to the business. If you would obtain all the milk from the cow you must treat her with the utmost gentle- ness ; she must not stand trembling under your blows nor under your threats. She may at times need a little chastisement, but at such times you need not expect all her milk. Soon after the bag has been brushed by 3'our hand and the ends of the teats have been mois- tened a little with milk, it flows in rapidly and all the veins or ducts near the teats are com- pletely filled. Then it must be drawn out im- mediately or you will not get the whole. You must not sit and talk — you must not delay one moment if you would have all the cow is then ready to yield. The udder should be moved in every direction at the close of milking, and the hands may beat it a little in imitation of the beating which the calf gives it when he is sucking. An expert milker will make the cow give one quarter more in butter, than a majority of grown milkers will. Learners should know that the hand should be kept very near the extremity of the teat, if they would milk with ease. The left arm should always press gently against the leg of the cow; for if she is inclined to kick she can- not, with any force ; she cannot strike an object that leans against her ; but if she raises up her foot, as she often will when her teats are sore, the milker will be ready to ward off and keep it from the pail much better than when he sits far off from the cow. If heifers are made tame and gentle by fre- quent handling when they are young they are not apt to kick the milker; their udders should be rubbed gently before calving; it is quite as grateful to them as carding. But if they are suffered to run wild till after they have calved they cannot be expected to be gentle when you first attempt to milk them. They often acquire bad habits and are not broken of them through life. — Massachusetts Ploughman. A SIMPLE REMEDY. A physician of extensive practice tells us that a prompt and effectual remedy for violent bleed- ing at the nose is to soak the feet in warm wa- ter. Lay this up "against time of need." Concord Freeman. Stumps are among the most troublesome ob- stacles in the settlement of a new country. A machine is sometimes used, with lever power, to eradicate them. It is literally a huge " tooth puller." It requires great power and much ex- pense and time to accomplish the business, even with this machine. A better contrivance, be- cause more simple and cheap, we saw practised the other day. A little excavation was made in under the stump, and some combustible ma- terials enclosed, and then set on fire. Previous to this, however, some dry materials were piled around the root, above the surface of the ground, and then covered over with a compact layer of turf, forming a sort of coal-pit. It has been found upon experiment, that the stumps will burn in this way, a number of days, with a sort of subterranean fire, and when the turf falls in, nearly every thing of the root is found consumed below and above the surface of the ground. — Passing by a field near where the canal enters the Connecticut, awhile since, we noticed smoke issuing from twenty little mounds of earth, and upon inquiry, found they were burning out the stumps in the manner above described. DISADVANTAGES OF FEEDING ENTIRELY ON DRY FOOD. Horses and cattle fed on chopped oats or rye straw in its dry state, will obstinately refuse to take up all that is put in the troughs, and what they consume will be less nutritious than when slightly fermented. The process is the follow- ing, to feed on a cheap plan and keep stock in 264 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER better health and general condition, than with any other system. Have a box of sufficient size to contain all the food for your animals for one time feeding, cut oals, rye, or even wheat straw and mix with it one half gallon of Indian or rye meal for each beast ; sprinkle in a little salt with water enough to moisten the whole mass, let it stand before feeding, at least twelve hours, or til it acquires a slight acid taste ; then give it to the stock in the proportions you mea- sured in, and your horses and cattle will be so fond of it, they will lick up ever}'' straw, keep fat and do well. By this mode I have found, from three years experience, that horses and cows will do better than upon all the corn and dry fodder you can give them. — Agriculturist. A bit of ising glass dissolved in gin, or boiled in spirits of wine, is said to make strong cement for broken glass, china, and sea shells. APOLOGY. The unavoidable absence of one of the Edi- tors until late in the month of October must form our excuse for the tardiness of the present number — the next will be issued certainly on the first of December. SUBSCRIPTIONS DUE. A few of our subscribers, who might have availed themselves of the sixty day rule, have failed to do so. If we once send the account out for collection, the full amount will be surely demanded. If they desire to save the half dol- lar, they had better be very quick after this no- tice meets their eye. COMMUNICATIONS. Communications, many of them of a very kind and flattering character, have accumulated on our table during our absence. They shall all be duly attended to. We are indebted to the Hon. Wm. C. Rives for a copy of his address delivered before the Agricultural Society of Albemarle. It will be reviewed in our next. We return our thanks to Dr. Fitch, of Salem, N. Y. for the account of the fair and cattle show of the Washington County Agricultural Society. A FARM WADTED. We have been requested to say that a gentle- man desires to purchase a farm of three or four hundred acres of good land, in a healthy situa- tion, with good improvements, for which he is prepared to pay from eight to ten thousand dol- lars. The latter sum he thinks, in these times, ought to procure a capital establishment. Any communication (post paid) directed to the " Editors of the Planter" will be attended to. CONTENTS OF NO. XI. Rust in Wheat — Increased by the use of Plaster, p. 241. Agricultural Fair — Premiums offered in King Wil- liam, p. 242. Piles — Remedy for, p. 242. Fly-proof Wheat — Caution against, p. 243. Hole and Corner Club of Mecklenburg — Its institution, p. 243. Distemper in Dogs — Remedy for, p. 244. Mange in Dogs — p. 244. Grubs in Horses — To cure. p. 244. To prevent, do. Calves — Their management, p. 244. Paper — Made of moms multicaulis, p. 245. Extracts from the letters of the senior Editor — p. 245. Green Crops — The propriety of turning in the crop whilst green denied by Professor Dana, p. 246. Rip Van Winkle — Mr. Bement's Berkshire boar — bi- ography with a portrait, p. 247. Cabbages— To preserve from bugs, p. 248. Cast-iron — Used for buildings, p. 248. Root Crops — To preserve, p. 248. Cooking Food— Unprofitable for cattle, p. 248. Roofmg— How to put on shingles, p. 249. Grease for Wheels— How to prepare, p. 249. Briers — To eradicate, p. 249. Spontaneous Combustion — Arises from oil and cotton, p. 249. Hay— Neglected in lower Virginia, p. 249. Lime — To be used in its quick state, p. 250. Swamp Mud— Its value as a manure doubted, p. 250. Sweet Potatoes— To keep, p. 251. Ditches — How to construct hill-side ditches, p. 251. Small Farms— Too much land cultivated in the South, p. 252. Distemper in Cattle— To cure, p 252. Turnips— To prevent the ravages of the fly, p. 252. Rust — Another communication from Mr. Peyton, 253. Broadcast Com— Used for turning in, p. 253. Plough— The Centre Draught of Proughty & Mears, with an engraving, p. 254. Green Peas — How to cook, p. 255. Henrico Agricultural Society— Its fall exhibition and premiums, p. 255. Address of Hon. J. M. Garnctt— Extract from, p. 257. Extracts— From Editor's correspondence, additional, p. 238. Transplanting — Forest trees, p. 260. Crops in the West— Gen. Steinbergen's account of, 260. Gate — A new plan, with a cut, p. 261. Corn — Impropriety of ploughing late, p. 261. Hogs — To prepare lbod for, p. 262. Com — Directions for milking, p. 263. Slumps — To get rid of, p. 263. Dry Food— Disadvantages of, p. 263.