raB 



I ;n ,, ii' , 



■ 



•U 



i ■ 






H I 



MM 

lutein::: 



the 



SOUTHERN PLANTER, 



A MONTHLY PERIODICAL 



DEVOTED TO 




fifttilturiV Ji t tksitiff t, 



OOSSIl'OLD A1IYS 




AUGUST & WILLIAMS, Proprietor 
J. E. WILLIAMS, Editor. 



VOE. NINETEEN. 



PRINTED AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 

BY MACJARLANE & FERGUSSON 

1859. 



I 

v. 14 



W^AO 



• 




4 ■(:,',;//;?,., si 



; 



*$A VOL. XIX. 



[JANUARY.] 



No. 1. Y& 

Y.- r 



H 



Published Monthly. August <fc Williams, JPfeoPBorroBS. £j 



J. E. WILLIAMS, Editor 









TH E 




DEVOTED TO 



AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, 



AND THE 



HOUSEHOLD ARTS. 



«i«5U 



m 



PRINTED AT RICHMOND, V 

BY MACFARLAXE & PBROUSSON 

18 






A XTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



CONTENTS. 

English Agriculture, - - 1 

The Way to Wealth, - - - 6 

State Fair, - - - - - 9 

The Guano Controversy, - - - 12 
Action of Lime and Marl on Tide-Water 

^3 

The Feedjng of M ilk Cattle, - - 15 
Virginia StatQ Agricultural Society — Seventh 

Annua I Meeting, - - - - IS 
F K " Papeffe of the Nottoway Club, 45-47 

- 47. 
py Milkmaid. Benevolence, 48 

- 49 
ti lions ; or Remarkable Pecu- 

Four Cows, - - 51 

with Soda, - - - 52 

vation of Oats in an Orchard In- 

.) IVaeh Trees '. - - - 53 

and Value of the Manure of Cattle, 53 

3 Stable Floors Clean, - - 54 

aL 'lit Power of Soils, ... 55 

Water-Proof Clothing Jbr Negroes, - - 56 

Seventh Annual Meeting, - - - 56 

Happy New Year. Special Notice, - 57 

Cosmopolitan Art. Journal. To Subscribers, 58 

To Postmasters and Others, - - - 58 

The Hidden World, - - - - 59 

Back Numbers of the So. Planter Wanted', - 61 

Agents. The Economy of Working and 

(Tearing Teams, - - - 61 

Compliment to Virginia Farmers, - - 62 

Counsels to the Young, - - - 63 

The Light at Home, - ' - - - 64 

Rich Though Poor, - * - - 64 
Gentle Words, - . - .64 



BUIST'S ALMANAC AND GARDEN 
MANUAL FOR 1859, 

Is now reatlv. It is designed to furnish concise hints 
to the Farmer and Cottager on VEGETA BLE, FRUIT 
and FLO WE II culture, with select lists of the most 
approved varieties, &c, &c, gratis, on application, or 
mailed o.i the receipt of a letter stamp. 

R. BUIST, JNurservman and Seed Grower. 
Seed and Horticultural Warehouse, Nos. 922 and 924 
Market St., Philadelphia. dec 58 — 4t 



Corn Shelters of Various Kinds- 

The Cylinder for hand will shell 400 bushels per 
day, the same for horse power and hand will shell the 
same bv hand and 600 bv horse power. The Reading 
Shelter will slidl from 1,000 to 1,500 bushels. 

WHEAT FAiNS, and the usual variety of machi- 
nery on hand. H. M. SMITH, 

m 58— tf 14 Main Street. 



PURE NORTH DEVONS. 

A Bull and Heifer, each 17 months old, and a Bui' 
Calf 4 months old. Also a Cow 5 years old, wiih a 
Heifer Calf 2 months old, deliverable at Tolersville, 
on the Virginia Central Railroad, or if preferred, at 
anv other point on said Road. 

To any gentleman who wants a cross, or otherwise 
to breed iheee beautiful cattle, so well adapted to the 
light soils of Eastern Virginia, I would recommend 
the 17 months boll. Price of .-nine, $75. 

Address, Tolersville, Louisa Count?, Va. 

dec58-:u P. B. PENDLETON. 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 

Is published monthly, in sixty-four octavo pages, 
upon the following Terms; 

TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS per an- 
num, unless paid in advance. X. 

Advance payments as follows : 
One copy, one year, - - - $2 

Six copies, do ... 10 

Thirteen copies, one year, - - 20 

Twenty do do - - 30 

One copy, three years, - - 5 

And one copy free to persons sending us the names 
and money for thirteen or more new subscribers. 

All money remitted to us will be considered at our 
risk only, when ihe letter containing the same shall 
have been registered. This rule is adopted not for our 
protection, but for the protection of ourcorrespondents, 
and we wish it distinctly understood that we take the 
risk only when this condition is complied with. 

ADVERTISEMENTS 

Will be inserted at the following rates: 

Business Cards of 5 lines or less, per annum, $5 00 

1st insertion, - - 1 00 

Each continuance, - 75 

6 months, ) without - 4 00 

12 " $ alteration, 7 50 

1st insertion. - 1 75 

Each continuance, - 1 25 

6 months, } without - 7 50 

12 " 5 alteration, 14 00 

1st insertion, - - 3 25 

Each continuance, - 2 50 

6 months, > without - 14 00 

12 " $ alterations, 25 00 

1st insertion, 6 00 

Each continuance, - 4 50 

6 months, > without - 25 00 

12 " 5 alteration, 40 00 

1st insertion, - 10 00 

Each continuance, - 7 50 

6 months, ) without - 40 00 

12 " S alteration, 70 00 
Advertisements out of the city must be accompa- 
nied with the money or city references to insure inser- 
tion 



One-eighth 
of a column 



One fourth of 
a column, 



One-half of a 
column, 



One column, 
or Half a page 



One page, 



R. M. NIMMO, 
GENERAL AGENT & STOREKEEPER 

VIRGINIA PENITENTIARY, 

No. 27 PEARL STREET. 
Keeps constantly on hand a supply of the 
following articles manufactured at the Penitentiary of 
the most faithful and substantial manner: BOOTS 
SHOES, BROGUES, HARNESS, KERSEYS 
LINSEYS, COTTONS, BAGS, WAGONS, CARTS* 
WHEELBARROWS, AXES, &c. 

Orders Promptly Kxecuted. 
Not 1858— tf 

FRU1LTMS 1 SHRUBBERY. 

SOUTHEHN I1MEKW00I) E\U\\\, 

Having on hand a choice variety of FRUIT TREES 
of my own raising and grafting - , sufficiently large for 
transplanting. I respectfully call the attention of the 
public to them. 

My Nursery is located one and a half miles north- 
east from the Old Market, where I will take pleasure 
in showing them. 

All orders addressed to, or left at my agents. Messrs. 
Van Lew, Taylor & Co., No. 19 Alain St., Richmond, 
Va., or mvseif, will meet with prompt attention. 

Sept 1858- tf LEWIS TUDOR. 



TH E 







Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, and tlie Household Arts. 



Agriculture i=> tli 



e uuisiii: 



mother of tlie Arts. 
[Xenopiion. 



Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts oi" 

the State. — Sully. 



J. E. WILLIAMS, Editor. 



AUGUST & WILLIAMS, Prof'rs. 



Vol. XIX. 



RICHMOND, VA., JANUARY, 1659. 



No. 1. 



English Agriculture. 

"We return our thanks to Sam'l Sands, 
Esq., of Baltimore, for the following inter- 
esting account of various agricultural exper- 
iments, published in the Baltimore Ameri- 
can. 

"We take this occasion to call the attention 
of all farmers to the agency established in 
Baltimore, by Mr. Sands, for the purchase 
and sale of lands — live stock, &c. For full 
information in regard to the objects of this 
agency, seethe card of Mr. 8. in our adver- 
tising columns. 

LETTER FROM DR. GERARD RALSTON. 

London, September 15, 1858. 
Messrs. Dohbin & Fulton : — A few days 
ago I made an excursion, with some Ameri- 
can gentlemen, to the most interesting coun- 
try-seat of the liberal and public spirited 
English country gentleman, John Bennett 
Lawes, Esq., near Harpenden, twenty miles 
from London, and a few miles beyond the 
ancient and most interesting city of St. Al- 
bans, (celebrated for its magnificent Abbey, 
nearly the largest and most beautiful of the 
churches of England) and entering the park 



of Bothamstead, we soon discovered that we 
were visiting an old-fashioned but most beau- 
tiful and well maintained country-seat of a 
wealthy landed proprietor. Driving through 
the park, which abounds with large Elms, 
Oak, Ash, Lime, Beech, Birch, Acacia, 
Plane and other beautiful trees, and seeing 
numerous sheep and cattle which, in my 
opinion, ornamented the park far more than 
useless deer, which I am sorry to say, too 
often encumber the parks of the gentry of 
England, we arrived at the venerable Hall, 
an ancient mansion of about three hundred 
and fifty years old, which, on examining we 
' found to contain every thing that wealth 
and luxury could make conducive to the 
comfort of its residents. We found the 
walls of its drawing-room, etc., decorated 
with the landscapes and other pictures of its 
tasteful mistress, and its hall was ornament- 
ed with the spoils of the chase of its excel- 
lent master ; but, leaving the house and 
walking over the soft Turkey carpet-like 
lawn, admiring the flower-beds, shrubbery 
and beautiful grounds, we entered an avenue 
of old Lime trees, under whose delightfully 
odorous boughs, we took a refreshing lunch, 
and then proceeding under the guidance of 
our scientific and courteous hosts, Dr. Gil- 
bert, (Doctor of Philosophy and Fellow of 
the Chemical Society) and Dr. Evan Dugh, 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



of Westchester, Pennsylvania, we examined 
the experimental form which is so celebra- 
ted, not only in these Islands, but through- 
out the Continent also, for developing agri- 
cultural improvement. At this place Mr. 
Lawes owns about 1,800 acres of land, in 
addition to some estates in Scotland, of which 
1,630 acres are employed as arable land, and 
for farming purposes, and 100 acres are 
purely what is called the park, and devoted 

to grass and the pleasure grounds only. The I and 6 pounds. And mineral salts (sulphates 
remainder, or 70 acres, are used for scienti- of potash 300 lbs., of soda 200 lbs., of mag 
fie agricultural experiments for ascertaining | nesia 100 lbs., and 200 lbs. of boneash, with 
what are the laws of vegetable growth and 
nutrition, in order to fully understand how 
to raise a maximum crop at a minimum ex- 



7 cwt., 2 qrs. Rye grass, soft broom grass, 
Bent grass were particularly developed, while 
worthless grasses, as Quaking grass, Dogstail 
grass und several weeds, (Plaintain, &c.) 
were either entirely lost or much diminished 
in quantity. An addition of 2,000 lbs. of 
sawdust produced no effect on the manure 
plat. An addition of 400 lbs. of salts of 
ammonia (the sulphate and muriate of am- 
monia) per acre gives 1 ton, 15 cwt., 2 qrs. 



pense. 

What we first examined was under a glass 
roof and protected from the wind at the sides 
by a screen, a number of plants, including 
the most commonly cultivated cereal and 
leguminous and root crops, growing in tin 
vessels, with 40 lbs. of soil each, and the 
plant issuing at top through a small hole in 
a glass plate, which is soldered on to the top 
so as to prevent any evaporation from the 
soil, except that which goes off through the 
leaves of the plant. The pot is weighed 
when the seed is planted, as so also is all the 
water added during its growth, at the termi- 
nation of which the crop is dried and weigh- 
ed, and the amount of dried matter in it 
compared with the amount of water evapo- 
rated from the leaves. It is found that for 
every part of dry matter freed, 250 parts of 
water pass through the leaves, or for every 
ton of wheat or grass produced upon a field, 
250 tons of water must have been evapora- 
ted irorn the vegetable matter producing it. 
Or for a field of grass producing 3 tons per 
acre, 750 tons (about 500 barrels) of water 
must have parsed off from every acre. This 
points to the cause of the good effect of rain, 
and the damage of drought — shewing the 
dependance of the former upon the seasons. 
We next examined the effect of different 
manures upon grass ; 17 lots, of one-half an 
acre each, have been under experimentation 
for the last 4 years. The result shows the 
natural produce of the ground (which has 
not been ploughed or showed for the last two 
hundred years, and which has only natural 
grasses upon it) is for this years, per acre, 1 
ton, 2 hundred weight, 20 pounds. This is 
not increased by 2,000 lbs. of sawdust just 
beside it on another plat. But 14 tons of 
barn-yard manure per acre produced 2 tons 



150 lbs. of sulphuric acid) give 1 ton, 16 
cwt. 1 qr. 22 lbs. Sawdust has no effect on 
either of the latter, but the latter, on addi- 
tion of 400 pounds of ammonia salts gives 
3 tons, 4 hundred weight qrs. 4 pounds. 
The addition of 800 lbs. of ammonia salts 
gives 3 tons, 7 cwt. qrs. 4 lbs. Other re- 
sults are equally striking, but the most re- 
markable fact is the change produced in the 
quality of the grass by these manurial sub- 
stances. The sawdust has no effect what- 
ever, either upon the quantity or the quality 
of the grass. All the substances which give 
much increase, tend to keep down the weeds. 
The mineral salts, the sulphates, with phos- 
phates, tend largely to develop the legumin- 
ous plants ; clover, lotus, lucerne, &c, were 
here developed in a marked degree. The 
large increase of ammonia, whether with or 
without minerals, showed the development 
of large quantities of heavier and coarser 
grasses, as Dactylus glomerata, and Bromus 
mollis. These experiments, when carried 
out with great care and exactness for a series 
of years, will supply a rich store of infor- 
mation as to the value of different manurial 
substances for the promotion of different 
kinds of grasses. Not only are the statistics 
with regard to crops and manures kept, but 
small plats, are selected in each plat, and in 
these each kind of grass is planted and the 
amount weighed, so that the exact relation 
between the several quantities produced may 
be recorded. 

EXPERIMENTAL WHEAT FIELD. 

There are 40 plats, each containing three- 
tenths of an acre, on which wheat has been 
grown continuously under different circum- 
stances for the last 15 years. It would be 
impossible here to enter into the details of 
these experiments. Several elaborate pa- 
pers have already appeared in the journal of 
the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



3 



in which the statistics here obtained are 
given, and from which, conclusions have 
been drawn that have elicited much discus- 
sion, both in England and Germany. It is 

found that on this soil, which is a rather 
heavy clay interspersed with the chalk flints, 
the continuous yield without manure is about 
IS bushels per acre. The addition of am- 
monia salts without minerals for 15 years has 
at last so far exhausted the mineral constit- 
uents in the soil, that the produce by such 
salts now is not as great as formerly, yet it 
now gives 30 bushels per acre. The addi- 
tion of mineral salts, (sulphate of potash 
300 pounds, of soda 200 lbs., of magnesia 
100 lbs. and bone ash 200 lbs., with sulphu- 
ric acid 150 lbs.) scarcely raises the uninan- 
ured plat above its normal amount (20 to 
24 bushels per acre being thus obtained.) 
But other plats showing the effect of the dif- 
ferent quantities of ammonia with these 
minerals arc most marked. The addition of 
200 lbs. of ammoniacal salts per acre with 
these mineral salts, gives for 1857 (this year 
1858 results being not yet ready) thirty-five 
bushels per acre; four hundred pounds of 
ammoniacal salts with minerals 46 bushels 
per acre ; 600 lbs. of ammoniacal salts with 
minerals 50 bushels per acre, but this large 
quantity is liable to fall down, owing to the 
great development of straw. The great 
point claimed for these experiments is, that 
they show r that the atmospheric sources of 
nitrogen (or ammonia) are not " amply suffi- 
cient for the purpose of agriculture" as has 
been contended by some. They also point 
out the great value of the highly nitrogeni- 
sed manures, or the Peruvian guanos, &c. 

EXPERIMENTAL BARLEY FIELD. 

There are also twenty-four plats of one- 
sixth of an acre each. These have been 
going on for seven years upon the same land. 
They also show results corresponding to those 
just noticed. Unmanurcd plats about half a 
crop, (29 bushels ;) with 14 tons of barnyard 
manure a good crop, 51 bushels per acre ; 
mineral manures ; (sulphate of soda, potash 
and magnesia,) about half a crop (32 bush- 
els j) super-phosphate of lime, a little more, 
(33 bushels;) (super-phosphate of lime and 
sulphurate of soda, potash and magnesia,) 
yet more, (39 bushels ;) nitrate of soda (Chili 
saltpetre,) gives 47 bushels ; ammonia salts, 
about a like quantity, and a mixture of all 
the minerals (alkalies and phosphates,) and 
ammonia salt, gives 57 bushels per acre. 



Which latter number, points to what purely 
artificial manures are capable of doing. The 
crop is about double : " two straws are made 
to grow where but one grew before." It 
also points to the fact that the crop is not 
produced by any one mb$$ance t that no quack 
nostrum or stimulant can be put upon land 
by which it will be made to produce without 
all these various constituents applied to get 
this 57 bushels of barley per acre. If any 
one of these substances produces an effect it 
is because the other substances already ex- 
ists in the soil, ready to act in concert with 
it. The experiments show that nitrogen and 
phosphoric acid are most generally deficient 
in soils ; and hence the addition of these 
substances produced great results ; not that 
they alone do it, but because they were the 
only substances failing in the soil, and with- 
out them nothing can be produced. They 
are but two links in the middle of a chain, 
without which the chain has no strength, 
but they are not the whole chain as a super- 
ficial observer might be led to suppose. 

5th. Other experiments were made with 
beans and turnips, but they are ommitted 
for the present. 

7th. We next go to the Laboratory. Here 
is a fine building erected by the farmers of 
England, at an expense of upwards of 7,000 
dollars, and presented to Mr. Lawes as a 
testimonial of his liberality and of his great 
services in Agricultural Chemistry. It is 
most admirably fitted up with sands-baths, 
water-baths, muffle furnaces, &c, &c., dry- 
ing-rooms, &c, &c, for all the various ope- 
rations of drying, analysing, &c., &c., of the 
products of the experimental fields. The 
different grains and root crops are dried, the 
amount of ash determined, and put away 
for analysis. The elaborate system of shelves 
and cupboards are full of specimens of ash 
of grain and straw ready for further investi- 
gation. An extensive collection of prepa- 
rations of the different parts of animals in- 
cluding the fat, the flesh, the bones, the teu- 
drons, &c., &c., of all the different organs of 
the animal body. These had been used in 
an extensive investigation involving the 
slaughter and careful cutting up and weigh- 
ing of some hundred head of cattle, hogs 
and sheep, by which, when taken into con- 
nection with the statistics of food eaten by 
them, the relative value of the different 
kinds of food to produce fat, flesh, &c, &c, 
would be ascertained. 

8th. Dr. Evan Pugh's own experiments. 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



Explanation. — "No non-nitrogenized sub- 
stance can form an clement of nutrition." — 
Baron Lichig. 

Animals can't live without nitrogenous 
foods. Animals must live on vegetables; 
hence vegetables must be nitrogenous. — 
They must get their nitrogen from the air, 
or soil, or from both. They must get the 
form of pure nitrogen gas, of which air con- 
tains 78 per cent., or they must get it from 
compounds of nitrogen, of which the most 
common are nitric acid and ammonia. From 
which of all these sources (air or earth, the 
pure nitrogen gas, the ammonia, or the nitric 
acid) do plants get their nitrogen ? The im- 
portance of this question is heightened by 
the high price of nitrogenous manures. 
If plants can get nitrogen from the exhaust- 
able resources of the free nitrogen gas of 
the air, why not seek to find the circumstan- 
ces under which it is obtained, and avoid 
paying for saltpetre, guano and other nitro- 
genous manures? It must be decided 
whether plants are capable of assimilating 
the free nitrogen at all. To do this our 
countryman, Dr. Pugh, came to Rothamstead. 

The plants experimented upon must be 
grown in a soil and an atmosphere, free from 
nitrogenous compounds, must be evolved 
with water containing no such compound, 
and then the plant so grown analysed, to see 
if it contained any more nitrogen than the 
seed contained. To free the soil from nitro- 
gen it was heated red hot for several hours 
in an iron muffle, and then washed with pure 
water for several days, and finally ignited 
simultaneously with peat, and the ash of the 
plant to be grown in it. The red hot soil 
and red hot ash were then brought into the 
red hot pot, and well mixed and allowed to 
cool under a large glass vessel set in sulphu- 
ric acid so that no ammonia of the air could 
get to the soil. Once cooled down, pure 
water was added, and the seeds of known 
weight and per centage of nitrogen were 
planted, and the whole removed to large glass 
shades, 3 feet high and 10 inches diameter. 
These shades rested in grooves filled with 
mercury at the bottom, so that all communi- 
cation with the external air was cut off. By 
aid of bent glass tubes going down into the 
groove through the quick silver under the 
glass shade and rising in the inside of the ves- 
sel, water and air free from ammonia were 
supplied to the plant. By a complicated 
system of bottles partly filled with sulphuric 
acid and tubes with pumice wet with this 



acid, the air supplied was purified from am- 
monia, and by passing a stream of water 
from a cistern into a close vessel, from which 
the air only could pass out though a tube 
leading into these bottles, a constant steam 
of ammonia, free air is passed to the plant. 
In this way IS different vessels are arranged, 
in which wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, 
clover, tobacco arc grown, some with no am- 
monia, others with measured quantities, to 
see if a gain takes place by assimilation of ni- 
trogen from the air. The plants to which no 
nitrogen was given, and which contained no 
more than that contained in the seed, were 
only a few inches high; those to which com- 
bined nitrogen (sulphurate of ammonia) had 
been given, were five to ten times as high ; 
thus showing that the plant could not grow 
without the aid of combined nitrogen — in 
other words that the nitrogen of air cannot 
be assimilated. But before this point can 
be settled with accuracy, the whole crop, th e 
whole soil and the pot must be analysed to 
see if the entire nitrogen thus found agrees 
with that in the seed, plus what was added. 
This will take much work yet. 

Other points are the gas found in plants. 
By a simple piece of apparatus the work of 
getting the gas out of a plant is reduced to 
that of a few minutes. Quicksilver is made 
to run out of a vacuum and this is brought 
in communication with a vessel filled with 
water, (that has been boiled to free it from 
air) in which the plant is placed. The air 
rushes out into the vacuum with great rapid- 
ity, and in ten minutes can be collected. — 
This I saw done. The gas was then ana- 
lysed and shown to consist of carbonic acid, 
nitrogen and oxygen in very different pro- 
portions from what is given in the books 
upon this subject. This method will be very 
useful for all cases of getting gasses from 
plants, from fluids, or from animal secretions 
and excretions. I)r. Pugh has already made 
some hundred analyses of the gas plants, 
and hopes to follow up the investigations 
when he returns to America. On our way 
to the Laboratory we saw an extensive field, 
which the the liberal proprietor of Rotham- 



stead- has set aside for allotments of three- 
j fourths of an acre to one and a quarter acres 
! each for each family of his work people who 
| cultivate their vegetables during the intervals 
! of labor, and in this way are prevented from 
going to the beer-houses — the bane of work- 
ing classes of England. Mr. Lawes has, 
most munificiently, also built a very tasteful 



1859.] 



Til E SOUTH ERN PLANTER 



ami convenient club-house, which is w« II 
warmed and lighted and abounds in bonks, 
papers. &o., and when: a very sensible and 
pious clergyman preaches on Sunday evenings, 
so as not to interfere with tin: Church of 
England services during the day. This 
establishment also offers a powerful rivalry 
to the beer-house and gives additional mo- 
tives for the greatful feelings of the people 
of Harpenden towards their benevolent and 
public spirited Lord of the Manor, Mr. Lawes. 
The plain fanner of America may inquire 
of what good are all these elaborate experi- 
ments? What is the use of this science, 
and this extended investigation into the pro- 
ducts of the earth f A great many dis- 
coveries of an important practical kind 
have been made ; a series of experiments, 
both on the growth of the most important 
crops, and the feeding of animals for the 
production of meat and manure, lias been 
gone through. As to the first of these 
questions, the course adopted was to grow 
by different chemical manures some of the 
most important crops year after year on the 
same hind — for example, the cereals, the 
leguminous crops and the root crops, and at 
the same time, to grow experimentally the 
same crops one after the other, in the order 
in which they would follow each other in 
rotation. In like manner vast series of ex- 
periments had been made on the connection 
between the amount of food consumed by 
fattening of animals, ami the increase and 
manure which they yielded for that food, 
and many of the results have been pub- 
lished in the journals of the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society, and in pamphlets and publi- 
cations which have been followed by great 
benefit to the community. The practical 
result is, that this and other old farms in 
this country, that have been under constant 
cultivation for upwards of 1,000 years, pro- 
duce from 48 to 58 bushels of wheat per 
acre, whilst the farms of New York and 
Pennsylvania, which have been under cul- 
ture for only 50 or GO or 75 or 100 years, 
are constantly diminishing in "produce, and 
our fellow-townsman, Henry Carey, in his 
most interesting letters to President Buc- 
hanan, published this year, (1858) says that 
12 and 15 bushels of wheat are now pro- 
duced, where formerly 25, 28, and 30 bush- 
els were grown. So of barley, of Indian 
corn, of tobacco, of cotton and other arti- 
whether they be products of the North 
or South, or the East or West. This retro- 



grade movement in our agriculture must l,c 
checked) and I am happy to say that our 

fellow-statesman, the scientific, energ 

persevering and must zealous and Mice. 

analytic and chemical agriculturist, Dr. 
Pugh, of Chester Comity, Pennsylvania, 
is the very person to beach our farmers how 
to recover the ground they h;ive lost, and to 
make our fields in Montgomery, Berks, 
Lancaster, Chester, Delaware, &c, &<•., in 

Pennsylvania and all over the United States, 

produce as good crops as are common in 
Norfolk, Berks, Hertfordshire, &C., in Eng- 
land, which have been in constant cultiva- 
tion since the time of the Romans. 

1 am glad to say Dr. Pugh is soon to re- 
turn home. He has been attending the 
Universities and Agricultural Colleges of 
the Continent for some time, and also has 
made most diligent inquiry into the hot 
farming practices of the Continent. He 
has been at Harpenden for two years, and 
in connection with the learned, scientific 
and experienced Dr. Gilbert, who is the 
chief of the Laboratory, and of the scien- 
tific staff for carrying out the magnificent 
experiments of the liberal and enlightened 
Mr. Lawes, who has been spending for the 
last fifteen years an average of £1,500 per 
annum purely in scientific and economical 
investigations. J)r. Pugh has profited much 
by the opportunities he has had at Harpen- 
den, and 1 hope when he returns home he 
will be induced to establish an Agricultural 
College, to teach all the sciences and all the 
practice that are required by our rural 
population to enable them, not only to pre- 
vent a further decline in agriculture, but by 
the application of suitable manures and the 
proper treatment of the land, to restore the 
fertility of the soil, so that we may again 
have, not only 25 to 30 bushels of wheat 
per acre, but have this product advanced to 
50 or 55 bushels, which is by no means un- 
common in many of the counties of this 
old and long cultivated country, and if it 
had been treated as badly as Virginia has 
been, would now be a worn out and cx- 
la usted and miserable country, with its 4 or 



5 bushels of wheat only to the M 

Dr. Pttgh has been remarkably fortunate in 
making the acquaintance of such gentlemen 
as Mr. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert, who in the 

development of agricultural improvement, 



have been of inestimable value to this coun- 
try, and I may add, to Kurope. Mr. Lawes 
being a man of great public spirit and of 



6 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



[January 



most enlightened mind, and being blessed 
with a very large fortune, (say $50,000 per 
annum,) has, with a zeal and patriotism be- 
yond praise, devoted at least $7,500 per 
annum, for the last fifteen yoars, to the im- 
provement of agriculture, and Dr. Gilbert, 
with all the science that could be procured 
from the best education, from Baron Liebig, 
and other eminent chemical agriculturists, 
and from other sources, which his investiga- 
ting spirit has found out, and is every way 
qualified to assist our enterprising country- 
man in his investigations, and he has accor- 
dingly taken advantage of the ample re- 
sources furnished by the liberal minded Mr. 
Lawes and the devoted (to scientific investi- 
gation) Dr. Gilbert, to make experiments, 
which he has not yet given to the world, 
but which, I hope, when made known to 
our countrymen, will incite to an improve- 
ment of agriculture, which will be of inesti- 
mable benefit to our country. Dr. Pugh re- 
turns soon to Pennsylvania. I hope his 
success will be as complete as his great 
merit entitles him to. 

I am, very respectfully, yours, 

GERARD RALSTON. 



"Courteous Reader: — I have heard 
that nothing gives an author so great pleas- 
ure as to find his works quoted respectfully 
by others, then, how much I must have 
been gratified by an incident I am going to 
relate to you. I stopped my horse lately 
where a great number of people were col- 
lected at an auction of merchant's goods. 
The hour of the sale not being come, they 
were conversing on the badness of the 
times; and one of the company called to a 
plain, clean old man with white locks, " Pray, 
Father Abraham, what think you of the 
times? Will not these heavy taxes quite 
ruin the country ? How shall we be able 
to pay them ? What would you advise us 
to f" Father Abraham stood up and re- 
plied : " If you Avould have my advice, I 
will give it you in short, for l a word to the 
wise is enough/ as Poor Richard says/' 
They joined in desiring him to speak his 
mind, and, gathering around him, he pro- 
ceeded as follows : 

" Friends/' said he, " the taxes are in- 
deed very heavy, and if those laid on by 
the government were the only ones we had 
to pay, we might more easily discharge 
them, but we have many others, and much 
more grievous ones to some of us. We are 
taxed twice as much by our idleness, three 
times as much by our pride, and four times 
as much by our folly ; and from these taxes 
the commissioners cannot ease or deliver us, 
by allowing an abatement. However, let 
us hearken to good advice, and something 
may be done for us ; ' God helps them that 
help themselves/ as Poor Richard says. 

" I. It would be thought a hard govern- 
ment that should tax its people one-tenth 



From the Valley Farmer 

The Way to Wealth. 

Benjamin Franklin, the self-taught Amer- 
ican philosopher, was perhaps the most ex- 
traordinary man that this country has ever 
produced. It may be impossible to gather 
from the history and labours of one individ- 
ual mind more practical wisdom and varied 
instruction than he has given to the world. 
For many years he published the Pennsyl- 
vania Almanac, called Poor Richard (Saun- 
ders) and furnished it with many wise say- , . 

J , v r-i ixjIx- J n part of their time to be employed in its 

ings and proverbs which related to topics of r , , .-,, , e v 

,,.°j , J , , , r . , service, but idleness taxes many of us much 

" industry, attention to ones own business, ' •. ,, v , . v i 

a £ «* » an. , fi i u c i I more; sloth, by bringing on disease, abso- 

and frugality. Ihe most of these he nnal-j, , , ' ■, ' J V£ . rai *i i*i \ 

i u * j j j- A j • A r o n lutely shortens life. 'Sloth, like rust, con- 
ly collected and d.gested in the follow- 1 * faster ^ ]aW ' ^ ^ 

mg general preface W h,ch sayings ™ us ;s -^ Richard 

pecuharly adapted to the present times, that, ^ dost \ hou ° lov 'e ,; f then do not 

that we can do our readers! J 1 .. /» ,i , • xl ,«.,•.• 

squander time, for that is the stuff life is 

made of/ as Poor Richard says. How much 

more than is necessary do we spend in 

sleep, forgetting that ' The sleeping fox 

catches no poultry/ and ' That there will 
present, and their teachings should never , , r , J '. ,, , -p 

},'.,,,. .-! ., ° ,, • n be sleeping enough in the grave, as Poor 

be lost sight of, until the world is much! T) . , *, ° ° ° ; 

, ^ . ' , ... . . i Richard says. 

wiser and better than it is at present : J 

The Way to Wraith, <7.s clearly Shawn in the\ "If time be of all 
Preface of an old Pennsylvania Alma- cious, wasting time 
nac } en titled " Poor Richard Improved '."j Richard says, 'the 



we do not know 
better service than to give them a place in i 
the Valley Farmer. These sayings were 
not more applicable to the people and the 
times one hundred years ago than to the 



things 



the most pre- 
must be/ as Poor 
greatest prodigality/ 



is;,!).] 



Til E SO IT UK UN PLANTER. 



' -ewhere tells ns ' Lot! time 
sir found again; and what we call 
time enough, always proves little enough.' 



Let us, then, up and be doing, and doin-- to 

the purpose ; so bj diligence we shall do 

more with le>s perplexity. Sloth makes all 
things difficult, but industry all easy, and 
be l hat rieeth late must trot all day, and 
shall scarce overtake his business at night, 
while Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty 
BD0B overtakes him. k I>ri\e thy business, 
let not that drive thee, and early to bed and 
early to rifle, makes a man healthy, wealthy 
and wi»6,' as Poor Richard says. 

u So what signifies wishing and hoping 

for better times I We make these times 
better it' we bestir ourselves. ' Industry need 
not wish, and he that lives upon hopes will 
die fasting. There are no gains with- 
out pains ; then help, hands, for I have no 
lands, or, if I have, they are smartly taxed. 
He that hath a trade hath an estate, and he 
that hath a callii 
and honour/ as 

then the trade must be worked at, and the 
calling followed, or neither the estate nor 
the office will enable us to pay our taxes. 
If we are industrious we shall never starve ; 
for, 'At the working-man's house hunger 
looks in but dares not enter.' Nor will the 
bailiff or the constable enter ; for ' Indus- 
try pays debts, while despair increascth 
them.' "What though you have found no 
treasure, nor has any rich relation left you 
legacy? 'Diligence is the mother of 



Little strokes fell 



thaough the cable,' and 
great oaks.' 

" .Mrthinks I hear some of you say, 
' .Must a man afford liiniM-lf no leisure*/ 1 
will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Kichard 
says, ' Employ thy time well, if thou mean- 
est to gain leisure, and since thou art not 
mot of a minute, throw not away an hour.' 

Leisure is time for doing something useful; 

this leisure the diligent man will obtain, 
but the lazy man never, for a life of leisure 
and a life of laziness is two things. Many, 
without labour, wotdd live by their witl 
only, but they break for want of stock, 
whereas industry gives comfort, and plenty, 
and respect. Fly pleasurer, and they will 
follow you. 'The diligent spinner has a 
large BWlft ; and now I have a sheep and 
a cow, everybody bids me good-morrow.' 

u II. But without industry we must like- 
wise be steady, settled and careful, and 
oversee our own affairs with our own cyv>, 
hath an office of profit! and not trust too much to others; for, as 
Poor Kichard says ; but Poor Richard says, 

-J it. 

'I never saw an oft removed tree, 

Nor yet an oft removed family, 

That thrive as well as those that settled be.' 

" And again, ' Three removes are as bad 
as a fire ;' and again, ' Keep thy shop, and 
thy shop will keep thee ;' and again, ' If 
you would have your business done, go, if 
not, send.' And again, 

• He that by the plow would thrive. 

Himself must either hold or drive.' 
a legacy.' ' Diligence is the mother oi 

luck, and God gives all things to industry. "And again, 'The eye of the master 

' Then plow deep while sluggards sleep, and will do more work than both his hands;' 

you shall have corn to sell and to keep.'; and again, 'Want of care does us more 

Work while it fa called to-day, for you know , damage than want of knowledge f and again, 

not how much you may be hindered to-mor-!' Not to oversee workmen is to them your 

row. ' One day to-day is worth two to-inor- . purse open.' Trusting too much to others' 

rows,' as Poor Kichard says, and further, care is the ruin of many. For in the af- 

' Never leave that till to-morrow which you fairs of this world men are saved, not by 

can do to-day.' If you were a servant, faith, but by want of it, but a man's own 

would you not be ashamed that a good mas- care is profitable ; for ' If you would have 

ter should catch you idle '( Are you, then, a faithful servant, and one that you like, 

your own master F Be ashamed to catch serve yourself A little neglect may breed 

yourself idle when there is so much to be great mischief; ' for want of a nail the shoe 

done for yourself, your family and your was lost j for want of a shoe the horse was 

country. Handle your tools without mit- lost; for want of a horse the rider was lost, 

tens; remember that 'The cat in gloves being overtaken and slain by the enemy.' 

catches no mice/ as Poor Richard says. It All for want of a little care about a h 

is true there is much to be done, and per- shoe nail. 

haps you arc weak-handed, but stick to it ( "III. So much for industry, my friends, 

steadily, and you will see great effects, for and attention to one's own businese ; but 

4 Constant dropping wears away stones/ and to these we must add frugality, if we 

'By diligence and patience the mouse ate ( would make our industry more certainly 



8 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



successful. A man may, if he knows not 
how to save as he gets, keep his nose all his 
life to the grindstone, and die not worth a 

irroat at last. ' A fat kitchen makes a lean 

o 

will;' and 

' Many estates are spent in getting, 

Since women for tea forsook spinning and knit- 
ting, 

And men for punch forsook hewing and split- 
ting.' 

" If you would be wealthy, think of sav- 
ing as well as of getting. The Indies have 
not made Spain rich, Because her outgoes 
are greater than her incomes. 

" Away, then, with your expensive fol- 
lies, and you will not then have as much 
cause to complain of hard times, heavy 
taxes, and chargeable families. And far- 
ther, ' What maintains one vice would 
bring up two children/ You may think, 
perhaps, that a little tea or a little punch, 
now and then, can be no great matter, but 
remember, ' many a little makes a mickle/ 
Beware of little expenses; ' A small leak will 
sink a great ship/ as Poor Richard says ; 
and again, ' Who dainties love, shall beg- 
gars prove/ and moreover, ' Fools make 
feasts and wise men eat them/ 

" Here you are, all together at this sale 
of goods and knicknacks. You call them 
goods ; but, if fineries you do not take care 
they will prove evils to some of you. You 
expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps 
they may for less than the cost, but, if you 
have no occasion for them, they must be 
dear to you. Remember what Poor Rich- 
ard says, ' Buy what thou hast no need of, 
and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessaries/ 
And again, ' At a great penny worth, pause 
a while/ He means that perhaps the 
cheapness is apparent only, and not real j or 
the bargain, by straightening thee in thy 
business, may do thee more harm than 
good. For in another place he says, 
' Many have been ruined by buying good 
penny's worths. Again, ' It is foolish to 
lay out money in a purchase of repentance/ 
and yet this folly is practised every day at 
auction, for want of minding the almanac. 
Many a one, for the sake of finery on the 
back, have gone with a hungry belly and 
half starved their families. ' Silks and 
satins, scarlets and velvets, put the kitchen 
fires (nit/ as Poor Richard says. 

" These are not the necessaries of life ; they 
can scarcely be called the conveniences, and 
yet only because they look pretty, how many 



but 
and 



want to have them ? By these and other ex- 
travagances, the genteel are reduced to pov- 
erty, and forced to borrow from those whom 
they formerly despised, but who, through 
industry and frugality, have maintained their 
standing, in which case it appears plainly 
that 'A ploughman on his legs is higher 
than a gentleman on his knees/ as Poof 
Richard says. Perhaps they have had a 
small estate left them, which they knew not 
the getting of; they think 'It is day and it 
will never be night/ that a little to be spent 
out of so much is not worth mindi 
'Always taking out of the meal 
never putting in, soon comes to the bottom/ 
as Poor Richard says ; and then, ' When 
the well is dry, they know the worth of 
water/ But this they might have known 
before if they had taken his advice. ' If 
you would know the value of money, go 
and try to borrow some, for he that goes a 
borrowing goes a sorrowing/ as Poor Rich- 
ard says ; and indeed so does he that lends 
to such people, when he goes to get it again. 
Poor Dick further advises and says, 

'Fond pride of dress is sure a very curse, 
Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse.' 

And again, ' Pride -is as loud a beggar as 
want, and a great deal more saucy/ When 
you have bought one fine thing, you must 
buy ten more, that your appearances may be 
all of a price ; but Poor Dick says, ' It is 
easier to suppress the first desire than to 
satisfy all that follow it. And it is as truly 
folly for the poor to ape the rich, as for the 
frog to swell in order to equal the ox/ 

'Vessels large may venture more, 

But little boats should keep near shore.' 

" It is, however, a folly soon punished, 
for as Poor Richard says, ' Pride that dines 
on vanity, sups on contempt. Pride break- 
fasted with plenty, dined with poverty and 
supped with infamy/ And after all, of 
what use is this pride of appearance, for 
which so much is risked, so much is suffered ? 
It cannot promote health, nor ease pain ; it 
makes no increase of merit in the person; 
it creates envy; it hastens misfortunes. 

" But what madness must it be to run in 
debt for these superfluities ? We are offered 
by the terms of this sale, six months' credit, 
and that, perhaps, has induced some of us 
to attend it, because we cannot spare the 
ready money, and hope now to be fine with- 
out it. But ah ! think what you do when 
you run in debt ; you give to another power 






tii E so [tii i:i:\ v lax ti:i: 



u 



oyer your liberty, [fyon cannot pay al the 

time, you will hi' ashamed tO scr your Credi- 
tor, and will be in fear when you speak to 
liim ; you will make poor, pitiful, sneaking 
tea, Hid, 1>\ do g i e c u, come to lose your 
veracity, and sink into base, downright lying; 
tor 'Tii'- Beoond vioe is tying, the first is 
running in debt, 1 as Poor Richard says, and 
again, to the same purpose, k Lying ride- on 
debt's back,' whereas a free born ought not 

to be ashamed, Of afraid to sec or speak to 
any man living. But poverty often deprives 
a man of all spirit and virtue. ' It is hard 
for an empty bag to stand upright.' What 
would you think of that prince or that gov- 
ernment who should issue an edict forbid- 
ding you to dress like a gentleman or gen- 
tlewoman, on pain of imprisonment or servi- 
tude 1 Would you not say that you were 
free, have a right to dress as you please, 
and that BUCh an edict would be a breach of 
privileges, and such a government tyranni- 
cal.'/ And yet you are about to put yourself 
under such tyranny when you run in debt 
for such dress ! Your creditor has authority 
at his pleasure to deprive you of your lib- 
erty, by confining you in jail till you shall 
lie able to pay him. When you have got 
your bargain, you may, perhaps, think little 
of payment, but ss Poor Richard says, ' Cred- 
itors have better memories man debtors; 
creditors are a superstitious set, great ob- 
servers of set days ami times.' The day 
conies round before you are aware, and the 
demand is made before you are prepared to 
satisfy it ; or, if you bear your debt in mind, 
the time, which at first seemed so long, will, 
lessens, appear extremely short. Time 
will seem to have added wings to his heels 
as well as his shoulders. 'Those have a 
short Lent who owe money to be paid at 
Raster. 1 At present you may think your- 
lelves in thriving circumstances, and that 
VCU can bear a little extravagance without 
injury, but 

• Por ftgfl and want save while you may — 
No morning sun lasts a whole day.' 

"Gain maybe temporary and uncertain, 
but even while you live, expense is constant 
and certain. ' It is easier lo build two 
chimneys than to keep one In fuel,' as Poor 
Richard Bays, so, l Rather go to bed supper- 
than rise in debt.' 

a IV. This doctrine, my friends, i> v 
and wisdom, but, after all, do not depend 
too much upon your industry, and frugality, 



and prudence, though excellent things, for 

thai will all be blasted without the bh 

of heaven, and therefore, :i-k that h!< 
humbly, and be nut uncharitable to those 
that at p r ese n t seem to want it, but eoinlbrt 

and help them. Remember, Job suffered, 
and was 1 afterwards prosperous. 

tt And now to conclude, — ' Bzperi 

keeps a dear school but fools will learn in 

no other,' as PoOT Richard says, and M 

in that, for it is true, ' We may give advice, 

but we cannot give conduct.' * However, 

remember this, 'They that will not be coun- 
selled cannot be helped ;' and further, that 
4 If you will not hear Reason, she will rap 
your knuckles/ as Poor Richard says. 

"Thus the old man ended his harangue. 
The people heard it and approved the doc- 
trine, and immediately practised the con- 
trary, just as if it had been a common ser- 
mon; for the auction opened, and they be- 
gan to buy extravagantly. I found the 
good man had thoroughly studied my alma- 
nacs, and digested all I had dropped on 
these topics during the course of twenty-live 
years. The frequent mention he made of 
me must have tired any one else, but my 
vanity was wonderfully delighted with it, 
though T was conscious that not a tenth part 
of the wisdom was my own which he as- 
cribed to me, but rather the gleanings that 
I had made of the sense of all ages and na- 
tions. However, I resolved to be the better 
for the echo of it, and, though I had at first 
determined to buy stuff for a new coat, I 
went away resolved to wear my old one a 
little longer. Reader, if thou wilt do the 
Same, thy profit will be as good as mine. 

" I am, as ever thine to serve thee, 

" Richard Sanders." 



For the Planter. 

State Fair. 

The State Fair at Petersburg was gene- 
rally considered a successful and creditable 
affair. The intercourse of persons, strangen 
to each other personally, meeting together 

and discussing questions relating to agricul- 
ture, in which all are interested and en- 

i. has a happy tendency, and a 

(•licet. We become acquainted with each 
other, with the diverse modes of doing busi- 
ness in different parts of our State, and thus 
often obtain new idea- in our own busi 
or may make new >ns to others. 

One of the most valuable features of 
annual gathering-, is the discussion carried 



10 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



on by the society at night, in which all are 
invited to give their experience in any thing 
relating to agriculture, whether it be an im- 
proved mode of operation in farming, new 
implements, or any thing bearing upon 
general cultivation. There is one great 
advantage, it appears to me, that might 
arise from these discussions that now does 
not obtain, and that is a good reporter to 
take them down, and then publish them 
with the society's transactions. In this way 
their benefit would be generally circulated, 
and be of advantage to others besides those 
present at these meetings. Many who desire 
it cannot attend them. 

The " American Pomological Society" 
that lately met in New York City, have 
been in the practice of having their discus- 
sions on fruit, &c, reported, and published 
in their transactions. In this way a large 
amount of valuable information is dissemi- 
nated yearly, and is of far more practical 
value than if merely confined to the mem- 
bers of the society then present. A like 
benefit would result to the public by having 
the discussions of the State Agricultural 
Society published also, and I would most re- 
spectfully suggest, that in future the Execu- 
tive Committee be directed to employ a 
competent reporter to take them down, and 
that they be published in the transactions of 
the Society, even if the premiums should 
have to be lessened to provide for the ex- 
pense. 

I attended one of these discussions one 
evening in Petersburg, and was much inter- 
ested with the subject of under-draining 
land, and the cultivation of corn, as spoken 
to by members then present. These dis- 
cussions satisfied me that a more general 
acquaintance with the principles of geology 
would be desirable. We have in our State, 
and often in a small part of it, all the mem- 
bers of the geological columns, and in many 
parts of the State they are largely de- 
veloped. The tertiary deposits for instance, 
cover most of the State from the head of 
tide-water to the ocean, and here its beds of 
u sand and gravel, of clay, marl and shells, 
are every where to be seen, and a knowledge 
of their position and extent would be of in- 
valuable advantage in underdraining such 
lands. Though not personally acquainted 
with much of that region of country, there 
is reason to believe that the higher grounds 
between the rivers and large streams, in 
general, has a sandy and gravelly soil, and 



that this stratum often, if not generally, ex- 
tends beneath the vallies, and that there a 
bed of clayey or loamy soil rests atop of it. 
This upper stratum often contains a suf- 
ficiency of clay to make it diflicult for 
surface-water to penetrate beneath it, and 
the surface being nearly level, causes the 
water to be retained to the injury of grow- 
ing crops. This bed of sand and gravel 
often comes to the surface on higher ground, 
and the water there entering it, it becomes sat- 
urated beneath the bed of clay, causing the 
water there to press upward, and where it 
can issue, will cause a spring at the surface, 
but more generally will ooze very gradually 
through the clay bed and make the sur- 
face a cold and wet soil, unfavorable to 
grain crops. This appears to have been the 
condition of the lands of the President on 
Pamunky River, which he had drained very 
effectually by tapping this bed of gravel 
at the lowest possible point by a deep ditch, 
thus drawing off the water from the gravel 
bed, and preventing its pressure upward 
through the more compact bed above it, and 
thus draining land at least half a mile off. 

Another member gave his experience in 
underdraining, where the stratum was similar 
with but this difference, the under bed of 
sand and gravel, instead of being saturated 
with water, was comparatively dry. Here 
this bed evidently had an outlet on lower 
ground, perhaps in the bed of a river, and 
thus was drained off its water. Here an 
opposite course of operation answered the 
end effectually. As it was only necessary 
to guard against surface water, this was 
done by boring holes with a post-auger 
through the clay bed into the gravel bed, 
thus discharging the surface water in that 
way. This being done in the lowest places, 
and when the field was put down to wheat, 
and the holes left open, would protect that 
crop. Stones not being convenient, else the 
holes might have been filled with them; but 
as they were renewed with little labor, they 
could be easily opened again at the sowing 
of the next crop, when stock would not be 
admitted in the field. These holes would 
partially fill up during winter, but answered 
the end effectually for the time. 

Here were two distinct operations for 
draining land, both answering the purpose 
under their respective conditions, and it 
is not unlikely both might be adopted to J 
advantage in some localities. For instance, ! 
where the gravel bed could be drained as j 



1859.] 



THE SOUTH ERN PLANTER. 



11 



the President's was, there might be placet 
where the larihoe water could be more 
readily discharged by boring poet-holec into 

avel bed than by any Other mode. 

Other modes of anoerdraining were prao- 
ti-i'l by other persons. These different 

plane show the necessity of Btadying the 

character of the formations beneath the 

surface, BO as to adopt the best method of 
effecting the end desired. In other parts of 
the State these plani could not be carried 
out. In the Piedmont region of our State, 

bordering the Blue Ridge, we have no beds 

of sand and gravel, or of clay, lying hori- 
zontally beneath the surface. Our soil is 
derived entirely from the decomposition of 
the primitive rocks now in place, and they 
being tilted up at a high angle, presents the 
different strata of rocks, either wholly or 
partially decomposed in that situation. And 
these strata being full of cracks, seams, and 
fissures, readily admit the water into the 
bowels of our hills, from whence it finds its 
way out to the surface of the foot of the 
hills in small streams, giving us an abund- 
ance of good water for stock purposes. No 
other country with which I am acquainted 
is as well watered as this. Many farms 
may be divided into ten acre fields, and 
have running water in every field, and yet 
but little land that needs underdraining — 
the country is too rolling for surface water 
to lie long on the ground. Some few spots 
are benefitted by being thrown into beds, as 
is practised largely on tide-water. 

Some discussion on the cultivation of corn 
was incidentally entered into, and some ques- 
tions asked whether deep cultivation of grow- 
ing corn was best, and whether hilling it up 
was advisable. Experience is the best test in 
this matter, and I propose to state the mode 
adopted by one of my sons, who now farms 
my land. His plan is, to plough deeply — 
in the spring if possible — as soon as the 
ground is in good order after the frost is out 
of it. There is always a longer, or shorter 
season, at that time, when the ground 
is in good order for ploughing mellow. 
This is preferred to fall ploughing. Then, 
at the proper season, harrow the ground 
to a fine tilth, but be sure to do that, by 
using the clod-crusher if not eifected without 
it. He has made an implement to mark 
his ground — in this way. lie takes the fore- 
wheels, axle, and tongue, of Pitt's Thresher 
and Cleaner, aud to these he has attached a 
piece of timber, say four inches square and 



longer thai the width of Iwo row- of corn, 

with three arm.-, about two Of three feel l«"ig 
mortised into it, and fastened to the axle at 
each end, and the middle with a hinge- 
joint, so as to raise up and down. Into this 
piece of timber are three other pieces mor- 
tised, say two feet long, to stand at an angle 
like a shovel plough stock; to these pieces, 
small shovels are attached and placed just 
as far apart as we want the rows of OOrn to 
be. Then with one hand and two h< 
three rows may be marked out at a time, 
thus doing work rapidly ; go over the Geld 
both ways before planting, then drop the 
corn cross-ways of the last marking out — it 
will be much more correctly dropped than 
to go the other way. 

For covering the corn he uses horse 
power, with a plough somewhat similar to a 
shovel plough, only with two shovels fasten- 
ed to the stock of the plough by a bar of 
iron bent in form of a half circle with a 
small shovel at each end about one foot 
apart, and the middle of the plough at- 
tached to the plough stock. Thus by 
running one shovel on each side of dropped 
corn, it is covered with a small ridge over 
it; this ridge w r ill not bake so hard with 
heavy rains as if covered flat, and the corn 
comes up better; and then if we have 
heavy, washing rains, the shovel marks on 
each side of the row leads the water along 
side the corn, and not over it, and prevents 
its washing as badly as if the whole of the 
water ran over the hill of corn. This ad- 
vantage was very perceptible in this section 
last spring with our heavy rains, the 
corn was not washed, I suppose, hall' as 
badly as if the old mode of planting had 
been adopted. This places the corn but 
little below the level of the ground, and if 
the ground is in proper order, it is hardly 
necessary to again harrow it, but after the 
corn gets up a little, run a double-shovel 
pretty close to the corn, so as to throw a 
little earth around the hill, then after the 
grass and weeds begin to grow again, go 
through it the other way, covering np the 
grass around the hills, in the meanwhile thin 
it ;it suitable times, and use such fertilizers 
as may be advisable. We have seldom 
used any thing but plaster and ashes, and 
never put a hoe into the corn field after 
planting, if then. We very often go through 
our corn but twice to cultivate, sometimes, 
though rarely, three times, and with fair 
us we expect from 40 to 60 bushels 



12 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



per acre. We then decidedly prefer level 
culture, using only double-shovels, and they 
not large ones — and deprecate hilling of 
corn in cultivation, or stirring the ground 
deeply after planting. The ground can be 
much easier put in order before planting 
than after, and then the after work is much 
easier. YARDLEY TAYLOR. 

Loudon Coun'y. 



For the Planter 



The Guano Controversy 



enough 



Mr. Editor — I am "old fog 
still to think that true faith and sound prin 
ciples are necessary in order to good morals 
and correct practice. In the August num- 
ber of the Planter, over the signature of 
" Win. A. Bradford," I was pleased to find 
a well written piece, which ably supports my 
views as set forth in a critique upon " X. of 
the Republican," and in my replication to 
his rejoinder, to wit : that guano is not a 
mere stimulant, furnishing no pabulum for 
the plant, nor fertility to the soil. This is 
ably sustained by Mr. Bradford ; but he de- 
nies what /admitted, that guano and other 
manuring agents, may "stimulate" the plant. 
Says that gentleman: "I do apprehend how 
in the animal kingdom agencies of this kind 
(meaning stimulants) are more or- less ope- 
rative, but I have yet to learn the mode in 
which the vegetable kingdom is rendered 
thus impressible." Now, sir, it is plainly 
one thing to know the fact of a certain ex- 
istence, and quite another to " apprehend" 
the mode and manner of its existence and 
operation. We know that food, taken into 
a healthy stomach, nourishes the body, but 
how the process of digestion, assimulation 
and final appropriation to fat, muscle, 
bone, sinew, &c, is carried on, has not been, 
and may never be " apprehended" by finite 
minds. The thing to be apprehended, is not 
"the mode in which the vegetable kingdom 
is rendered thus impressible," but the fact. 
If the fact is found to exist — there must be 
some "mode," whether "apprehended" or 
not. Again says this gentleman, "vegeta- 
bles are not subject to the action of mere 
stimulants. In its common acceptation, a 
stimulant is any agent that exalts or quick- 
ens the vital forces or actions." Animals 
that have to seek their food, are endowed 
with sensation and are urged by the calls of 
nature, to use the powers of locomotion with 
which they are constituted, to meet the de- 



mands of appetite, but the poor plant feels 
no want of food, and if it did, it is incapa- 
ble of making any exertion to obtain it." — 
Some animals have " no power of locomo- 
tion," and will scarcely be " urged by the 
calls of nature" to use powers of locomotion 
with which they are "not" constituted. — 
What then ? Of course having no use for 
it, they have no " sensation," and cannot be 
" subject to the action of mere stimulants." 
Thus it may be seen the gentleman places 
some animals and vegetables in the same 
category. Where then shall the stand point 
be found, above which the susceptibility to 
stimulants ranges, and below which it ceases. 
Animals have "powers of locomotion" to 
seek food, and are therefore " endowed with 
sensation." " Vegetables" have no " pow- 
ers of locomotion," and therefore they have 
no sensation. But some animals have no 
" powers of locomotion," and therefore they 
too have no sensation. Is not this a logical 
sequence? Again, "vegetables," says the 
same writer, "are destitute of the semblance 
of nervous excitability." If this be true, 
how is it that the sun-flower inclines to the 
sun in his diurnal course ? Will the answer 
be, because it has been thus constituted ? — 
This explains no more than to say, it is so 
because it is so. Why may we not say that 
the "vegetable" being "endowed" with "ex- 
citability, or the susceptibility of being act- 
ed upon by the rays of the sun, thus in- 
clines? How is it that the leaves of the 
sensative plant droop upon a touch of the 
hand ? that some flowers close their petals 
upon a similar touch, and some again are 
open by day and close at night ? These are 
facts, and demonstrate that " vegetables are 
rendered thus impressible." The gentleman 
admits plants to be " provided with organs 
of circulation, absorption and secretion," 
and that these organs are controlled by phy- 
sical laws and though destitute of the rudest 
form of nerves, yet that there exists a mys- 
terious force, a vis vitse — a " divinity within 
that shapes its end." All this I contend 
but demonstrates that "they are thus im- 
pressible" and are susceptible of "the action 
of stimulants," agents that exalt and quick- 
ens the vital forces or actions." Vitality is 
indeed dormant, without the action of such 
agents, and can exhibit none of the active 
properties or phenomena of life. The leaf- 
less tree and torpid toad present like spec- 
tacles, in the animal and vegetable king- 
doms. The genial warmth of the vernal 






1859.] 



T II K SO IT II ERN PLANTE K 



ia 



sun awakens (stimulates) each to life . 
"Hut how it exists, or where toe force re- 
aides," is, verj truly, "beyond human ken," 
as all the operations of nature are. " For 
who by searching can and out God?" 

One remark more: The gentleman - 
jribe the difference in the permanence 
of guano as a manure, and the ordinary 
home-made manures, eutirely to the larger 
quantity of such manures as comnionl) ap- 
plied. This may, to some small extent) be 
-but I think it ascribable to a much 
greater extent, to the fact, that all home- 
made manures contain a large proportion ofl 
OOarse material, that cannot be elaborated | 
and assimilated, to a condition to act as food | 
for the plant sooner than the second or even 
the third year after its application, whereas 
guano is already in a state to meet the de- 
Diands of the plant, needing only due mix- 
ture with soil and solution. 

Notwithstanding this liberty of criticism 
has been taken, L render to the gentleman a 
tribute of thanks, that he lias rendered me 
smh timely and efficient aid in my conflict 
with the Herculean lance of "X. of the Re- 
publican." Should his shot overtake "X." 
prancing on his gallant hobby, " stimulate 
the soil," it can scarcely fail to inflict a fatal 
wound. 13. 



For the Southern Planter. 

Action of Lime and Marl on Tide-Water 
Soils. 

The October number of the Southern 
Planter contains an article from "Wm. D. 
(Ire-ham, Esq., of Forest Hill, King cv. 
d county," entitled the "Action of 
lame, or Marl, on Soils Below the Falls of 
the Tide-Water Rivers of Virginia." All 
lys of both lime and marl is true, and 
but for them our Tide- Water country would 
have been abandoned by its owners, as it 
begun to be in 1832, and as it continued to 
br several years thereafter. But the 
emigrants to the "Sunny South," encoun- 
tering unlooked for privations and sacrifices, 
had cause to long for the "flesh pots" of 
Old Virginia, and to observe that the few 
who remained at home, and bought them- 
selves rich by buying their lands at from 
three and a half to four dollars the acre, 
Were doing a better business than they who 
Were " going out" to make cotton. About 
tins time, or a little after, the '-Farmer's 
Register" was commenced in ''little Peters- 



l.\ Edmund Ruffin, Beq., and much 

did it do to keep men here at home, and to 

atop the Southern and South-Western tide 

then "setting in." About that time a dis- 
tant light first began to gleam upon the 
\ ision of our most intelligent farmers. 

FfOm pride, birth, ami the ownership of 

estates that none save the Indians ami their 

own cavalier ancestors ever owned, the 
present owners did not wish to sell. This 
determined them to find some means to en- 
able them to hold these lands — when lo ! 
the lands theiusehes contained the n. 
within them. A little research, a little ex- 
ertion, deep drainage, and the application 
of lime or marl, transformed these "old 
fields" into prairies; the forlorn homestead 
into a tasty mansion, that a Davis or^ Per- 
civall might have fashioned. Lands pur- 
chased from spendthrift owners in 1843, at 
■SI 7, in 1858 are worth more than S00 per 
acre. Such is the "action of lime or marl 
on soils below the falls of the Tide-Water 
Rivers of Virginia," yet, all is not known 
nor understood. These miocenc marls most 
always betoken the proximity of eocene marl. 
The converse, however, is* not true. Miocene 
is the top, eocene the bottom. We have the 
bottom along our rivers, without the top, but 
never the top without the bottom, because 
it is too weighty. Understand me. The 
eocene is not necessarily immediately under 
the mioccne, but it is not far off. I have 
seen them in close proximity. But who- 
ever, in the Pamunkey country, has miocene 
marl, will find the eocene if he will but look 
for it. In the cliffs and ravines where he 
finds his miocenc, if he will go low enough, 
he will be certain of reaching eocene. This 
I have seen both from farming experience 
and from cuttings on the York River Bail- 
road. I expect it is equally true of the 
Mattapony country. For on one occasion I 
remember to have seen eocene marl in the 
river bank just above Mantua, and on 
another occasion in Gloucester, at Warner 
Ball, 1 saw what I took for eoeem marl, 
but the Owner said it was miocenc marl and 
marsh mud combined, (what is called in this 
county "blue fuller.") It IS a rich marl, 
but to which class it belongs I am not geolo- 
gist enough to Bay, though 1 am farmer 
enough to have u.-ed it, and fco have found 
it a rapid improver. I applied it on forty 
acres of land, which hid made previous to 
its application but tWO barrels and a half of 
corn per acre, and this year, dry as it has 



14 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



been, it made five barrels of corn per acre. 
We do not altogether know what we possess 
in this lower country, beyond the certainty 
of ague and fever, which deep drainage and 
a free use of lime or marl will remedy, and 
in some cases prevent. 

Tide-Water farmers, who would not check 
their career of improvement, must beware 
of tobacco, lest while they are making that, 
to obtain cash in hand, their capital is de- 
preciating. For the $100 per acre to be 
made on twenty acres of tobacco, they are 
losing $40 per acre on the hundred acres of 
land they might marl whilst making the 
twenty acres of tobacco. Land worth twenty 
dollars per acre down here, having three 
hundred bushels of eocene marl per acre 
applied to it, is immediately worth forty 
dollars per acre. The more heavily you 
marl within a reasonable limit, and the more 
deeply you drain, the more heavily you can 
crop. We present the singular phenomenon 
of owning land which we can crop u ad 
infinitum" and improve " ad infinitum" at 
the same time, and under the same process. 
Tobacco, however, is a crop demanding so 
much attention and care, that whilst that 
care and attention are being bestowed on it, 
the rest of the farm is being neglected. If 
gentlemen would first get their lands heavily 
marled, and deeply drained, they may then 
entertain tobacco speculations with pro- 
priety, for then "with the will there comes 
the way/' and not until then. With proper 
care and attention we can raise any product 
of the temperate zone. This, all may not 
believe, but it is nevertheless true. We 
want our farmers to be educated, and we 
want capital to come amongst us. I have 
never yet known a well educated man, with 
a tolerable command of capital, who once 
located amongst us, who wanted to quit. In 
ease and cheapness of access to market, and 
the number of markets open and available 
to us, no country can excel ours. All of 
these are matters of the first moment, and 
the larger our Atlantic cities grow, and the 
more numerous they become, the greater 
must be their influence on the price of all 
lands tributary to them by means of steam 
and sail navigation. Who was the first Tide- 
Water man, who commenced the use of 
marl, I cannot say, I have heard that old 
Mr. John Roane, of King William, was the 
first. He marled a lot and was so pleased 
at the result, that he never failed to take his 
visitors to see it, but never marled any more. 



(I won't sware to the truth of this.) Next 
was Mr. Thomas Carter, of Pampatike. He 
marled his front field, but so heavily that it 
is only within the last few years that the 
land has recovered from the excessive appli- 
cation. Both of these were miocene marls. 
After that, the use of eocene marl was com- 
menced on a farm in King William county, 
not far from Newcastle Ferry, (but not the 
Newcastle farm,) and the friends of this 
gentleman feared that a love of good society, 
and of eocene marl, ivould break him. This 
as far back as 1833. What induced 



was 



the three gentlemen above named to use 
these marles I cannot say, but have a vague 
impression that they had been used in New 
Jersey under the direction of Professor 
Henry D. Rodgers, who, from geological 
information, and from the use of marls in 
England, advised their use in New Jersey, 
and wherever else they were known to exist. 
I cannot tell the exact year the " Farmer's 
Register" was begun, but think the gentle- 
men above mentioned had commenced their 
experiments prior to its publication. That 
Journal took the matter up, and did all it 
could to encourage the use of both lime and 
marl. If any one who may read this has infor- 
mation as to who was certainly the first man 
to use marl, and what induced its use, we 
will be much pleased to learn. The reader 
must not understand me as saying, that the 
mere fact of owning a farm with marl under 
it, is synonymous with having a rich one. 
The poorest farm I now can think of, is one 
with the greatest amount of natural ad- 
vantages. It is enterprise and exertion, 
combined with a vigorous attention, that 
changes the Pamunky and its adjacent sand- 
fields, into 

"Sweet fields arrayed in living green, and 
rivers of delight." 

On these same sands and marshes, where 
once the partridge and the snipe were the 
best owners, now are seen "a most living 
landscape, and the wave of woods and corn- 
fields, and the abodes of men scattered at 
intervals, and wreathing smoke arising from 
such rustic roofs." The whistle of the 
farm steam engine, and the creak of the 
marl cart, all tell the age and section in 
which we live. I, for one, believe that 
Eastern Virginia has seen her lowest ebb, 
and that the "springs of the rising tide" 
will bear us on to greatness. With the 
" Enquirer" of old, let us say il nous verrons." 
TIDE-WATER FARMER. 



1 869. ] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANT BR. 



15 



From the Michigan Fanner. 

The Feeding of Milk Cattle. 
If a Parmer have ■ pair of cattle, and 

lie neither wants them to work nor to make 
heel', be feeds them enough t<> keep them in 
condition, hut whenever he wants them for 

a long pull of steady work, he begins to 
give them rood in quantities that will not 

only rapport them, but will also supply all 
that they waste by inuseular exertion. 
If he does not feed in that way the eattle 
will not only lose flesh, but at last will be- 
come so weak that they cannot perform a 
full day's work, so that the farmer suffers 
pecuniarily in two ways by this attempt at 
being saving — for the cattle decrease in 
falne, and their work is alee less in amount 
than it should be. Every farmer will ex- 
claim, "The man who does busiuess in that 
way, is unwise, and imprudent, as well as 
ignorant of his true interests;" yet it is very 
probable, that the same process of deprecia- 
tion is going on in their own barn-yards 
amongst their milch cows. 

What is milk ? Is it not a certain amount 
of raw material, produced by the animal 
either from a surplus of food, or by a waste 
of the actual substance of the body. If 
the animal lias a surplus of food and is able 
ntume d, its body suffers no diminution, 
nor does the supply of milk ; but when it 
has only a sufficiency of food to support the 
waste constantly going on from vital action, 
the supply of milk is only yielded at the ex- 
pense of the carcase, and the farmer loses 
at both ends, the cows depreciating in value, 
and the yield of milk being less and less, 
until it is utterly dried off, and there is 
nothing left but a skin and a skeleton. 

It is no unusual incident to have a farmer 
point out to us one of these specimens of 
skin and skeleton as the best cow he has in 
his yard for milk, with the remark that, 
u she is a splendid cow when she is in flesh, 
or before calving, but that as soon as she 
calves, she runs all to milk, and becomes as 
poor as a crow." Now the fact is that the 
cow is really a valuable animal probably, 
and is willing to do all that can be asked to 
be profitable. She has large organs for 
secreting milk, which will act while ever 
there is anything left for them to work 
upon, and when the food does not supply it, 
they draw upon the body. Such a cow as 
that is not rightly fed, hence the reason she 
becomes thin and loses flesh after calving. 
Her milk secreting organs are not supplied 



gain nor 

nor does 



with all the material whieh they can DM, 

and tlu* consequence is that flier use np the 

OOW. L"t OB look at th<' S peed with which 
they BM it '/ 

A eon that will weigh 600 pounds, ought 
to consume about 20 pounds of the best hay 

per diem to keep her BO that --he will neither 
lose, supposing she milk, 

any kind of work whatever. Now 
a cow that gives ten quarts of milk per day, 
it is evident, ou-ht to have enough fond 
over and above that, of the right hind, to 
enable her to furnish that quantity of milk. 
What is the food which will do (hat? The 
composition of the milk will tell. Milk, ac- 
cording to the analysis of Baidlen, whieh is 
the best known, contains in 1000 parts : 

Water 873.00 

Butter :« >.< II ) 

Casein 4850 

Milk Sugar 43 90 

Phospate of Lime 2. Ml 

Mineral Matters 2.59 



1000.00 



So that in 10 quarts or 20 pounds of milk 
we would have of solid matter, 2.60, which 
would be composed as follows : 



Butter O.fiof) 

Ciipein 1.000 

Milk Sugar 0.875 

Fhosphate of Lime 0.045 

Mineral Matters 0.055 



lbs. 



2.6 

In addition therefore to the 20 pounds of 
hay, there should be fed to the cow, sub- 
stances containing from 25 to 30 per cent, 
of materials which will easily form the 
above elements, and which also will be so 
palatable that she will be induced to con- 
sume them readily. As an instance of the 
truth of this, we give the result of an expe- 
riment made with three cows which calved 
about the same time, and were each treated 
differently. 

No. 1. On the 1st of January or about 
three weeks after calving, gave l5J quarts 
of milk per day, and weighed 980 pounds 
She was fed 28 pounds of hay per day, and 
in nine weeks lost 84 pounds of flesh, and 
fell off to 9 £ quarts of milk per day. 

No. 2. At the same date gave 12 quarts, 
and weighed 840 pounds. She was fed 18 
pounds of hay 45 pounds of turnips, and 9 
pounds of ground oats for four weeks, when 
the ration of ground oats was discontinued. 



16 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



Then she lost in both flesh and milk, and at 
the end of nine weeks, she lost 28 pounds 
of flesh, and gave but 6| quarts of milk. 

No. 3. Gave 15-] quarts of milk per day 
and weighed 1092 pounds. She was fed, 
with a steamed mixture of cut hay and 
straw, oat chaff, turnips, bran, meal and 
rape cake, which actually cost less than the 
feed of No. 2, by about 20 cents for the 
nine weeks. At the end of the trial she 
had gained in flesh 50 pounds, and her milk 
averaged 12} quarts per day. 

To keep a cow fully up to her milk, rating 
it at 10 quarts per day, it has been estima- 
ted, that it would need over and above the 
amount of hay required for her necessary 
maintenance, 10 lbs. of hay to supply the 
casein, and 20 lbs. to yield the oleaginous 
elements for the butter, and 4 i lbs. for the 
supply of the phosphoric acid and other 
minerals. No cow could eat hay enough to 
supply the amount, and therefore, if we 
would have them fully profitable, they must 
be fed on other materials. It must be 
borne in mind also, that where butter is the 
manufactured article, the substances used 
may very much promote a supply of milk 
yielding a large proportion of butter. 

So convinced was an English gentleman, 
named Horsfall, of this fact, and of the 
importance of keeping up his milch cows in 
flesh, so that he might not lose, after 
calving, the flesh which they had made pre- 
vious to that time, that he instituted a 
number of experiments, and found that 
when his milch cows were kept up in flesh, 
their cream was worth nearly twice as much 
as that yielded by ordinary milk for the 
purposes of making butter. 

For instance, good milk of more than or- 
dinary quality will seldom yield over one 
ounce of butter to a quart of milk, and 
when the cream is taken, the richest known 
yield is at the rate of 14 ounces of butter 
to a quart of cream, but more generally it 
seldom exceeds 9 or 10 ounces to the quart. 
Mr. Horsfall found that by his mode of 
feeding, his cream would yield from a quart 
from 22 to 25 ounces of butter, and from 
the milk he got at the rate of 25 ounces of 
butter to every 40 pounds. 

To obtain such results, however, Mr. 
Horsfall, found that he must feed his cows 
on food that besides sustaining the animal, 
would also contain a surplus of the ele- 
ments of curd, of butter, and of bone, suffi- 
cient for the formation of the quantity of 



milk which the cow was in the habit of 
giving, or in other words the rations of 
food must contain casein, olein and phos- 
phates, not only sufficient to supply the 
natural waste of the animal, by keeping up 
its muscles, its bones and its respiration, but 
also to enable it to give' milk to the utmost 
powers of its secreting organs, fully satura- 
ted with the particles of butter. 

He found that a cow could not possibly 
consume, were she to keep her jaws moving 
for the whole twenty-four hours, a quantity 
of either hay or turnips sufficient to produce 
milk or butter in such amount as would 
render the keeping of cows profitable, and 
that he must rely upon other articles of 
food, in the composition of which there were 
the requisite elements. 

After various trials of different substances 
and mixtures, it was found that one of the 
most economical compounds, with regard to 
results, and value of the materials, was 
formed from rape cake, 5 pounds, bran 2 
pounds, for each cow, mixed with a suffi- 
cient quantity of cut bean straw, and oat 
chaff, to supply each animal with three 
meals of as much as it would eat. This 
mixture was steamed, and with it was fed 
likewise, a pound of bean meal, 25 pounds 
of turnips or mangle wurzels and after 
each meal 4 pounds of hay. 

The bean straw mentioned above, it 
may be well to note, is not the stalks of 
our field beans, but of the variety known as 
the Windsor bean. When dry, this straw is 
about as palatable as buckwheat straw, but 
when steamed " it becomes soft and pulpy, 
emits an agreeable odor, and imparts flavor 
and relish to the mess." It is not by any 
means equal to our corn stalks as a substance 
for feed, and we believe were corn stalks 
treated in the same way, they would prove 
more valuable. The rape cake used, is the 
remains of the seed of the cole wort or rape 
plant after it is pressed for its oil. The cole 
or rape plant is a vegetable of the turnip 
species, the seed of which is very rich in 
oils. The oil made from this seed is princi- 
pally used for burning, and contains a large 
proportion of this fatty matter, as much as 
10 per cent., besides nearly 40 per cent, 
more of starch, sugar and gum, all of which 
yield 50 parts of fat to every 90. 

Heifers fed in this way, not giving milk, 
and dry cows intended for the butcher, in- 
creased fourteen pounds each per week, and 



1858.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



17 



sometimes eves more, of at the rate of two 
pounds per day. 
If we compare this kind of feeding with 

the treatment our milk cuttle usually gel 
during the winter, we will easily perceive 
die profit of one system and the want of 
profit in the other. 

A milch cow that receives 20 pounds of 
the poorest quality of hay, and S quarts 
of bran per day, is considered as very well 
taken care of, not one half the cows in this 
State receive as much. Such hay is worth 
$6 per ton, and the bran is now sold at $8 
per ton ; it is therefore easy to calculate the 
cost of keeping a cow as being worth about 
eight cents per day, for the hay feeding is 
worth six cents and the bran estimated as 
averaging half a pound to the quart is 
worth nearly two cents. In return, the cow 
yields probably from four to six quarts of 
milk per day. Take the largest amount 
and allowing each quart of milk to yield an 
ounce of butter, and we have as the daily 
return of the cow, 6 ozs. of butter, which at 
eighteen cents per pound, is worth 6f cts., 
exactly. The manure, and the skim milk, 
we allow as paying for the work of feeding, 
and the labor of manufacturing the butter. 
There would be a loss therefore on each 
cow of 1 1 cent per day, which in a dairy of 
six cows, kept at this rate, and averaging 
this amount of produce, for a whole winter, 
of 160 days, would amount to twelve dollars. 
We think this a moderate computation, and 
that the loss more generally reaches twice 
that amount, especially when it is consider- 
ed that there is hardly a dairy in the State 
in which there are six cows that will average 
four quarts apiece per day for the whole of 
the winter, even on a better supply of food 
than that above noted. 

In illustration of an extraordinary in- 
stance of feeding, and its profits, we give 
the following from a letter we received from 
Mr. Becket Chapman, of South Boston, 
Ionia County : 

" In the winter of 1856, I fed one cow 



good hay a</ libitum, good stable and plenty 
of litter. She made 10 lbs of butter per 
week. Corn was worth 76 cents per bush- 
el, and batter 25 cents per pound. Will 
the editor please let us know if corn can be 
used to more advantaged" 

We regret that Mr. Chapman has not 
given us some idea of the weight and value 
of hay he fed to his cows, but calling it 16 
pounds per day, and worth £< s per ton, and 
we have the result per week as follows : 

FIRST YEAR. 

Hay, 112 lbs. at $8 per ton, $0.45 

Corn Meal at 50 cts. per bushel for com,. . 0.90 
Bran at f>0 cts. per 100 lbs., 0.25 



Butter made 8 lbs. at 25 cts. 



$1.80 

2.00 



Leaving as a profit per week, .10 

SECOND YEAR. 



Hay, 20 lbs. per day at $8 per ton,. . . 
Indian Meal, 42 quarts, corn at 75 cts.,, 



10.56 

1.13 



$1.60 
Produce, 10 lbs. of butter per week at 25 cts., 2,50 



Profit per week, $0.81 

It will be noted that after allowing four 
pounds of hay per day to make up for the 
want of the bran, the scalding of the meal 
seems to give a profit of 81 cents plus the 
increased price of the corn and the value of 
the six quarts saved, making altogether a 
difference of 88 cents in favor of the cooked 
food, and valuing the feed at the same rates 
as those of the year before, a profit per 
week of $1.18 from a single cow. 

Though we do not think this the most 
profitable mode of feeding milk cows, 
yet, it is a fair illustration of the fact that 
cows will pay better to be kept right, than 
to have them uncared for and only half fed 
up to their work. 

W 



call the attention of the butter- 
makers, and the keepers of milk stock to 
one and a half bushels of Indian meal and j the facts set down here as worth their con- 
one and a half bushels of bran per week, be- sideration. If any of them do better, and 
sides what hay she would cat. She made we have understated or underrated, any part 
eight pounds of butter per week. Corn | f the subject, we are open for correction. 
was worth fifty cents per bushel, and bran ' Let the farmers give us facts, facts that 
50 cents per 100 lbs. Butter sold at 25 J come from the weighing beam,— we shall be 
cents. pleased to receive them, the earlier the bet- 

" In the winter of 1857, I fed a cow six ter as we shall have more to say on this 
quarts of Indian meal scalded per day, with subject. 
2 



IS 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



Virginia State Agricultural Society. 

SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 

Agreeably to the adjournment of the last 
Farmers' Assembly, a meeting of members 
elect for the present year assembled at the 
Market Street Baptist Church, in the city 
of Petersburg, on Monday Afternoon, the 
1st of November, 1858. 

It being manifest that no quorum was pre- 
sent, the meeting adjourned until Tuesday, 
the 2nd instant, at half-past 4 o'clock, P. M. 

Tuesday, Nov. 2nd, 1858. 
At half past four o'clock the meeting as- 
sembled at the same place. The Secretary 
of the Virginia State Agricultural Society 
called the meeting to order, and proceeded 
to call the roll to ascertain whether or not a 
quorum was in attendance. Forty-four mem- 
bers were found to be present, sixty-five 
being necessary to constitute a quorum, the 
meeting again adjourned to half-past seven 
o'clock, P. M. 

At half-past seven o'clock the Secretary 
again called the meeting to order, and pro- 
ceeded as heretofore to ascertain the number 
in attendance,. when the calling of the roll 
was arrested by a motion made, and put to 
the vote of the meeting by Mr. Cox, of 
Chesterfield, by which vote Col. Thomas M. 
Bondurant was elected Chairman of the 
meeting pro tempore. The Secretary of the 
Society was then requested to act as Clerk. 
The calling of the roll was resumed, and it 
appearing that but forty-five members were 
present, the meeting adjourned until Wed- 
nesday morning, 9 o'clock. 

Wednesday, Nov. 3rd, 1858. 

The meeting assembled agreeably to ad- 
journment, Col. Bondurant in the Chair. 

Mr. Wickham, of Hanover, offered the 
following resolution : 

Resolved, That the Farmers' Assembly is 
now in Session. 

Pending the discussion on this resolution, 
on the motion of Mr. Booth, of Nottoway, 
the meeting adjourned until half-past seven 
o'clock this evening. 

At half-past seven o'clock the meeting again 
assembled, Col. Bondurant in the Chair. 

The resolution of Mr. Wickham, of Han- 
over, being the first business in order, was 
taken up, when, on motion of Mr. Gar- 
nett, of Westmoreland, it was laid upon the 



table. Mr. Garnett then moved the adop- 
tion of the following resolution, which was 
carried in the affirmative : 

Resolved, That the Secretary do now pro- 
ceed to call the roll, to ascertain whether 
there be a quorum present, of the Farmers' 
Assembly. 

The roll was accordingly called, and there 
being found present but forty-five members, 
it was, on motion, 

Resolved, That this meeting do now ad- 
journ sine die. 

After the final adjournment of the meet- 
ing, the Secretary distributed among the 
members elect the following annual report 
of the Executive Committee to the Farmers' 
Assembly, with the accompanying docu- 
ments, which, through the courtesy and re- 
spect due to the Assembly, had been with- 
held, so long as there remained a hope of 
effecting an organization . 

Annual Report of the President and 

Executive Committee. 
Members of the Farmers Assembly : 

At your last session, in 1857, and by your 
several special orders sundry duties were 
entrusted to the Executive Committee, and 
which were thus required to be finally de- 
cided upon and completed by that Commit- 
tee. What has been done, or failed to be 
effected in these cases will be first presented 
to your notice. 

The President and Executive Committee, 
in their last Annual Report, had referred to 
the heavy expenditures attending the So- 
ciety's exhibitions as a growing evil, and to 
the efforts then made to restrain them. The 
partial success of those efforts may be seen 
on reference to the accompanying document, 
(A.) 

The policy of holding our Fairs at Rich- 
mond, upon an advance by the City, of an 
inadequate sum of money, had drawn so 
heavily upon the contingent or surplus fund, 
of the Society, that if we had held the 
present Fair there, that surplus fund amount- 
ing originally to about $5,000, which was 
reduced in 1857 to $3,000, would have been 
entirely exhausted, and, in addition, a debt 
incurred which could only have been paid 
out of the fixed capital of the Society. 

The first clause of the 11th section of the 
Constitution provides that, "All capital of 
the Society, now or hereafter invested, shall 
be held a fund sacred to the cause of Agri- 



isr,!).] TTIE BOUTHBKN PLANTER. 19 



cultural improvement, of which the income der the lead of the Union Society, of Vir- 
only shall be subject to appropriation." ginia and North Carolina, proposed terms 

This made it imperative upon the Exeeu- whose generosity entitles them to the thanks 
tive Committee to procure from the City, or of the Virginia State Agricultural Society, 
citizens, of Richmond, an adequate guaran- These terms, as is apparent, were accepted; 
tec that the expenditures for holding the and the Society is accordingly convened in 
present Pair should not exceed the income Petersburg. 

subject to appropriation, and that the SO- If this change of locality is to be the 
oommodations therefor should be oommodi- commencement of a new system as to the 

OUfl and in proper repair. And as the Con- terms on which the Fairs of the Society are 

stitution requires that "The Society shall to be held, it has at least one advantage in 
hold an Annual Exhibition, Cattle Show and the precedent it affords, by which it shall be 
Fair, at such time and place as the Farmers ;i fixed condition that the city or town hav- 
Assembly shall designate, or in default there- ing the benefit of the Fair will contribute 
of as may be designated by the Executive an amount sufficient to (liable the Society to 
Committee," the President and Executive hold it without violating the provisions of 
Committee brought their difficulties to the the Constitution. 

attention of the Farmers Assembly, in the Having thus concisely stated the grounds 
following passage in their last Annual Re- of their action, which arc hereby respect- 
port: ''The ground allowed to the Society fully submitted to the Fanners Assembly, 
for the Annual Fair and Exhibition, is in- the Executive Committee will cheerfully re- 
sufficient in space and accommodations. The ccive their instructions as to any further ac- 
Executive Committee, for the last two years tion upon the subject. 

have encountered much difficulty to make Acting under either the special or virtual 
up for the actual deficiencies — and in vain instructions of the Farmers Assembly, and 
efforts to obtain a suitable and permanent lo- in continuation of the still earlier adopted 
cation. On this account also, the expenses of and continued policy of the State Agricul- 
thc Society have been much increased. It tural Society, the Executive Committee en- 
is absolutely necessary that these disad- dcavorcd to obtain from the General Assem- 
vantages shall be removed, by sonic proper bly of the Commonwealth, the enactment of 
and permanent arrangement, in the ensuing several measures required for the improve- 
year, even if a necessary condition for relief merit and profit of agriculture, and for the 
shall be a removal of the Fair to some other removal of existing burdens and gricvan- 
location, cither neighboring or remote." As ces. Among these, the principal objects 
the Constitution devolved on the Farmers sought, were, pecuniary aid to the State So- 
v nibly the duty of designating a place cicty — relief from the worst, and only the 
for the Annual Fair, and in default thereof useless as well as oppressive features of the 
made it the business of the Executive Com- general fence law (and so far only in the 
mittec to supply their omission, it was ear- main respects, as to be sought for and ac- 
nestly hoped that this responsibility would ceptcd by voluntary agreement in particular 
have been taken by the Farmers Assembly, neighbourhoods,) — and relief from the in- 
The subject was referred to a special com- spections of manures, which are taxes on 
mittee of that body, who asked to be dis- agriculture and of no benefit whatever ex- 
charged from its further consideration, and cept to supply fees to the inspectors. Nei- 
that it should be referred back to the Exeeu- ther of these measures of benefit or relief to 
tive Committee. This course was adopted agriculture has ever been fully considered or 
by the Farmers Assembly, and loit the Ex- finally determined upon by tho Legislature. 
ecutive Committee no alternative but to raise The subject of the offer to the Society by 
the necessary funds in Richmond, or to ap- Col. Philip St. George Coeke, of the Bel 
peal to the liberality of some other city. Arsenal property at the price with inf< 
The accompanying document (B) will show at which he had* bought it, on the condition 
what the Fxecutive Committee considered of there being established there by the So- 
it their duty to do under these circumstance^, cicty an Agricultural Institute, or school, 
From that, it will appear that the City of was referred by your Body to the Executive 
Richmond declined to render Such aid as Committee and was promptly and delihor- 
the Executive Committee felt compelled to ately considered and acted upon. The rea- 
cquire, whilst the City of Petersburg, un-|sons of the Commits (fining the of- 



20 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



tor are set forth in the accompanying ab- 
stract (C) from the Journal of the Execu- 
tive Committee. 

The expenditures of the last year, (1857) 
not known or nearly completed at the 
time of the last Annual Report, though 
still much too large, are considerably cur- 
tailed in their total amount by different 
measures of improved economy. Yet, in 
the expenditures for that year, was included, 
the amount paid for printing the transactions 
of the Society, which before had been two 
years in arrear, and bringing the publica- 
tion up to the latest time — which is now the 
established policy. But with all the at- 
tempts made to reduce expenses, still, (as 
shown in the papers A and B.,) the expenses 
of the year and Fair of 1857, much exceed- 
ed the income and receipts of the Society — 
as the expenses of 1858 would have done, but 
for the change of location and of the system. 
Thus it has been, and would have continued, 
that the expenses of the Annual Fairs, 
added to other minor and indispensable ex- 
penditures, would have been more than 
enough to absorb all the income and availa- 
ble means of the Society, leaving, as here- 
tofore, not a dollar to devote to any other 
mode of increasing agricultural knowledge, 
or promoting agricultural interests. In that 
case, all that has yet been done, or could be 
done, by fairs alone, would be but a poor re- 
sult from its means. We would be among 
the last to depreciate the very important 
utility and benefits of great agricultural 
fairs, and the crowds of visitors attracted 
to them, consisting of the best population of 
our country. We would not abate a word 
of what was said in the last Annual Report, 
in eulogizing the social and general benefits 
of such fairs and meetings as this Society 
has heretofore held. But highly valuable 
as such fairs are — and more so for their in- 
direct and remote benefits than for their di- 
rect and immediate influence on agriculture, 
yet it is very certain, that the holding of 
fairs and exhibitions is neither the only nor 
the most effective means, by which our So- 
ciety can, with its funds, promote instruction 
in, and the improvement and progress of 
agriculture. And should it be a necessary 
result of removal to different, or even 
always changing localities for the Annual 
Fairs, and the requiring that the fairs shall 
defray their proper expenses, that their par- 
ticular benefits shall be greatly reduced, 
such change will at least leave the Society 



free, and able, to devote its income, so re- 
leased, to the amount of some $3,000 annu- 
ally, to other measures for aiding agricultu- 
ral instruction and improvement. There 
are many such measures that might be judi- 
ciously and profitably put in action. With- 
out designing to indicate any of these as the 
best, or deserving the earliest preference, 
we will refer, in general terms, to two only 
of such measures, both of unquestionable 
utility, if judiciously planned and executed, 
and either of which might be so extended 
as to absorb most beneficially for agriculture, 
much more than all that this Society can 
thus be enabled to pay for any such objects. 
One of the measures referred to, is one 
which has already much engaged the atten- 
tion and interest of the Society, and which 
was first brought forward in the General 
meeting of 1854, and discussed then and 
subsequently, and was proposed, at first, for 
the adoption and support of this Society and 
by its funds. This is the endowment of an 
agricultural professorship at the University 
of Virginia — or, it may be, more than one, 
if aided by other funds, and the liberality 
of the people of Virginia. 

Other and not less important measures 
would be, the cautious and limited beginning 
of Geological and Agricultural Surveys and 
reports thereupon, either for separate coun- 
ties or for any other stated and limited 
spaces of territory. The importance of a 
geological survey will not be over-estimated ; 
and the effect of a proper agricultural and 
statistical survey, similar in plan to the truly 
great work formerly conducted under the 
direction of the British Board of Agricul- 
ture, may be estimated from the influence 
of that work on the agriculture of England. 
The carrying through in any specified 
time of a system so great and complete, for 
the whole territory of Virginia, could not 
be effected, nor even thought of as a result 
to be produced by our spare funds, and with 
all the available aid in prospect. Neither 
would it 1*; necessary, nor desirable, for the 
whole operation to be in progress at once, or 
to be completed, generally, in any early 
time. Even if funds were now abundant 
for the purpose, the much larger portion of 
the State is not yet ready for the under- 
taking — and but a small portion of our peo- 
ple would yet appreciate the benefit, or be 
desirous, or even ready to profit fully by 
agricultural surveys and investigations. But 
certainly there are now some counties, or 






THE SOUTH KRN PLA NTKIt. 



21 



other localities, already enough advanced in 
agricultural improvement to be greatly bene- 
fited by these measures, and whose cnltiva- 
ton would so highly appreciate the benefits, 
m to be willing to pay half the aeoi 
expense — and also l>y other aid and infor- 
mation to forward the laboffs of the exami- 
ners and reporten of agricnltnral resonr- 
008, merits, deficiencies and errors, of the 
several districts. If, for example, this So- 
ciety chose to offer 81000, by an appropria- 
tion, for this object, and as a beginning and 
working of the plan, the appropriation 
should be offered in separate sums oi $250 
to each of the first four localities, (of any 
stated limits) that would severally advance 
an equal amount, to employ and pay well- 
qualined perBOns to examine and report fnl- 
ly upon the several sections of territory. In 
this manner, by the Society's offering $250, 
as much more would be added thereto from 
private contributions — or in default thereof, 
no expense would be incurred. There could 
be no contest, or struggle, for different pla- 
■ have preference of selection, and the 
first benefits of surveys, because the desig- 
nation would be made in the order of time 
in which offers of equal pecuniary aid would 
be made to the Society. No county would 
be thus examined, and its agriculture report- 
ed upon, that did not care enough for the 
benefit to be willing to pay half the expense. 
And the reports made of even a few of the 
11104 improved counties, in detached parts 
of the State, by as many different competent 
examiners, would serve not only to benefit 
the several counties, as it would principally, 
but also as instruction for all other lands of 
similar characters, or having like facilities 
for improvement and good management. 
The early labors of this kind would serve to 
prepare for and facilitate any succeeding 
surveys. And if, by possibility, there should 
be either failure or disappointment) in the 
results, the system could be suspended, or 
abandoned, at the close of the first, or of 
any later years' operations, without leaving 
any incumbrance for the future on the fund-, 
or any obstacle to subsequently better devis- 
ed plans and efforts of the Society, for its 
great object, the improvement of agriculture 
throughout the territory of Virginia. 

At the meeting of the Farmers Assembly 
in 1856, the Executive Committee was re- 
quired " to cause to be made a marble bust 
and a portrait of Philip St. I Oooke, 

Esq., to be bestowed as this body shall here- 



after determine.' 4 The Executive Commit- 
tee appointed William Boulware, Wm. II. 

Bfacfarland and !!. II. Dulany, Bsqrs v a 
committee to consult with Col. Cocke, and 
make necessary arrangements for having bi.- 

bust and portrait made, in accordance witb 

instructions. The portrait has been 

Completed by a distinguished artist, and is 
now in the possession of the Secretary of 
the Society, subject to the Order of VOUT 

body; and the causes which delayed the ac- 
tion of the Committee in the further execu- 
tion of those instructions are ,-et forth in 
their report, marked (D.) 

The Committee take great pleasure in ac- 
knowledging the receipt, through the Hon. 

Wm. Ballard Preston, of Montgomery, of 
sixty-one valuable works on French Agri- 
culture, which have been kindly tender 
the Society by M. Monny de Mornay, Di- 
rector of the Department of Agriculture in 
France \ and they have instructed their 
President to acknowledge, in suitable terms, 
their high appreciation of the valuable gift, 
and of the liberal spirit which prompted the 
gift. (Sec document E.) 

By the Constitution of the Society, it is 
made the duty of the Executive Committee 
to arrange all the counties, cities and towns 
of Virginia, in which there are known resi- 
dent Members of the Society into Electoral 
Districts, for the Election of Members of 
the Farmers' Assembly. By the recent ar- 
rangement there are sixty-nine Electoral 
Districts and one hundred and twenty-eight 
Members of the Farmers' Assembly. 

The Treasurer's report and accounts 
(marked F) will be herewith submitted; 
also the entire journal of proceedings of 
the Executive Committee for the past year 
and for the preceding years. 

By order of the Executive Committee. 
EDMUND 7UTFIX, 
president of the Virginia State 

AgricukurcU Socu ty. 



(A) 



Expenses and Receipts of .Innunl Fairs since 1853. 
Kni>i:nsks— 1853. 

Incidental expenses, including ad- 
vertising, Forage. Ice 92.145 07 

Recfipts. 
Donation Madame Sontag. .% 100 00 % 

Gate Fees I -'-'IT 17 



*.'.<' 17 17 
The police department paid by the city, a 
large part of the service being grafnil 



22 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



Expenses — 1854. 



Receipts. 



Incidental expenses 

Printing and advertising. 



.. $1,311 32 Rente.. . 
•JIT) 62 Gate Fee 



; 445 00 
2.843 62 



Forage department 1.297 97 | City of Richmond for horse 



Police department 2.591 20 



$5,416 11 



Receipts. 

Gate Fees $3, 289 50 

Rents 200 00 

Badges 707 30 

City of Rich'cl for police, . 1.000 00 



$5.1 ( J6 80 



Expenses — 1855. 

Office expenses $ 

Inc lental 1.006 59 

Off expense of plate, &c. . . 535 00 1 

Printing and advertising 

Ticket office 

Police department 2 . 

Forage department 1. 

Repairs to Fair Grounds 



338 

.071 

263 

130 
807 
241 
593 



$6,446 73 



Receipts. 



Gate Fees. 
Badges 
Rent 



$2,505 76 
551 32 

400 00 

$3,457 08 



Expenses — 1856. 

Office expenses $ 396 78 

Printing and advertising, of which 

4 47 for Farmers' Assembly 694 74 

Incidental expenses 1.005 58 

Ticket office 116 12 

Police department 2.658 75 

Forage department 958 97 

Repairs to Fair Grounds 949 11 

Rent of horse lot 500 00 



lot ■ 1.000 00 



Receipts. 

Gate Fees $2.^70 31 

Badges 365 44 

Rents 250 00 

J. P. Ballard's donation on 

account of horse lot 166 67 



$3,152 42 



Expenses — 1857. 

Office expense? $ 

Incidental expenses 

Ticket office 

Police ^department 1 

Forage department 

Repairs to Fair Grounds 

Rent of horse lot ' 1 



$4,288 62 

The above statement shows the incidental 
receipts from the holding of the Fairs, and the 
incidental expenses attending them, except the 
premiums. 

(B) 
Refers to proceedings of the Executive 
Committee on the 27th November, 1857 — 
the 2 7 tli of January following, and on the 
27th of April, 1858, all which were con- 
tained in a card published by the Secretary 
in the October number of the Southern 
Planter, page 593. 

(C) 

At a meeting of the Executive Committee 
of the' Virginia State Agricultural Society 
on the 26th of November, 1858, the follow- 
ing report was submitted by Mr. Knight 
and unanimously adopted : 

The committee appointed to visit the 
Belona Arsenal property " to ascertain its 
condition, cost, the expense of establishing 
an Agricultural School thereat, and the ex- 
pediency of accepting the property with 
that view" report : That they have visited 
the place, and made a full examination of 
the buildings, and found them to be in a 
| very dilapidated condition, and in view of 
j their condition and their arrangement, con- 
: sider them unlit for the purposes of a school. 
They have not deemed it necessary to make 
an accurate estimate of the cost of repairs 
of the buildings, and of such alterations as 
would be needful to adapt them to the ac- 
commodation of a school, because it is very 
apparent that it would require an amount 
far beyond the' present means of the Socie- 
ty. The committee, therefore, respectfully 
report against the expediency of accepting 
the property on the terms on which it has 
been tendered to the Society. 

(D) ■ 

The committee appointed to have a por- 
trait, and also a bust, prepared of the late 
President of the Society, Col. Cocke, re- 
port : That they contracted with Maurince 
$5,280 76 i Guillaume, a distinguished artist, for the 



340 05 



or, 
654 

86 
849 
968 
630 
000 



1869.] 



Til E SOUTH ERN I'LANTKK. 



28 



portrait) and thai it has been executed, and 
is now in the possession of the Secretary of 

the Society, at the Society*! rooms, in the 

city of Richmond. They report farther, 
that nothing has been done in reference to 
the bust, because it is believed it cannol be 



(!•) 



\vc 



11 executed in this country 



October '1\\ 



WM 

18S8. 



IH)T LWAKK. 



TBI Tiu:asi kkk's ACCODNT. 
\'ilua.Nl.\ S ( a 1 1: AOBIOULTUBAL SoCIKTY, 

In account with Ch. B. Williams, Treasurer. 
Rectiptt within tkt ytar. 
I> ( »|:iti.,n of X !'• Ballard for rent (in 

part) of horse l<'i for 1 856, 
Donation from City of Richmond 

ditto for 1857, . 
Withdrawn from City Savings Bank, 
Billscollected for forage department, 
Interest acoount, .... 

Permanent Fund Col. Townes 1th 

installment of his donation, . 
Permanent Fund for one life mem- 
bership, ..... 

Contingent Fund, annual member- 
ships, ...... 

Contingent Fund, paid by W. C. 
Rives, Esq., premium offered by 
him, ...... 

deMornay, Director of the department, of I Contingent Fund, received for auc- 
tion fees, ..... 

. . Contingent Fund, rent of booths, 

Ardently devoted to agriculture as an cle- Contingent Fund, gate money and 

Tated science and ennobling art, its chief premium, 

direction in that great empire is entrusted) Contingent Fund, sale of transactions, 

Balance on hand per last settlement 



Smithfield, 26th Oct., 1858. 
To the President of the 

Agricultural Society of Vet. : 

Sir: — During a visit last year to Paris, 
I had the gratification of forming an ac- 
quaintance with the Honorable de Monny 
de Mornay 
Agriculture for France. 



166 en 

1.000 00 
1400 00 

28 ft] 

100 00 

20 00 

3.913 20 



15 00 



to his care. His administration is charac- 
terized by wise and salutary measures for its 
Improvement within his own country, as 
Well as a comprehensive and liberal spirit, I 

. , x , r ™ - , * „ 7 ; On account of premium? 

that anxiously seeks to amuse the •benents 



3 




445 


00 


2.843 


62 


4 


00 


1-972 


7! 



$1 1.748 80 
Disbursements within the year. 



and blessings that science, knowledge and 
skill are constantly contributing toward its 
promotion. 

In this spirit, and as a testimonial of the 
kind consideration and regard in which he 
holds our venerable Commonwealth, he re- 
quests me to present for him to the Agri- 
cultural Society of Virginia, a collection of 
works on agriculture, from the department 
over which he presides. 

In his name I now present them to the ' 
Society, and in his behalf pray you will ac- 
cept them. The collection consists of six- 
ty-one volumes and pamphlets, accompanied 
by memoirs, beautiful and elegant engrav- 
ings, illustrative of the various subjects 
treated of in the volumes, together forming a 
good collection of the best works on agri- 
culture and horticulture recently published 
in France. 

A catalogue is also furnished prepared 
by Mr. Alexander Vattemere, always active 
and distinguished in whatever contributes 
to the intellectual union or harmony of na- 
tions. 

With high consideration and respect, 
I am your ob'nt ser't, 
WM. BALLARD PRESTON. 



of 1854, . 

Premiums of 1850, 

Premiums of 1857, 

Expenses of 1856-7, . 

Rent of horse lot 1856, . 

Rent of horse lot 1857,. 

Salary of Secretary, 

Office expenses, . 

Printing and advertis- 
ing, .... 

Incidental expenses, . 

Ticket office, 

Police Department, 

Forage Department, 

Repairs of Fair Grounds, 

Returned i<» Members 
twice p'd $•'*, coun- 
terfeit $5, 

Discount on uncur'1 f Is. 

Deposit'd with City Sav- 
ings Bank, 



15 00 




37 00 




3.896 50 




94 




216 51 




976 49 




1.500 00 




408 92 




1.242 42 




654 76 




86 00 




1.849 50 




997 46 




632 00 




8 00 




4 48 




1.000 00 


13.526 88 



Bal 



ance, 



$1,221 92 



List of balances on '.loth September, 1858, 

Contingent Fund, . 

Permauent Fund. 

Kent of horse lot 1857 (un- 
claimed,) 

Interest account. 
Cash, ... 
Virginia State Btock, . 
Richmond City stock, , 

Amt carried forward, $ W.471 92 $104.1 





B9 02 




46.364 00 










. 1.221 12 




rnh\ oo 




• i 00 





24 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



[Januar y 



4tnH brought forward, $46,471 92$104.383 73 

Premiums of 1853, . 3.35300 

Premiums of 1854, . 3.843 50 

Premiums of 1855, . 3.731 00 

Premiums of 1856, . 3.805 00 

Premiums of 1857, . 3.896 50 

Expenses of 1853-4, . 3.884 24 . 

Expenses of 1854-5, . 7.456 77 

Expenses of 1855-6, . 8.958 44 

Expenses of 1856-7, . 8.877 34 

Expenses of 1857-8, . 7.343 45 

Rent of horse lot 1856, 162 57 

City Savings Bank, . 2.600 00 



$104,383 73 $104,383 73 



GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. 

After the final adjournment of the meet- 
ing of the members elect of the Farmers 
Assembly on Wednesday the 3d of Novem- 
ber, the members of the State Agricultural 
Society organized themselves into a general 
meeting for the discussion of subjects relat- 
ing to the state and prospects of the Socie- 
ty. John R. Edmunds, Esq., was called to 
the chair. 

On motion of Mr. W. C. Knight, of Not- 
toway, 

Resolved, That a Committee be appointed 
to wait upon the Union Society, now in Ses- 
sion, and invite them to unite in the pro- 
ceedings of this meeting. Committee — 
Messrs. Knight, Newton, and Garnett, of 
Henrico. 

On motion of Mr. Seddon, after various 
propositions of amendment, and a free dis- 
cussion, in which the members of both So- 
cieties participated, the following resolution 
was adopted with but two or three dissent- 
ing voices : 

Resolved, That it be recommended to the 
Executive Committee of the State Agricul- 
tural Society to confer with the Executive 
Committee of the Union Agricultural Soci- 
ety on the practicability of a permanent 
union of the two Societies, and if found 
practicable, to report the terms of such 
union to the next meeting of the State 
Agricultural Society, or to the next Farmers' 
Assembly, as they may deem judicious. 

The meeting then adjourned. 

Thursday Night, Nov. 4th, 1858. 
The members of the Union Agricultural 
-Society of Virginia and North Carolina, 
and of the Virginia State Agricultural So- 
ciety, convened in joint meeting at the 
Market Street Baptist Church, at half-past 
seven o'clock, to hear the Annual Address. 



The President introduced Professor Hol- 
combe, of the University of Virginia, who 
had been invited by the Executive Commit- 
tee to address the meeting on an interesting 
branch of the general subject of slavery : — 
" The right of the State to institute Slavery, 
considered . as a question of Natural Law, 
with special reference to African Slavery as 
it exists in the United States." 

Professor Holcombe then delivered the 
following discourse : 

Mr. President, and 

Gentlemen of the Agricidtural Society : 

It seems to me eminently proper, to con- 
nect with these imposing exhibitions of the 
trophies of your agricultural skill, a dis- 
cussion of the whole bearings and rela- 
tions, jural, moral, social, and economical, 
of that peculiar industrial system to which 
we are so largely indebted for the results 
that have awakened our pride and gratifica- 
tion. No class in the community has so 
many and such large interests gathered up 
in the safety and permanence of that sys- 
tem as the Farmers of the State. The main- 
wheel and spring of your material prosper- 
ity, interwoven with the entire texture of 
your social life, underlying the very founda- 
tions of the public strength and renown, to 
lay upon it any rash hand would put in 
peril whatever you value; the security of 
your property, the peace of your society, 
the well-being — if not the existence of that 
dependent race which Providence has com- 
mitted to your guardianship — the stability 
of your government, the preservation in 
your midst of union, liberty, and civiliza- 
tion. By the introduction of elements of 
such inexpressible magnitude, the politics 
of our country have been invested with the 
grandeur and significance which belong to 
those great struggles upon which depend the 
destinies of nations. The mad outbreaks of 
popular passion, the rapid spread of anar- 
chical opinions, the mournful decay of an- 
cient patriotism, the wide disruption of 
Christian unity, which have marked the 
progress, and disclosed the power, purpose 
and spirit of this agitation, come home to 
your business and bosoms with impressive 
emphasis of warning and instruction. No 
pause in a strife around which cluster all 
the hopes and fears of freemen, can give 
any earnest of enduring peace, until the 
principles of law and order which cover 
with sustaining sanction all the relations of 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



25 



our society, have obtained their rightful as- 
sendency over the reason and conscience of 

tlie (Miristian world. 

The most instructive chapters in history 
are those of opinions. The decisive battle- 
fields of the world furnish but nilgai and 
deceptive indices of human progress. Its 
true eras are marked by transitions of sen- 
timent and opinion. Those invisible moral 
ibices that emanate from the minds of the 
■real thinkers of the race, rule the courses 
of history. The recent awakening of our 
Southern mind upon the question of Afri- 
can Slavery, has been followed by a victory 
of peace, which, we trust, will embrace 
within its beneficent influence generations 
and empires yet unborn. Such was the 
strength of anti-slavery feeling within our 
own borders, that scarcely a quarter of 
a century has elapsed since an Act of 
Emancipation was almost consummated, 
under the auspices of our most intelli- 
gent and patriotic citizens ; a measure 



dead, (and amongst them I recall no names 
limit' eminent than thofC associated with the 

proudest traditions of this hospitable and 

patriotic city, heigh, (Jholson, and Brown,) 
who threw themselves into this imminent 
and deadly breach, and grappling with an 
uninformed and unreflecting sentiment, de- 
livered the commonwealth, when in the very 
jaws of death, from moral, social and polit- 
ical ruin. Permit me to premise some 
words of explanation as to the meaning and 
extent of the subject upon which I have 
been invited to address this meeting. It 
presents no question of municipal or inter- 
national law. It raises no inquiry as to the 
rightfulness of the means by which slave- 
ry was introduced into this continent, nor 
into the nature of the legal sanctions under 
which it now exists. There can be no 
doubt that slavery, for more than a century 
after it w T as established in the English colo- 
nies, was in entire harmony with the Com- 
mon Law, as it was expounded by the high- 



which probably all would now admit bore estjudicia authorities and with the prin- 
in its womb elements of private distress ! cl P les of th , e ^aw of Nations, and of Natu- 
and public calamity, that must have impress- ral Law as laid d ™ n m 4l J e ™tings of the 
ed upon our history, through ages of ex- 1 most eminent publicists. At the commence- 
panding desolation, the lines of fire and ment of °™ Revolution men were living 

who remembered the Treaty 01 Utrecht, by 
which, in the language of Lord Brougham, 
all the glories of Ramillies and Blenheim 



blood. But 

"Whirlwinds fitliest scatter pestilence." 

Nothing less than an extremity of peril ! were bartered for a larger share in the lu- 
could have induced a general revision of crative commerce of the slave trade. But 



long-standing opinions, intrenched in for- 
midable prejudices, and sanctioned by the 
most venerable authority. Slavery was ex- 
plored, for the first time, with the forward 
and reverted eye of true statesmanship, un- 
der all the lights of history — of social and 
political philosophy — of natural and Divine 
law. Public sentiment rapidly changed its 
face. Every year of controversy has en- 
couraged the advocates of " discountenanc- 
ed truth" by the fresh accessions it has 



whatever may be our present opinions upon 
these subjects, the black race now consti- 
tutes an integral part of our community, as 
much so as the white, and the authority of 
the State to adjust their mutual relations 
can in no manner depend upon the method 
by which either was brought within its ju- 
risdiction. The State in every age must 
provide a constitution and laws, if it does 
not find them in existence, adapted to its 
special wants and circumstances. African 
brought to their numbers, whilst no deser- 1 Slavery in the United States is consistent 
tions have thinned the enlarging ranks. ' with Natural Law, because if all the bonds 
The celebrated declaration of Mr. Jefferson,' of public authority were suddenly dissolved, 
that he knew no attribute of the Almighty and the community called upon to r es at 
which would take the side of the master in struct its social and political system, the re- 



a contest with his slave, is so far from com- 
manding the assent of the intelligent slave- 
holders of this generation, that the justice, 
the humanity, and the policy of the rela- 
tion as it exists with us, has become the 
prevailing conviction of our people. Pub- 
lic honours, and gratitude, are the fitting 



meed of the statesmen, whether living or justice which may be discerned by the sav 



lations of the two races remaining in other 
respects unaltered, it would be our right 
and duty to reduce the negro to subjection. 
To the phrase Natural Law. I shall attach 
in this discussion the signification in which 
it is generally used, and consider it as sy- 
nonymous with justice ; not that imperfect 



26 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



age mind 



but those ethical rules, or prmci-1 
pies of right, which, upon the grounds of their 
own fitness and propriety, and irrespective of 
the sanction of Divine authority, commend 
themselves to the most cultivated human rea- , 
son. Slavery we may define, so as to embrace 
all the elements that properly belong to it, as 
a condition or relation in which one man j 
is charged with the protection and support j 
of another, and invested with an abso-. 
lute property in his labour, and such a! 
degree of authority over his person as may! 
be requisite to enforce its enjoyment. It is! 
a form of involuntary restraint, extending i 
to the personal as well as political liberty of 
the subject. The slave has sometimes, 
as at one period under the Roman ju- 
risprudence, been reduced to a mere chat- 
tel, the power of the master over the per- 
son of the slave being as absolute as his 
property in his labour. This harsh and 
unnatural feature has never deformed the 
relation in any Christian country. In the 
United States the double character of the 
slave, as a moral person and as a subject of I 
property, has been universally acknowledg- 1 
ed, and to a greater or less degree protect- 
ed, both by public sentiment and by the 
law of the land. It furnishes a key to the 
understanding of one of the most celebra- 
ted clauses in our Federal Constitution, as 
all know who are familiar with the lumin- 
ous exposition, given by Mr. Madison in the 
Federalist, of its origin and meaning. In 
our own State, amongst other proofs of its 
recognition, we may point to the privilege 
conferred upon the master of emancipa- 
ting his slave, and to the obligation impos- 
ed upon him of providing for his support 
when old, infirm, or insane j to the enact- 
ments which punish injuries to the slave, 
whether from a master or stranger, as of- 
fences of the same nature as if inflicted 
upon a white person, and to the construc- 
tion placed by our eourts upon the general 
language of criminal statutes, by which the 
slave, as a person, has been embraced with- 
in the range of their protection ; to the reg- ! 
ulations for the trial of slaves charged with ■ 
the commission of crime, which, whilst | 
they exact the responsibilities of moral! 
agents, temper the administration of jus- j 
tice with mercy, and to the exemption from 
labour on the Lord's Day, an exemption . 
which is shown by the provision for thei 
Christian slave of a Jewish master, to have 
been established as a security for a right of 



conscience. Indeed, he scarcely labours 
under any personal disability, to which we 
may not find a counterpart, in those which 
attach to those incompetent classes — the 
minor, the lunatic, and the married wo- 
man. 

The statement of my subject presupposes 
the existence of the State. It thus ass nines 
that there are involuntary restraints which 
may be rightfully imposed upon men, for the 
State itself is but the sum and expression of 
innumerable forms of restraint by which the 
life, liberty, and faculties of individuals are 
placed under the control of an authority in- 
dependent of their volition ? The truth that 
the selfishness of human nature, forces upon 
us the necessity of submitting to the disci- 
pline of law, or living in the license of an- 
archy, is too obvious to have required any 
argument in its support, in this presence. 
Until man becomes a law unto himself, soci- 
ety through a political organization must 
supply his want of self-control. Whether it 
may establish such a form of restraint, as 
personal slavery, cannot be determined until 
the principles upon which its authority should 
be exercised, have been settled, and the 
boundaries traced between private right and 
public power. The authority of the State 
must be commensurate with the objects for 
which it was established. Its function is, 
to reconcile the conflicting rights, and oppos- 
ing interests, and jarring passions of indi- 
viduals, so as to secure the general peace and 
progress. It proceeds upon the postulate, 
that society is our state of nature and that 
men by the primary law of their being, are 
bound to live and perfect themselves in fel- 
lowship with each, other. 

As God does not ordain contradictory and 
therefore impossible things, men can derive 
no rights from him which are inconsistent 
with the duration and perfection of society. 
The rights of the individual are not such as 
would belong- to him, if he stood upon the 
earth like Campbell's imaginary " Last Man," 
amidst unbroken solitude, but such only as 
when balanced Avith the equal rights of 
other men, may be accorded to each, without 
injury to the rest. The necessities of social 
existence, then, not in the rudeness of the 
savage state, but under those complex and 
refined forms which have been developed by 
Christian civilization, constitute a horizon 
by which the unbounded liberty of nature is 
spanned and circumscribed. 

This is no theory of social absolutism. It 






Til E SOl'TII BRN PLANTER. 



27 



does not make society the sourer of ourl 
rights, which therefore might be conferred 
or withheld at its caprice or discretion, but 

it does regard the just wants of society, it 
the measure and practical expression of 
their extent. It is no reproduction of the 

exploded error of* the ancient statesmen, who 

in\ Biting the natural relations of die parties, 
considered the aggrandizement of the State 1 , 
without reference to the units of which it 
was composed, as the end of social union. 
The State was made lor man, and not man 
for the State, but the cooperation of the I 
State is yet so necessary to the perfection of 
his nature, that his interests require the re- ' 
nunciation of any claim inconsistent with its' 
existence, or its value as an agency of civi- 
lization. It invades no province sacred to 
the individual, because the Divine Being 
who has rendered government a necessity, 
has made it a universal blessing, by ordain- 1 
ing a preestablished harmony between the; 
welfare of the individual and the restraints! 
which are requisite to the well-being of 
BOciety. 

I nless there is some fatal flaw in this 
ling, men have no rights which cannot; 
be reconciled with the possession of a re- 
straining power by the State, large enough 1 
to embrace every variety of injustice and 
Oppression, for which society may furnish 1 
the occasion or the opportunity. The social 
union brings with it dangers and tempta- : 
tions, as well as blessings and pleasures — 
and men cannot fulfil the law and purpose 
of their being, unless the State lias author- 
ity to protect the community from the tu- 
multuous and outbreaking passions of its' 
members, and to protect individuals as far 
as it can be accomplished without prejudice 
to the community, from the consequences of 
their own incompetence, improvidence and 
folly. Such are the natural differences be- 
tween men in character and capacity, that 
without a steady and judicious effort by the 
State to redress the balance of privilege 
and opportunity which these inequalities 
constantly derange, the rich must grow 
richer, and the poof poorer, until even an- 
archy would be a relief to the masses, from 
the suffering and oppressios) of society. 
Owing likewise to this variety of condition, 
and of moral and intellectual endowment, it 
is impossible to prescribe any stereotype 
forms admitting of universal application, 
under which the restraining discipline of 
law should be exercised. The ends of - 



union remain the same through all 

but tin' means of realizing those ends must 
be adapted es of advance- 

ment, and change with the varying intelli- 
gence and virtue of individuals, ami classes, 

and races, and the local cifOUmstanceS of 

different countries. The object being su- 
preme in importance must carry with it as 
an incident, the right to employ the means 
which may be requisite to its attainment. 

The individual must yield property, liberty, 

life itself when necessary to preser\e the 
life, as it were, of the collective humanity. 

To these principles, every enlightened gov- 
ernment ill the world, conforms its practice, 
protecting men not only from each other, 
but from themselves, graduating its restraints 

according to the character of the subject, 
and multiplying them with the increase of 
society in wealth, population and refinement. 
We cannot look into English or American 
jurisprudence without, discovering innume- 
rable forms of restraint upon rights of per- 
sons as well as rights of property, as in that 
absolute subordination of all personal rights 
to the general welfare, which lies at the 
foundation of the law for the public defence, 
the law to punish crimes, and the law to 
suppress vagrancy ; or in those qualified re- 
straints by which the administration of jus- 
tice between individuals, has been some- 
times enforced, as in imprisonment for debt; 
or in that partial and temporary subjection 
of one person to the control of another, 
either for the benefit of the former, or upon 
grounds of public policy, presented in the 
law of parent and child, guardian and ward, 
master and apprentice, lunatic and commit- 
tee, husband and wife, officer and soldiers 
of the army, captain and mariners of the 
ship. Whether we proceed in search of a 
general principle, which may ascertain the 
extent of the public authority by a course 
of inductive reasoning, or by an observation 
of the practice of civilized communities, 
we reach the same conclusions. The State 
must po ss es s the power of imposing any re- 
straint without regard to its form, which 
can be shown by an enlarged view of social 
expediency, or upon an indulgent considera- 
tion for human infirmity, to be beneficial to 
its subject, or necc»ary to the general well- 
being. 

In the legislation of Congress lor the In- 
dian tribes within our territory, and in that 
of great Britain for the alien and dependent 
nations under her jurisdiction, we see how 



28 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



the public authority, as flexible as compre- 
hensive in its grasp, accommodates itself to 
the weakness ami infirmity of races, as well as 
of individuals. Upon what principles is the 
British government administered in the East? 
In 1833, on the application of the East In- 
dia Company for a renewal of its charter, they 
were explained and defended by Macaulay 
in a speech which would have delighted 
Burke, as much by its practical wisdom, as 
its .glittering rhetoric. An immense society 
was placed under the almost despotic rule 
of a few strangers. No securities were pro- 
vided for liberty or property, which an Eng- 
lishman would have valued. This system of 
servitude was vindicated, not on the grounds 
of abstract propriety, but of its adaptation to 
the wants and circumstances of those upon 
whom it was imposed. India, it was urged, 
constituted a vast exception to all those gen- 
eral rules of political science which might 
be deduced from the experience of Europe. 
Her population was disqualified by character 
and habit, for the rights and privileges of 
British freemen. In their moral and social 
amelioration, under British rule, was to be 
found the best proof of its justice and policy. 
It was a despotism no doubt, but it was a mild 
and paternal one ; and no form of restraint 
less stringent could be substituted with equal 
advantage to those upon whom it was to 
operate. It has often occurred to me in read- 
ing those fervid declamations upon Southern 
slavery, with which this great orator has in- 
flamed the sensibilities of the British public, 
that his lessons of sober and practical states- 
manship, from which no English ministry 
has ever departed, might be turned with ir- 
resistible recoil upon their author. Was 
American slavery introduced by wrong and 
violence ? India was u stripped of her 
plumed and jewelled turban/' by rapine and 
injustice. Are the relations of England to 
India, so anomalous that it would be unsafe 
to accept generalizations drawn from the ex- 
perience of other communities? History 
might be interrogated in vain, for a parallel 
to the condition of our Southern society. 
Are the Hindoos unfit for liberty ? Not more 
so than the African. Is despotism necessary 
in India, because it is problematical whether 
crime could be repressed or social order) 
preserved under more liberal institutions? 
The danger of license and anarchy would be 
far more imminent, from an emancipation 
of our slaves. If the statesman despairs of 
making brick without straw in the East, can 



he expect to find the problem easier in the 
West? Has the Hindoo improved in arts and 
morals under the beneficent sway of his Brit- 
ish master ? In the transformation of the Af- 
rican savage into the Christian slave, the rel- 
ative advance has been immeasurably greater. 
The truth is, that the principles which lie 
at the foundation of all political restraint, 
may make it the duty of the State under 
certain circumstances, to establish the rela- 
tion of personal servitude. All forms of 
restraint involve the exercise of power over 
the individual without his consent. All ar^ 
inconsistent with any theory of natural right 
which claims for man, a larger measure of 
liberty than can be reconciled with the 
peace and progress of the society in which 
he lives. All operate harshly at times upon 
individuals. All are reflections upon human 
nature, are alike wrong in the abstract. Any 
is right in the concrete, when necessary to the 
welfare of the community in which it exists, 
or beneficial to the subject upon whom it is im- 
posed. If society may establish the institution 
of private property, involving restrictions by 
which the majority of mankind are shut out 
from all access to that great domain which 
the author of nature has stocked with the 
means of subsistence for his children, and 
justify a restraint so comprehensive and oner- 
ous, by its tendency to promote civilization ; 
if it may discriminate between classes and 
individuals, and apportion to some a larger 
measure of political liberty than it does to 
others j if it may take away life, liberty or 
property when demanded by the public good : 
if, as in various personal relations, it may 
protect the helpless and incompetent, by 
placing them under a guardianship propor- 
tioned in the term and extent of its author- 
ity to the degree and duration of the infirm- 
ity ; why if a commensurate necessity arises, 
and the same great ends are to be accom- 
plished, is its claim to impose upon an infe- 
rior race the degree of personal restraint 
which may be requisite to coerce and direct 
its labour, to be treated as a usurpation ? 
The authority of the State under proper cir- 
cumstances, to establish a system of slavery, 
is one question ; the existence of those cir- 
cumstances, or the expediency of such leg- 
islation is another and entirely distinct ques- 
tion. No doubt a much smaller capacity 
for self-control, and a much lower degree of 
intelligence must concur, to justify personal | 
slavery, than would be sufficient to impart 
validity to other forms of subordination. No 






Til K S or Til KKN TLA NTBR. 



29 



doubt the public authority upon this as upon 

c\vr\ otlltT Mlhjeet, ma\ be abll.M'd h\ the 

■elfish passions and interests of men. l'ut 
ihh'c acknowledge the righl of society to 
establish a government of pains and penal- 
lies, far the protection of this individual ami 
tin 1 promotion <>f the general welfare, then 

unless it can be shown that slavery e;ni in 

bo instance be necessary to the well being 
of the community, or conducive to the bap- 

pinese of the subject, (a proposition which 
is inconsistent with the admission of all re- 
paectable British and American abolitionists 

that any plan of emancipation in the South- 
ern States, should be gradual and not imme- 
diate;) once make this fundamental conces- 
sion, and the rightfulness of slavery, like 
that of every other form of restraint, be- 
comes a question of time, place, men and 
circumstances. 

The people of the United States accept- 
ing without much reflection, those exposi- 
tions of human rights embodied in the infi- 
del philosophy of France, and glowing with 
that generous enthusiasm to communicate 
the blessings of liberty which is always in- 
spired by its possession, have been disposed 
to look with common aversion upon all forms 
of unequal restraint. Ravished by the di- 
vine airs of their own freedom, they have 
imagined that its strains, like those heard 
by the spirit in Comus, might create a soul 
under the ribs of death. Forgetting the 
through whose long night their fathers 
wrestled for this blessing, they have regard- 
ed an equal liberty, as the universal birth- 
right of humanity. Hence, as they have 
witnessed nation after nation throwing off 
■Id political bondage, and in the first 
transports of emotion, " shedding the grate- 
ful tears of new-born freedom" over the bro- 
ken chains of servitude, they have welcom- 
ed them into the glorious fellowship of re- 
publican States, with plaudit, and sympathy, 
and benediction. But, alas! the crimes 
which have been committed in the name of 
liberty, the social disorder and political con- 
vulsion which have attended its progress, If 
they have not broken the power of its Bpells 
over the heart, have dispersed the illusions 
of our understanding. What has become 
of France, Italy, Greece, .Mexico, Spanish 
America? that stately fleet of freedom, 
which when first launched upon the sea- of 
time, with all its bravery on, was '-courted 
by every wind that held it play." A part 
has been swallowed up in the gulfs of anar- 



chs and despotism the r< ri til (fori above 

the wave, but with rudder and anchor gone. 
Stripped of every bellying sail and steadying 
spar, they onl\ MTVe, 

"Like ocean wrecks, to illuminate the Btonn." 

The melancholy experience of both hem- 
ispheres has compelled all but the projectors 
of revolution to acknowledge, thai the forms 

of liberty are \ alueless without its spirit, and 
that an attempt to outstrip the march of 

Providence, by conferring it on ■ people un- 
prepared for its enjoyments by habit, tradi- 
tion, or character, is an indescribable lolly — 
which instead of establishing peace, order 
and justice, will be more likely to inaugu- 
rate a reign of terror and crime in which 
civilization itself may perish. 

If the justice or fitness of slavery is to be 
determined, like other forms of involuntary 
restraint, not by speculative abstractions, but 
by reference to its adaptation to the wants 
and circumstances of the community in 
which it is established, and especially of the 
people over whom it is imposed, it only re- 
mains that we should apply these principles 
to the question of African Slavery in the 
United States. I shall not defend it as the 
only relation between the races, in which the 
superior can preserve the civilization that 
renders life dear and valuable. This propo- 
sition can indeed be demonstrated by plena- 
ry evidence, and it is sufficient by itself to 
acquit the slaveholder of all guilt in the eye 
of morals. But if the system could be vin- 
dicated upon no higher ground, every gene- 
rous spirit would grieve over the mournful 
necessity which rendered the degradation of 
the black man indispensable to the advance- 
ment of the white. Providence has con- 
demned us to no such cruel and unhappy 
fate. The relation in our society is demand- 
ed by the highest and most enduring inter- 
ests of the slave, as well as the master. It 
exists and must be preserved for the benefit 
of both parties. Duty is indeed the tenure 
of the master's right. Upon him there rests 
a moral obligation to make such provision 
for the comfort of the slave, as after proper 
consideration of the burthens and casualties 
of the service, can be deemed a fair com- 
pensation for his labour; to allow every in- 
nocent gratification compatible with the 
steady, though mild discipline, as necessary 
to the happiness SS the value of the slave; 
to furnish the means and facilities for reli- 
gious instruction; and to contribute, as far 



30 THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. [January 



and fast, as a proper regard to the public j rights of man/' says Carlyle, "the right of 
safety will permit, to his general elevation the ignorant man to be guided by the wiser, 
and improvement. For oppression or inj us- to be gently and firmly held in the true 
tice, allow me to say, I have no excuse to 'course, is the indispensablest. Nature has 
offer. I am willing to accept the sentiment ordained it from the first. Society struggles 
of the heathen philosopher, and to regard a towards perfection by conforming to and ac- 
nian's treatment of his slaves as a test of his coinplishing it, more and more. If freedom 
virtue. And whenever a slaveholder is have any meaning, it means enjoyment of 
found who so far forgets the sentiments of this right, in which all other rights are en- 
humanity, the feelings of the gentleman, and joyed. It is a divine right and duty on both 
the principles of the Christian, as to abuse sides, and the sum of all social duties be- 
the authority which the law gives him over ' tween the two." Under the circumstances 
his slaves, I trust that a righteous and aveng- \ I have supposed, no intelligent man could 
ing public sentiment will pursue him with hesitate, except as to the form of subordina- 
te scorn and degradation which attend the ! tion : nor has entire equality been ever al- 
husband or father, who by cruel usage makes lowed in society where the inferior race con- 
home intolerable to wife or child. j stituted an element of any magnitude. 

Personal and political liberty are both re- ' Personal servitude is generally the harsh- 
quisite to develop the highest style of man. est and most objectionable form of restraint, 
They furnish the amplest opportunities for' exposing its subjects to an abuse of pow- 
the exercise of that self-control which is the er involving greater suffering than any other, 
germ and essence of every virtue, and for ! But this is not an invariable law, even in a 
that expansive and ameliorating culture by homogeneous society. The most recent re- 
which our whole nature is exalted in the searches into the condition of the labouring 
scale of being, and clothed with the grace, ' classes of Europe, the descendants of the 
dignity and authority, becoming the lords of emancipated serfs, have satisfied all candid 
creation. Whenever the population of a inquirers after truth that a large number 
State is homogeneous, although slavery may have sunk below the level of their ancient 
perform some important functions in quick- slavery, and would be thankful to belong to 
ening the otherwise tardy processes of civi- ' any master who would furnish them with 
lization, it ought to be regarded as a tempo- food, clothing and shelter. But when we 
rary and provisional relation. If there are are settling the law of a society embracing 
no radical differences of physical organiza- j in its bosom distinct and unequal races, the 
tion or moral character, the barriers between ; problem is complicated by elements which 
classes are not insurmountable. The discip- create the gravest doubt whether personal 
line of education and liberal institutions, may liberty will prove a blessing or a curse. It 
raise the serf to the level of the baron. — may become a question between the slavery, 
Against any artificial circumscription seeking and the extinction or further deterioration 
to arrest that tendency to freedom which is of the inferior race. Thus, if it is difficult 
the normal state of every society of equals, to procure the means of subsistence from 
human nature would constantly rise in rebel- density of population or other cause, and if 
lion. But where two distinct races are col- the inferior 'race is incapable of sustaining a 
lected upon the same territory, incapable competition with the superior in the indus- 
from any cause of fusion or severance, the trial pursuits of life, a condition of free- 
one being as much superior to the other in dom which would involve such competition, 
strength and intelligence as the man to the must either terminate in its destruction, or 
child, there the rightful relation between consign it to hopeless degradation. If, 
them is that of authority upon the one side, under these circumstances, a system of per- 
and subordination in some form, upon the sonal servitude gave reasonable assurance 
other. Equality, personal and political, could of preserving the inferior race, and gradu- 
not be established without inflicting the cli- ally imparting to it the amelioration of a 
max of injustice upon the superior, and of higher civilization, no Christian statesman 
cruelty on the inferior race : for if it were could mistake the path of duty. Natural 
possible to preserve such an arrangement, it law, illuminated in its decision by History, 
would wrest the sceptre of dominion from Philosophy, and Religion, would not only 
the wisdom and strength of society, and sur- clothe the relation with the sanction of jus- 
render it to its weakness and folly. "Of all tice, but lend to it the lustre of mercy. It 



1859.] 



Til E SOUTH EllN PLANTER. 



will not, L apprehend, be difficult to ,-lmw 

that all these conditions apply to African sla- 
very in (lie United States. Look at the 
races which have been brOUghj lace to face 

in unmanageable masses, upon this continent, 

and it is impossible to mistake their relative 
position. The one still filling that humble 
and subordinate place, which as the pictured 

monuments of Egypt attest, it has occupied 

since the dawn of history ; a race which du- 
ring the long-revolving cycles of intervening 
time has founded no empire, built no towered 
city, invented no art, discovered no truth, be- 
queathed no everlasting possession to the fu- 
ture, through kw-giver, hero, bard, or bene- 
factor of mankind : a race which, though 
lifted immeasurably above its native barbar- 
ism by the refining influence of Christian servi- 
tude has yet given no signs of living and self- 
sustaining culture. The other, a great com- 
posite race which has incorporated into its bo- 
som all the vital elements of human progress ; 
which, crowned with the traditions of histo- 
ry and bearing in its hands the most precious 
trophies of civilization, still rejoices in the 
overflowing energy, the abounding strength, 
the unconquerable will which have made it 
" the heir of all the ages j" and which with 
aspirations unsatisfied by centuries of toil 
and achievement, still vexes sea and land 
with its busy industry, binds coy nature fas- 
ter in its chains, embellishes life more prodi- 
gally with its arts, kindles a wider inspira- 
tion from the fountain lights of freedom, 
follows knowledge, 

; ' like a sinking star, 
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought," 

ami pushing its unresting columns still 
further into the regions of eldest Night, in 
lands more remote than any over which 
Roman eagles ever flew, " to the farthest 
verge of the green earth," plants the con- 
quering banner of the Cross, 

"Encircling continents and oceans vast, 
In one humanity." 

It is impossible to believe that the supre- 
macy in which the Caucasian has towered 
over the African through all the past can be 
shaken, or that the black man can ever suc- 
ce->fully dispute the preeminence with his 
white brother as members of the same com- 
munity, in the arts and business of life. 
Could such races be mated with each other? 
It is unnecessary to refer to Egypt or Cen- 
tral xVmerica, where a mongrel population, 
monumenta veneris mfaiuhx, exhibit the de- 



teriorating influence of a similar fusion. If 

there were no broad and indelible dividing 

lines of colour and physical organization to 

keep tin- black and white races apart, (heir 
respective traditions, extreme! Of moral and 

intellectual advancement, and unequal apti- 
tudes, if not capacities for higher civilization, 

separate them by an impassible gulf. That 
Peeble remnant of our kindred, who, surround- 
ed by hordes of barbarians, \<i linger among 
the deserted seats of Wesl India civilization, 
may forget the dignity id' Anglo-Saxon man- 
hood, in the despair and poverty to which 
they have been reduced by British injustice; 
but we "sprung of earth's tirst blood," and 
" foremost in the files of time," who under 
Providence are masters of our destiny, will 
never permit the generations of American 
history to be bound together by links of 
shame. Is the deportation of the African 
race practicable? A more extravagant pro- 
ject was never seriously entertained by the 
human understanding. There are economi- 
cal considerations alone, which would render 
it utterly hopeless. The removal of our 
black population would create a gap in the 
industry of the world, which no white i mi- 
gration could fill. It would bring over the 
general prosperity of the country a blight 
and ruin, that would dry up all the sources 
of revenue on which the success of the 
measure would depend. Its consequences 
would not terminate with this continent. 
The great wheel which moves the commerce 
and manufactures of the world, would be 
arrested in its revolutions. General bank- 
ruptcy would follow a shock, besides which 
the accumulated financial crises of centuries 
would be unfelt. In the recklessness and 
, despair of crime and famine thus induced, 
the ancient landmarks of empire might be 
disturbed, and all existing governments sha- 
ken to their foundation. No favorable in- 
ference can be drawn from immense emi- 
gration, which, like the swell of a mighty 
sea, is pouring upon our shores. It comes 
from regions where population is too dense 
for subsistence and where a vacant Space is 
closed as soon as it is opened. It is imj elled 
by double influences, neither of which can 
operate to any extent upon the American 
slave, Want and wretchedness at home, ami all 
material and moral attractions abroad. It is 
composed of men accustomed at hast f. 
sonal freedom, and belonging to races en- 
dowed with far more energy and intcllL 
than the African. It is received into a com- 



32 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



in unity, whoso strength and vitality enable 
it to absorb and assimilate a much larger 
foreign element than any of which history 
has any record. If the black man was 
able and willing to return to his native land, 
he must carry with him the habits and feel- 
ings of the slave. Can it be supposed that 
such a living cloud as the annual increase 
of our slaves, could discharge its contents 
into the bosom of any African society, with- 
out blighting in the license of their first 
emancipation from all restraint, whatever 
promise of civilization it might have held 
out. 

If we must accept the permanent resi- 
dence of this race upon our soil, as a provi- 
dential arrangement beyond human control, 
it only remains to adjust the form of its 
subordination. Should it embrace personal, 
as well as political servitude ? Personal 
slavery surrounds the black man with a pro- 
tection and salutary control which his own 
reason and energies are incapable of supply- 
ing, and by converting elements of destruc- 
tion into sources of progress, promotes his 
physical comfort, bis intellectual culture, and 
his moral amelioration. Emancipation upon 
the other hand in any form, gradual or im- 
mediate, would either destroy the race 
through a wasting process of poverty, vice, 
and crime, or sink it into an irrecoverable 
deep of savage degradation. What Homer 
has said may be true, that a free man loses 
half his value the day he becomes a slave ; 
but it is quite as true, that the slave who is 
converted into a freeman, is more likely to 
lose the remaining half than to recover what 
is gone. There are no rational grounds upon 
which we could anticipate for our slaves, an 
advancing civilization if they were emanci- 
pated, or upon which we could expect them 
to preserve their contented temper, their 
material comfort, their industrious habits, 
and their general morality. The negro has 
learned much in contact with the white 
man, but he is yet ignorant of that great 
art which is the guardian of all acquisition, 
the art of self-goverment. The superiority 
of the white man in skill, energy, foresight, 
providence, aptitude for improvement, and 
control over the lower appetites and passions, 
would give him a decisive and fatal advan- 
tage in the pitiless competition of life. The 
light w T hich history sheds around this pro- 
blem, is broad and unchanging. Wherever 
unequal races are brought together, unless 
reduced by despotism to an indiscriminate 



servitude, or mingled by a deteriorating and 
demoralizing fusion, the inferior must choose 
between slavery and extinction. Upon these 
principles only can we explain the preserva- 
tion of the Indian inhabitants of Spanish 
America, and the destruction of the aborigi- 
nal races which have crossed the path of 
English colonization. All the lower stages 
of civilization are characterized by an im- 
providence of the future and a predominance 
of the animal nature, which increase the 
force of temptation, and at the same time di- 
minish the power of resistance. Hence it is, 
that when an inferior race, animated by the 
passions of the savage, but destitute of the 
restraining self-control which is developed 
by civilization, is brought in contact with a 
higher form of social existence, where the 
stimulants and facilities for sensual gratifica- 
tion are multiplied, and the consequences of 
excess and improvidence aggravated in fatal- 
ity, it is mown down by a mortality more 
terrific than the widest waste of war. Pri- 
vate charity and the influence of Christian- 
ity upon individuals may retard the opera- 
tion of these causes, but destruction is only 
a question of time. Without a judicious 
husbandry of the surplus proceeds of labour 
in the day of prosperity to meet the demands 
of age, sickness and casualty, poverty alone 
with the disease, suffering and crime that 
attend it, would wear out any labouring pop- 
ulation. The remnant of the Indian tribes 
scattered along the lower banks of the St. 
Lawrence, present an impressive illustration 
of these simple political truths. " They man- 
ifest," says Prof. Bowen, " sufficient indus- 
try when the reward of labour is immediate : 
but surrounded by an abundance of fertile 
and cleared land, where others would grow 
rich, they are rapidly perishing from improv- 
idence alone." 

Even in England, in periods of manufac- 
turing prosperity, when wages are high, the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer reckons with 
as much confidence upon the expenditure by 
the operatives of their surplus profits, in 
spirits, tobacco, and other hurtful stimulants, 
as upon the proceeds of the income tax. — 
And if the working class of England, in- 
stead of being constantly recruited from a 
higher order of society, consisted of an in- 
ferior race, the annual losses from intempe- 
rance and improvidence would soon carry it 
off. As population becomes denser, our free 
blacks are destined to exemplify the same 
great law. In the free States, where an en- 



LS59.] 



Til E SOUTH BRN PLANTER. 



33 



cmac hi hi;- tide of white emigration if driving 
them from one field of industry after another, 
they already stand, as the statistics of popu- 
lation, disease and crime disclose, upon the 

narrowest isthmus which can divide life from J 
death. When wo remember that the de- 
structive agencies which would be let loose 
amongst our slaves, by emancipation, are as I 

fatal to morals as to life, and that the natu-, 

ral inequality between the races would be, 
increased by a constant accession of num- 
bers to the white through emigration, it is 
not extravagant to assert that exterminating' 

massacre would involve a swifter, but scarce^ 
ly more certain or more eruel death. 

If emancipation took place in a tropical 
region, where climate forbade the competi- 
tion of white labour, and the exuberance of! 
nature supplied the means of life without 
the necessity of intelligent and systematic 
industry, there are other causes which would 
remove from the slave every safeguard of 
progress, and render his relapse into barba- 
rism inevitable. Civilization depends upon 
activity, development, progress. It is mea- 
sured by our wants and our work. Without 
indulging in any rash generalizations, we 
may safely affirm, that where animal life cam 
be sustained without labour, and an enerva-| 
ting climate invites to indolent repose, we 
cannot expect from that class of society 
upon whom in every country the cultivation 
of the soil depends, any industrious emula- 
tion. So powerful is the influence of these 
physical causes over barbarous tribes, that 
under tin: torrid zone, as we are informed 
by Humboldt, where a beneficent hand has 
profusely scattered the seeds of abundance, 
indolent and improvident man experiences 
periodically a want of subsistence which is 
unfelt in the sterile regions of the North. ( 
Afl men increase in virtue and intelligence,' 
they become more capable of resisting the 
operation of climate and other natural laws, 
but some form of slavery has been the only 
basis upon which civilization has yet rested 
in any tropical country. If it can be sus- 
tained upon any other, it must be by a race 
endowed with a larger fund of native energy 
than the African, or quickened by the elec- 
tric power of a higher culture than he has 
ever possessed. 11 is moral and physical 
conformation predispose him to indolence. 
(nliini non ammum mutant, has been the 
law of his history. Under the Code Rural 
of Ilayti, the harshest compulsion has been 
used to subdue the sloth of barbarism, and 
3 ' 



to compel the labour of the free black man, 
but in vain. In the British West Indies, 

since emancipation, no expedients have pro- 
ven effectual to compter this rcpugnaii 
exertion. The English historian, Alison, 
who, whatever may be his political senti- 
ments, has no sympathies with slavery, in 

his last volume, thus describes the result of 
the experiment. " But disastrous m the re- 
sults of the change have been to British 
interests both at home and in the West In- 
dies, they are as nothing to those which 

have ensued to the negroes themselves, both 

in their native seats and the Trans-Atlantic 
Colonies. The fatal gift of premature eman- 
cipation has proved as pernicious to a race 
as it always does to an individual : the boy 
of seventeen sent out into the world, has 
continued a boy, and does as other boys do. 
The diminution of the agricultural exported 
produce of the islands to less than a half, 
proves how much their industry has declin- 
ed. The reduction of their consumption of 
the British produce and manufactures in a 
similar proportion, tells unequivocally how 
much their means of comfort and enjoyment 
have fallen off. Generally speaking, the 
incipient civilization of the negro has been 
arrested by his emancipation : with the ces- 
sation of forced labour, the habits which 
spring from and compensate it, have disap- 
peared, and savage habits and pleasures have 
resumed their ascendency over the sable 
race. The attempts to instruct and civilize 
them have, for the most part, proved a fail- 
ure ; the dolcefar niente equally dear to the 
unlettered savage as to the effeminate Euro- 
pean, has resumed its sway ; and the eman- 
cipated Africans dispersed in the woods, or 
in cabins erected amidst the ruined planta- 
tions, are fast relapsing into the state in 
which their ancestors were when first torn 
from their native seats by the rapacity of a 
Christian avarice." A melancholy confir- 
mation of this statement is furnished by a 
fact which I have learned from a reliable 
private source, that the prevailing crimes of 
this population have changed from petty lar- 
ceny to felonies of the highest grades. But 
if the black race could escape barbarism, or 
defy those destroying elements of society, 
poverty and crime, there is a more compre- 
hensive political induction which establishes 
the justice and expediency of its subjection 
i vitude. If in any community there is 
an inferior race which is condemned by per- 
manent and irresistible causes to occupy the 



34 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



condition of a working class, not us indepen- 
dent proprietors of the soil they till, but as 
labourers for hire, then a system of personal 
slavery under which the welfare of the slave 
could be connected with the interest of the 
master, would be far preferable to the collec- 
tive servitude of a degraded caste. This 
proposition supposes the existence, not of an 
inferior class simply, but an inferior race — 
which, as such, is condemned by nature to 
wear the livery of servitude in some form — 
which can never be quickened or sustained 
by those animating prospects of wealth, dig- ! 
nity and power which, in a homogeneous , 
community, pour a renovating stream of j 
moral health through every vein and artery 
of social life — which must earn a scanty and j 
precarious subsistence by a stern, uninter- 
mitting and unequal struggle with selfish 
capital. Can any skepticism resist the con- 
viction that, under such circumstances, a 
social adjustment which would engage the 
selfish passions of the superior race to pro- j 
vide for the comfort of the inferior, must be 
an arrangement of mercy as well as of jus- 1 
tice ? Upon this question the experience of 
England is full of instruction. The aboli- 
tion of slavery upon the continent of Eu- 1 
rope gradually converted the original serfs j 
into owners of the soil. In England, it ter- 
minated with personal manumission — leav- 
ing the villein to work as a labourer for wa- 
ges, or to farm as a tenant upon lease. 
What has been the effect of this great social 
revolution ? I do not refer to that saturna- 
lia of poverty, misery, vagrancy, and crime 
which immediately followed the disruption 
of the old feudal bonds, and the adjustment 
of the new relations of lord and vassal, by 
the " cold justice of the laws of political 
economy." What is the present condition 
of the English labourer ? English writers, 
whose fidelity and accuracy are above suspi- 
cion, have almost exhausted the power of 
language in describing his abject wretched- 
ness and squalid misery. They have distri- 
buted their population into the rich, the 
comfortable, the poor, and the perishing. 
That " bold peasantry, their country's pride/' 
has almost disappeared. Every improve- 
ment in an industrial process which dimin- 
ishes the amount of human labour, brings 
with it more or less of suffering to the Eng- 
lish operative. Every scarce harvest, every 
fluctuation in trade, every financial crisis ex- 
poses him to beggary or starvation. In the 
Bolfish competition between the capitalist and 



workman, says a distinguished christian phi- 
lanthropist, " the capitalist, whether farmer, 
merchant, or manufacturer, plays the game, 
wins all the high stakes, takes the lion's 
share of the profits, and throws all the losses, 
involving pauperism and despair, upon the 
masses." Nothing can be more hopeless 
than the condition of the agricultural labour- 
er. All the life of England, says Bowen in 
his lectures on Political Economy, " is in her 
commercial and manufacturing classes. Out- 
side of the city walls, we are in the middle 
ages again. There are the nobles and the 
serfs, true castes, for nothing short of a mira- 
cle can elevate or depress one who is born a 
member of either." Moral and intellectual 
culture cannot be connected with physical 
destitution and suffering. We are not there- 
fore surprised to learn, from a recent British 
Quarterly, that there is an overwhelming 
class of outcasts at, the bottom of their soci- 
ety whom the present system of popular ed- 
ucation does not reach, who are below |he 
influence of religious ordinances, and scarce- 
ly operated upon by any wholesome restraint 
of public opinion. For the relief of this 
wretchedness an immense pauper system has 
grown up, as grinding in its exactions upon 
the rich, as demoralizing in its bounties to 
the poor. But even this frightful evil ap- 
pears insignificant, in comparison with that 
embittered and widening feud between the 
classes of society, which has filled the most 
sanguine friends of human progress with the 
apprehension, that England's greatest dan- 
ger may spring from the despair of her own 
children, the beggars who gaze in idleness 
and misery at her wealth, the savages who 
stand by the side of her civilization, and the 
heathen who have been nursed in the bosom 
of her Christianity. The intelligent philan- 
thropists of England, place their whole hope 
of remedy in plans of colonization — plans 
for substituting cooperative associations for 
the system of hired service — plans for in- 
creasing the number of peasant proprietors, 
and thus placing labour on a more indepen- 
dent basis — for educating the working class, 
and for legislation which will facilitate the 
circulation of capital, and the more 'equal 
distribution of property. But if this evil 
working in the heart in the nation be incu- 
rable, if the helotism of the working classes 
should prove, as it has already been pro- 
nounced, irretrievable, I am far from advo- 
cating a reduction of the English labourer 
to slavery. There is no radical distinction 



1859.] 



THE south i-:i:n planter. 



35 



of 'race, between the labourer and the eapi-j 'knows anything ef the negro character, 
telist The latter owes bis superiority, not can fori rnomeni suppose that the land of 
to nature, but to the rentage ground of op- [the country, could be diatributed between 
portunity. Nature lias implanted i eon- them as tenant proprietora. [f it was given 
ieaouaneas of equality, bo deeply in the bo- to them to day, their improvidence would 

soni of the labourer, that personal slavery make it the property of the white man to 

would bring with it a sense of degradation morrow. Indeed the fad to which Mr. 
he could never endure. Whatever the gen- Webster called attention, that the products 

era! destitution and Buffering! of his CUBB, of the Blave-hOlding States are destined 
an undying hope will ever whisper to the mainly, not for the immediate consumption, 
individual that a happy fortune may raise but for purposes of manufacture and com- 
liim to comfortable independence, or social mcrcial exchange, exclude the possibility of 
consideration. The very thought, that from , an extended system of tenant proprietorship, 
his loins may spring some stately figure to ' and render cultivation and disposal by caj.i- 
tread, with dignity the shining eminences of ■ tal upon a large scale indispensable. The 
life, is able to alleviate many hours of des- j black man if emancipated must work for 
pendency. But above all, an instinctive hire. Would he be better able to hold his 
love of liberty, such as was felt by the Spar- own against the capitalist than the English 
tan when he compared it to the sun, the labourer? Would not the misery and deg- 
most brilliant, and at the same time, the radation of the latter, but faintly foreshadow 
most useful object in creation, cherished in i the doom of the emancipated slave? His 
the Englishman by the traditions of ecntu-jdays embittered and shortened by privation- 
ries of struggle in its achievement and de- cheered by no hope of a brighter future; 
fence, cause him to echo the sentiment of! the burthens of liberty without its privile- 



his own poet, 

"Bondage is winter, darkness, death, despair, 
Freedom, the sun, the sea, the mountains and 
the air.*' 

I fully subscribe to an opinion which has 
been expressed by an accomplished Southern 
writer, that an attempt to enslave the Eng- 
lish labourer would equal, though it could ! and desolation of this collective servitude, to 
not exceed in folly, an attempt to liberate compensate for the sympathy, kindness, com- 
the American slave — either seriously attemp- fort, and protection which so generally solace 
ted and with sufficient power to oppose the the suffering, and sweeten the toil, and make 
natural current of events would over- 1 tranquil the slumber, and contented the 
whelm the civilization of the continent in spirits of the slave, whose lot has been cast 
which it occurred in anarchy. But if the in the sheltering bosom of a Southern home? 



ges ; the degradation of bondage without its 
compensations ; " the name of freedom gra- 
ven on a heavier chain f his root in the 
grave, the liberated negro under the influ- 
ence of moral causes as irresistible as the 
laws of gravity, would moulder earthward. 
What is there, may I not ask, in the misery 



English labourer belonged to a different 
race from his employer ; if they were sepa- 
rated by a moral and intellectual disparity 
such as divides the Southern slave from his 
master : if instead of the sentiments and 
traditions of liberty which would make bon- 
dage worse than death, he had the gentle, 



The approximation to equality in numbers, 
which has been hastily supposed to render 
emancipation safer than in the West Indies, 
would give rise to our greatest danger. It 
will not be long before the unmixed white 
population of the West Indies will be re- 
duced, by the combined influences of emi- 



tractable and submissive temper that adapt gration and amalgamation, to ■ fewfacton 

the African to servitude, who can doubt that I in the sea ports. In the United States, not 
a slavery which would insure comfort and ' only would the exodus of either race, <t 
kindness, would improve his condition in all their fusion, be impracticable, but the pride 

its aspects? I of civilization, which now stoops with alac- 

Noncof the circumstances which prevent i rity to bind up the wounds of the slave, 

the application of the general proposition we ' would spurn the aspiring contact of the free 

have been discussing to the English labour- man. The points of sympathy between mas- 



er, extend to the American slave — none of 
the plans which have been suggested for the 
relief of the former would offer any hope of 
amelioration to the latter. No man who 



ter and slave may not be as numerous or pow- 
erful as we could desire, but between the white 
and the black man, in any society in which 
they are recognised as equals, and in which 



36 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



the latter are sufficiently numerous to create | 
apprehension as to the consequences of dis- 
trust ami aversion, a growing ill-will would j 
deepen into irreconcilable animosity. Look 
at the isolation in which, notwithstanding 
their insignificance as a class, the free blacks 
of the North now live. "The negro/' says 
De Tocqueville, " is free, but he can share 
neither the rights, nor the pleasures, nor tke 
labour, nor the affections, nor the altar, nor 
the tomb of him whose equal he has been 
declared to be. He meets the white man 
upon fair terms, neither in life nor in death." 
What could be expected from a down-trod- 
den race, existing in masses large enough to 
be formidable, in whose bosoms the law it- 
self nourished a sense of injustice by pro- 
claiming an equality which Nature and so- 
ciety alike denied, with passions unrestrain- 
ed by any stake in the public peace, or any 
bonds of attachment to the superior class, 
but that it should seek in some frenzy of 
despair, to shake off its doom of misery and 
degradation ? Would not the atrocities 
which have always distinguished a war of 
races, be perpetrated on a grander and more 
appalling scale than the world has ever yet 
witnessed ? The recollections of hereditary 
feud alone have, in every age, so inflamed 
the angry passions of our nature as to lend 
a deeper gloom even to the horrors of war. 
When the poet describes the master of the 
lyre, as seeking to rouse the martial ardour 
of the Grecian conqueror and his attendant 
nobles, he brings before them the ghosts of 
their Grecian ancestors that were left unbu- 
ried on the plains of Troy, who tossing their 
lighted torches — 

"Point to the Persian abodes, 
And glittering temples of their hostile gods." 

"But what would be the ferocity awakened in 
half-savage bosoms, when embittered memo- 
ries of long-descended hate towards a supe- 
rior race, exasperated by the maddening 
pangs of want, impelled them to seek retri- 
bution for centuries of imaginary wrong ? 
Either that precious harvest of civilization 
which has been slowly ripening under the 
toils of successive generations of our fath- 
ers, and the genial sunshine and refreshing 
showers of centuries of kindly Providence, 
would be gathered by the rude sons of spoil, 
or peace* would return after a tragedy of 
crime and sorrow, with whose burthen of 
woe the voice of history would be tromulous 
through long ages of after time. 



The whole reasoning of modern philan- 
thropy upon this subject has been vitiated, 
by its overlooking those fundamental moral 
differences between the races, which consti- 
tute a far more important element in the po- 
litical arrangements of society, than relative 
intellectual power. It is immaterial how 
these differences have been created. Their 
existence is certain ; and if capable of re- 
moval at all, they are yet likely to endure 
for such an indefinite period, that in the 
consideration of any practical problem, we 
must regard them as permanent. The col- 
lective superiority of a race can no more ex- 
empt it from the obligations of justice and 
mercy, than the personal superiority of an 
individual; but where unequal races are 
compelled to live together, a sober and in- 
telligent estimate of their several aptitudes 
and capacities must form the basis of their 
social and political organization. The intel- 
lectual weakness of the black man is not so 
characteristic, as the moral qualities which 
distinguish him from his white brother. The 
warmest friends of emancipation, amongst 
others the late Dr. Channing, have acknow- 
ledged that the civilization of the African, 
must present a different type from that of 
the Caucasian, and resemble more the de- 
velopment of the East than the West. His 
nature is made up of the gentler elements. 
Docile, affectionate, light-hearted, facile to 
impression, reverential, he is disposed to look 
without for strength and direction. In the 
courage that rises with danger, in the energy 
that would prove a consuming fire to its pos- 
sessor, if it found no object upon which to 
spend its strength, in the proud aspiring 
temper which would render slavery intolera- 
ble, he is far inferior to other races. Hence, 
subordination is as congenial to his moral, 
as a warm latitude is to his physical nature. 
Freedom is not "chartered on his manly 
brow" as on that of the native Indian. Un- 
kindness awakens resentment, but servitude 
alone carries no sense of degradation fatal 
to self-respect. A civilization like our own 
could be developed only by a free people ; 
but under a system of slavery to a superior 
race, which was ameliorated by the chaflties 
of our religion, the African is capable of 
making indefinite progress. He is not ani- 
mated by that love of liberty which Bacon 
quaintly compared to a spark that ever flieth 
in the face of him who seeketh to trample 
it under foot. The masses of the old world, 
under various forms of slavery, have exhibi- 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANT Ell 



:;: 



ted a standing discontent, and their strag- 
gles tor freedom have been the flashes of a 
smothered but deeply hidden fire. The obe- 
dience of the African, unless disturbed by 
some impulse .from without, and to which he 
yields only in a vague hope of obtaining re- 
spite from labour, is willing ami oheerful. 
Ue Tooqueville, in his work on the French 
Revolution, points out a difference between 
nations, in what he calls the sublime taste 
tth freedom — some Beeking it for its material 
blessings only, others for its intrinsic attrac- 
tions ; and adds, "that he who seeks free- 
dom for anything else than freedom's self, is 
made to be a slave." How fallacious must 
be any political induction which transfers to 
the African that love of personal liberty, 
which wells from the heart of our own race 
in a spring-tide of passionate devotion, the 
winters of despotism could never chill. The 
Providence which appointed the Anglo-Sax- 
on to lead the van of human progress fitted 
him for his mission, by preconfiguring his 
soul to the influences of freedom. This sen- 
timent is indestructible in his nature. It 
would survive the degradation of any form 
or term of bondage. Like the sea shell, 
when torn from its home in the deep, his 
heart, through all the ages of slavery, would 
be vocal with the music of his native liberty. 
The strength of that security against op- 
pression which the Southern slave derives 
from the selfishness of human nature, 
has never been sufficiently appreciated, 
for, in truth, it has existed in connection 
with no other form of servitude. With ex- 
ceptions too slight to deserve remark, in 
Greece and Home, in the British and Span- 
ish colonies, it was cheaper to buy slaves 
than to raise them, to work them to death, 
than to provide for them in life. Hence in 
Rome, the slaves of the public were better 
cared for than those of the individual. 
With us, the master has a large and imme- 
diate interest, not only in the life, but the 
health, comfort and improvement of his 
slave, for they all add to his value and effi- 
ciency as a lab. mrcr. Southern slavery 
must therefore be tried upon its own merits, 
and not by data true or false, collected from 
other forms of servitude. Arithmetic, Gib- 
bon once said, is the natural enemy of rhet- 
oric, and a single statement will suffice to 
discredit all the reasoning, and pour con- 
tempt anon all the declamation which has 
confounded our slavery with that of the 
British West Indies. From the most re- 



liable calculations that can be made, MJI 
Carey, in his Kssay on the Slave Trade, 

it appears that for every African imported 

into the United States, ten are now to be 

found, such has been the wonderful growth 
of population ; for every three imported into 
the British West Indies, only one now ex- 
ists, such has been its frightful decline. 
Hut however ample this protection may be 

to the slave from the oppression of stran- 
[gers, his own passions, it is urged, will lead 
, the master to spurn the restraints of inter- 
:est. But what security against an abuse of 

power, has human wisdom ever devis< d 

which is likely to operate with such uniform 
and prevailing force ? As Burke said of 
another social institution, u it makes our 
weakness subservient to our virtue, and 
grafts our benevolence, even upon our ava- 
rice." All the evidence which is accessi- 
ble, the statistics of population, of consump- 
tion as shown both by imports, and the bal- 
ance between production and exports, and 
the testimony of intelligent and candid 
travellers bear witness to its general efficien- 
cy. And it is to be remarked that whilst 
the slave partakes largely and immediately 
of his master's prosperity, the rev 
which reduce the latter to beggary or star- 
vation, pass almost harmless over his head. 
In other countries the pressure of every 
public calamity falls upon the working 
classes: but with us the slave is placed in a 
great measure beyond their reach, by the 
circumstance that his hire or ownership im- 
port a condition of life in which the means 
of subsistence are enjoyed. From the de- 
moralization of extreme want, so fatal to 
virtue as well as happiness in other lands, he 
is thus always saved. It was the benevolent 
wish of Henry the Fourth, of France, that 
every peasant in his dominions might have a 
fowl in his pot for Sunday. In every age the 
patriot has offered a similar prayer for the 
labouring poor of his country. But it is 
only in the Southern States of our confed- 
eracy, that the sun ever beheld a meal of 
wholesome and abundant food, the daily re- 
ward of the children of toil. 

The relation is so far from having any 
tt ndency to provoke those angry and resent- 
ful feelings which would excite the master 
to acts of cruelty, that its tendency i 
redly the reveroe. 

It was truly said by Logan', that par 
mbjecHt, was not exclusively a Boman vir- 
tue c that it was a law of the heart, the 



38 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



[January 



usual attribute of undisputed power; and 
that there were few men who did not feel 
the force of that beautiful and touching- 
appeal : " Behold, behold, I am thy ser- 
vant." It was owing to this principle that 
when the dependence of the feudal vassal 
upon his lord was most complete, their mu- 
tual attachment, (as we are assured by Gil- 
bert Stewart and other historians of this 
period,) was strongest, and as the feudal 
tenure decayed, and the law was interposed 
between them, the kindness upon one side 
and the affection and gratitude upon the 
other disappeared. It is not simply the 
consciousness of strength which tends to 
disarm resentment in the bosom of the mas- 
ter. It is the long and intimate association, 
connected with the feelings of interest 
awakened in all but the hardest hearts by 
the cares and responsibilities of guardian- 
ship which makes the slave an object of 
friendly regard, and bring him within that 
circle of kindly sympathies which cluster 
around the domestic hearth. It is a form 
of that generous feeling which bound the 
Highland chieftain to his clan, and which, 
with greater or less force, depending upon 
the virtue of the age, attaches to every re- 
lation of patriarchal authority. According 
to Dr. Arnold, (in his tract on the Social 
Condition of the Operative Classes,) the old 
system of English slavery was far kinder 
than that now existing in England of hired 
service. The affection between the master 
and the villain is shown by the fact that 
villainage " wore out" by voluntary manu- 
mission — a circumstance which never would 
have happened had the relation been one 
simply of profit and loss. Shakspeare in 
his character of old Adam, in "As You 
Like It," has adverted to the more genial 
and kindly elements which distinguished 
this legal service from that for wages. Or- 
lando, in replying to the pressing entreaty 
of the old servant to go with him, and "do 
the service of a younger man in all his 
business and necessities," says — 

"Oh good old man, how well in thee appears 
The constant service of the antique world, 
When service sweat for duty — not for meed.'' 

The mutual good will of distinct classes 
has, in all ages, been dependent upon a well 
defined subordination. This opinion is con- 
firmed by the testimony of one of the most 
eloquent writers of New England, in ref- 
erence to the workings of its social system 



as they fell under his personal observation. 
"I appeal," says Dana in his Essay on Law 
as suited to Man, " to those who remember 
the state of our domestic relations, when 
the old Scriptural terms of master and ser- 
vant were in use. I do not fear contradic- 
tion when I say there was more of mutual 
good will then than now ; more of trust on 
the one side and fidelity on the other ; more 
of protection and kind care, and more of 
gratitude and affectionate respect in return; 
and because each understood well his place, 
actually more of a certain freedom, tem- 
pered by gentleness and by deference. From 
the very fact that the distinction of classes 
was more marked, the bond between the 
individuals constituting these two, was 
closer. As a general truth, I verily believe 
that, with the exception of near-blood re- 
lations, and here and there peculiar friend- 
ships, the attachment of master and servant 
was closer and more enduring than that of 
almost any other connection in life. The 
young of this day, under a change of for- 
tune, will hardly live to see the eye of an 
old, faithful servant fill at their fall ; nor 
will the old domestic be longer housed and 
warmed by the fireside of his master's 
child, or be followed by him to the grave. 
The blessed sun of those good old days has 
gone down, it may be for ever, and it is 
very cold." It is through the operation of 
these kindly sentiments, which it awakens 
on both sides, that African slavery recon- 
ciles the antagonism of classes that has 
elsewhere reduced the highest statesman- 
ship to the verge of despair, and becomes 
the great Peace-maker of our society, con- 
verting inequalities, whioh are sources of 
danger and discord in other lands, into 
pledges of reciprocal service, and bonds of 
mutual and intimate friendship. 

But a vigilant and restraining public 
opinion surrounds our slaves with a cumu- 
lative security. The master is no chartered 
libertine. Custom, the greatest of law- 
givers, places visible metes and bounds 
upon his authority which few are so hardy 
as to transcend. Native humanity and 
Christian principle inscribe their limitations 
upon the living tables of his heart. A 
public sentiment, growing in its strength 
and increasing in its exactions, covers the 
slave with a protecting shield, far less easily 
or frequently broken through, than those 
feeble barriers of law which in our Free 
States, are interposed between the degraded 






T II IS SOUTH BRN PL A NTER. 



89 



ami outcast black man, and his white bro- 
ther. Written laws never to be received 
ii Accurate exponents of the rights and 
privileges of a people, ere most fallacious 
when appealed k> as ■ standard, by whioh 
to determine the obaractei of ■ system of 
slavery; for the wisest and most humane 
must acknowledge thai the introduction of 

law may so disturb the harmony ami good 
will of any domestic relation, as to breed 

more mischief than it can possibly cure. It 
is not simply in reference to the rood, cloth- 
ing, work, bolydays, punishments of slaves, 

that public sentiment exercises its super- 
vision ami restraint. It looks to the whole 
lange of their happiness and improvement. 
It is operating with great force in inducing 

masters to provide more extended facilities 
for their religious instruction. It has to a 
large extent terminated that disruption of 
family ties, which has always constituted the 
most serious obstacle to the improvement of 
the slave, and the severest hardship of his 
lot. A Scotch weaver, William Thompson, 
who travelled through our Southern States 
in 184o, on foot, sustaining himself by 
manual labour, and mixing constantly with 
our slave population, states in a book which 
lie published on his return home, that the 
separation of families did not take place 
here to such an extent as amongst the la- 
bouring poor of Scotland. We know that 
the evil has been diminishing with every 
succeeding day, and I trust that public sen- 
timent will not leave this most beneficent 
work half done. The sanctity and integrity 
of the family union is the germ of all civ- 
ilization. There is nothing in slavery to 
make its violation inevitable. It may re- 
quire some time and sacrifice to accommo- 
date the habits of society to the universal 
prevalence of a permanent tenure in these 
relations. But through the agency of pub- 
lic sentiment alone, acting upon buyer and 
seller, and operating where necessary through 
combinations of benevolent neighbours, the 
mischief in its entire dimensions lies within 
the grasp of remedy. 

Slavery is charged with fixing a point in 
the scale of civilization, beyond which it 
docs not permit the labourer to rise. God, 
it is argued, has conferred the capacity and 
imposed the duty of improvement, hut man 
forever denies the opportunity. I admit 
that the refining, elevating, and liberalizing 
influences of knowledge can not lie impart- 
ed to the slave, in an equal degree with his 



r. But this arises from the fact that 

he is a labourer, not that he is a .slave. It 
proceeds from a combination of circumstan- 
ces which human laws could not alter, and 

which render daily toil the unavoidable por- 
tion of the black man. ( 1 ivilization is a 
complex result, demanding a multite 
Special offices and functions, for whose per- 
formance men art' fitted, and even reconcil- 
ed by gradations in intelligence and culture. 

However exalting or ennobling might be 
| the knowledge of Newton or Berschell, 

God in his providence has denied to the 

larger part oi' the human family, the oppor- 
tunity of obtaining it. The apparent hard- 
ship of this arrangement disappears when 
! we reflect that this life is only a school of 
discipline and probation for another, and 
' that a variety of condition involving dis- 
i tinct spheres of duty, may be the wisest. 
and most merciful provision for each. 
Every age rises to a higher level of general 
intelligence, but the mass of men must be 
satisfied with that prime wisdom, u to know 
that before us lies in daily life/' Whilst I 
doubt not that, 

"Through the ages one increasing purpose 

runs. 
And the thoughts of men arc widened with the 

circuit oi* the suns. - ' 

yet so long as the Divine ordinance, the 
'poor ye have always with you, remains un- 
repealed — an ordinance without which the 
fruits of industry would be consumed, and 
its accumulations cease, the classes of soci- 
\ ety must be divided by a broad line of dis- 
parity in intellectual culture. Emancipa 
' tion would not relieve the slave from the 
' necessities of daily labour, or furnish the 
leisure for extending mental cultivation. 
There might be individual exceptions ; but 
all legislation must take its rule from the 
general course of human nature, not its ac- 
cidental departures and variations. It is 
emancipation and not servitude, which 
Would forever darken and extinguish those 
i prospects of amelioration that now lie im- 
aged in the bright perspective of Christian 
hope. The slave will partake more and 
more of the life-giving civilization of the 
master. As it is, his intimate relations with 
the superior race, and the unsystematic in- 
struction he receives in the family, have 
placed him in point of general intelligence 
above a large portion of the white labourers 
of Europe. It appears from the most re- 
cent statistics, that one half the adult pop- 



40 THE SOUTHERN TLANTER. [January 

feet discharge of our duties in this, and in 
every other relation of life : but for its 
justice and morality as an element of our 
social polity, we may confidently appeal to 
those future ages, which, when the bedim- 
ming mists of passion and prejudice have 
vanished, will examine it in the pure light 
of truth, and pronounce the final sentence of 
impartial History. Beyond our own borders, 
there has been no sober and intelligent 
estimate of its distinctive features; no just 
apprehension of the nature, extent and per- 
manence of the disparities between the 
races, or of the fatal consequences to the 
slave, of a freedom which would expose him 
to the unchecked selfishness of a superior 
civilization; no conception approaching to 
the reality of the power which has been 
exerted by a public sentiment, springing 
from Christian principle, and sustained by 
the universal instincts of self-interest, in 
tempering the severity of its restraints, and 
impressing upon it the mild character of a 
patriarchal relation; no rational anticipation 
of the improvement of which the negro 
would be capable under our form of servi- 
tude, if those who now nurse the wild and 
mischievous dream of peaceful emancipa- 
tion, should lend all their energies to the 
maintenance of the only social sj^stem under 
which his progressive amelioration appears 
possible. African slavery is no relic of 
barbarism to which we cling from the 
ascendency of semi-civilized tastes, habits, 



illation of England and Wales are unable 
to write their names. It was of English 
labourers, not American slaves, that Gray 
wrote those touching lines — 
"But knowledge to their eyes her ample page, 
Rich with the spoils of time, (lid ne'er unroll; 
Chill penury repressed their noble ntge. 
And froze the genial current of the soul." 

But it is supposed that our slaves can 
never be instructed without danger to the 
public safety, as knowledge, like the admis- 
sion of light into a subterranean mine, 
might lead to an explosion. There may be 
circumstances in which the supreme law of 
self-preservation will command us to with- 
hold from the slave the degree of informa- 
tion we would gladly impart. But it is 
never to be forgotten, that this stern and 
inexorable necessity will not be created by 
the system itself. The sin, and the respon- 
sibility of its existence will lie at the door 
of the misjudging philanthropy which has 
rashly and ignorantly interposed to adjust 
relations on whose balance hang great issues 
of liberty and civilization. If the views 
which have been presented are true, the 
more his reason was instructed, the clearer 
would be the slave's perception of the gene- 
ral equity of the arrangement which fixed 
his lot. But if knowledge is to introduce 
him to literature which will confuse his un- 
derstanding by its sophistry, whilst it in- 
flames his passions by its appeals, which 
will exaggerate his rights and magnify his 



wrongs, then mercy to the slave, as well as and principles; but an adjustment of the 
justice to society, require us to protect him social and political relations of the races, 
from the folly and crime into which he consistent with the purest justice, commen- 
might be hurried by the madness of moral ded by the highest expediency, and sane- 
intoxication. We will not throw open our tioned by a comprehensive and enlightened 



gates, that the enemies of peace may sow 
the dragon's teeth of discord, and leave us 
to reap a harvest of confusion and rebel- 
lion — but when they come to plant love 
amongst us, to teach apostolic precepts, as 
elementary morality, and to hold up the 



humanity. It has no doubt been sometimes 
abused by the base and wicked passions of 
our fallen nature to purposes of cruelty and 
wrong ; but where is the school of civiliza- 
tion from which the stern and wholesome 
discipline of suffering has been banished ? 



standard of Holy Scripture as the rule of r the human landscape not saddened by a 
conduct, and proof of law, we will give dark-flowing stream of sorrow ? Its history 
them hospitable welcome. when fairly written, will be its ample vindi- 

If I have at all comprehended the ele- cation. It has weaned a race of savages 
ments which should enter into the dctermi- from superstition and idolatry, imparted to 
nation of this momentous problem of social them a general knowledge of the precepts 
welfare and public authority, the existence! of the true religion, implanted in their 
of African Slavery amongst us, furnishes no bosom sentiments of humanity and princi- 
jtist occasion for self-reproach; much less pies of virtue, developed a taste for the arts 
for the presumptuous rebuke of our fellow and enjoyments of civilized life, given an 
man. As individuals, we have cause to unknown dignity and elevation to their type 
humble ourselves before God, for the imper-jof physical, moral and intellectual man, and 



I 



Til B Sol Til BB N P LA NTER. 



II 



ibr two centuries during which this human- 
izing process has taken place, made for their 
subsistence and comfort, a more bountiful 
provision, than was ever before enjoyed in 
an\ age or country of the world by a labor- 
lag class. Ef tried by the teel which we 
upph to other institutions, the whole sum of 
its results, there is no agenoy of civilization 
which has accomplished so much in the 
lame time, lor the happiness and advance- 
ment of our race. 

I am fully persuaded, Mr. President, that 

the preservation of our peace and union, OUT 
property and liberty depend upon the tri- 
umph of these opinions over the delusion 
and ignorance which have obscured and 
perplexed the public judgment upon this 
question of slavery. I believe that they 
indicate the only tenable line of argument 
along which we can defend our rights or 
character. So long as men regard all forms 
of slavery as sinful, they will be conducted 
to the conclusion that any aid or comfort to 
ahem, is likewise sinful, by a logical neces- 
sity, which their passions or interests can 
only resist for a time. The conviction that 
justice is the highest expediency for the 
statesman, the first duty of the Christian, 
and should be supreme law of the State, 
will sooner or later establish its supremacy 
over all combinations of parties and inter- 
So long as our fellow-citizens of the 
North look upon this relation as barbarous 
and corrupting, they must and ought to de- 
sire and seek its extinction, as a great vice 
and crime. Every year will deepen their 
sympathy with the slave, suffering under 
unjust bonds, and inflame their resentful 
indignation towards the master who holds 
his odious property with unrelaxing grasp. 
Mutual self-respect is the only term of 
iation upon which either individuals 
or societies can or ought to live together. 
How long could OUT Union endure, if it was 
to be preserved by submission to a fixed 
policy of injustice, and acquiescence under 
an accumulating burthen at reproach ? We 
are willing to give much for Union. We will 
give territory for it; the broad acres we have 
Iv surrendered would make an empire. 
We will give blood for it; we have shed it 
freely upon every field of our country's 
danger and renown. We will give love 
for it ; the confiding, the forgiving, the 
overflowing love of brothers and freemen. 
But much as we value it, we will not pur- 
chase it at the price of liberty or character. 



A union ,,(' suspicion, aversion, injustice, in 

which we woidd be banned not blessed, out- 
lawed not protected, whether by faction 

under the forms of law or revolution over 

them I care not, has no eharms for me. 
Tin' Union I lo\e, i.- that which our lathers 

formed; a Union which, when it took its 

place up. m the majestic theatre of history, 

consecrated by the benedictions of patriots 
and freemen, and covered all over with 

images of fame, was a fellowship of equal 
and fraternal States; a Union which was 
established not only as a bond of Strength, 
but as a pledge of justice and a sacrament 
of affection ; a Union which was intended, 
like the arch of the heavens, to embrace 
within the span of its beneficent influence 
all interests and sections and to rest oppres- 
sively or unequally upon none;; a Union in 
which the North and the South — " like the 
double-celled heart, at every full stroke," 
beat the pulses of a common liberty and a 
common glory. Mr. Madison has recorded 
a beautiful incident, which occurring as the 
members of the Federal Convention were 
attaching their signatures to the Constitu- 
tion, forms a fitting and significant close to 
its proceedings. Dr. Franklin pointing to 
the painting of a sun which hung behind 
the speaker's chair, and adverting to a diffi- 
culty which is said to exist in discriminating 
between the picture of a rising and a set- 
ting sun, remarked that during the progress 
of their deliberations, he had often looked 
at this painting and been doubtful as to its 
character, but that he now saw clearly that 
it was a rising sun. When the fancy of 
Franklin gave to the painting its- auroral 
hues, she had dipped her pencil in his 
heart. Let but a healing conviction of the 
true character of our system of slavery 
enter into the public sentiment of the 
North ; let it understand that the South is 
seeking to discharge, not simply the obliga- 
tions of justice, but the larger debt of 
Christian humanity towards this degraded 
race; and that if it has not accomplished 
more, it is because ils people, like the work- 
men upon Solomon's temple, have been 
Compelled to labour on their social fabric with 
the trowel in one hand, and the sword in 
the other : and the old feelings of mutual 
regard would soon follow a mutual respect 
resting upon immovable foundations; the 
animosities and distentions of the past 
would be buried in the duties of the 
Present and the Hopes of the Future ; the 



42 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[JanuaryI 



memories of our great heroic age would 
breathe over us a second spring of patri- 
otism : the comprehensive American senti- 
ment which framed this league of love, 
would revive in all its quickening power, in 
the bosoms of our people, spreading undi- 
vided over every portion of our territory, 
and operating unspent through all genera- 
tions of our history j the Union would be j 
so clasped in the North, and in the South, 
to our heart of hearts, that death itself! 
could not tear loose the clinging tendrils of; 
devotion ; and that emblematic painting in 
which our fathers, with " no form nor feeling ! 
in their souls, unborrowed from their coun- ! 
try," greeted with patriot prayer and hope, 
the rising beams of morning, would never ' 
by any line of lessening light, betoken to the 
eyes of their children a parting radiance. 

I have an abiding faith in Time, Truth 
and Providence. Let but the educated 
mind of our society be fully awakened to 
the magnitude of its responsibilities, and 
thoroughly instructed in the duties of its 
mission : let it meet the falsifications of his- 
tory, and perversions of philosophy, and 
corruptions of religion, in the varied forms 
of wise and temperate discussions ; let it 
catch the spirit of Milton, when he was! 
content to lose his sight in writing for the ' 
defence of the liberties of England, and in- 
spired by yet deeper enthusiasm in a cause 
upon which may depend the liberties and 
civilization of the whole earth, now in com- 
mon peril from a universal licentiousness of 
opinion, unseal all its fountains of wit, elo- ! 
quence and logic ; and there would soon set : 
out from our Southern coast, a great moral 
Gulf Stream, able to penetrate and warm all 
currents of opposing thought — although they 
come in strength and volume of ocean 
tides. 



Resolved, That the thanks of the Virginia! 
State Agricultural Society be tendered totj 
Professor Holcombc for the very able, elo- 
quent and philosophical discourse which he 
has just delivered, and that a copy be re- 
quested for publication in all the journals 
of the Commonwealth, the Agricultural pan 
pers, and in the transactions of the Society. 



:i 



The Chairman of the Meeting, Mr. Ed 
munds, stated that the Executive Committee 
had duly considered the subject of the prac 
ticability of uniting the two Societies, re 
ferred to them by resolution of the meeting 
of the 3rd instant ; and that a report wasj 
in the hands of the Secretary to be now 
read to the meeting, if it should be their 
pleasure to hear it. The resolution of the 
3rd instant was then read, after which the 
following minute, which had been adopted 
by the Executive Committee on the motion; 
of Mr. Edmunds, was submitted to this 
meeting as their report: 

" The Executive Committee of the State! 
Agricultural Society having had under con 
sideration the resolution of the State Society 
passed in general meeting on the 3rd instant 



Note. — Tliis Address at the time of its de- 
livery had not been entirely committed to wri 
ting. The author has sometimes found it im- 
possible to recall ihe exact language which was 
then employed. He has, also, after conference 
with some members of the Executive Commit- 
tee of the State Agricultural Society, added an 
occasional statement and illustration, which the 
limits of the oral discourse obliged him to omit. 



At the close of the Annual Address, the 
President called Mr. Edmunds, first Vice' 
President, to the (.'hair. 

Mr. Newton then moved the following' 
resolution, which was unanimously adopted : . 



and having conferred with the Executive 
Committee of the Union Agricultural So- 
ciety on the grave and important subject 
embraced in the resolution — beg leave tc 
report unanimously, that, in the absence ol 
a number of the members of the Commit] 
tee, and in view of the deep importance oi pa 
the subject, they deem it inexpedient to re- % 
port prior to the next meeting of the Far 
mers' Assembly, upon which body the Con 
stitution devolves the final decision." 

Mr. Cox, of Chesterfield, moved the fol 
lowing resolution : 

Resolved, That the report just presentee! 
be referred to a Committee of five, wh( ( 
shall have leave to retire, consider the same 
and report immediately to this body, recom- 
mending such action as they may deem it profit 
per and expedient for this meeting to adopt lo 

Mr. Branch proposed as a substitute th< p 
following resolution, which was accepted b] 
the mover, and adopted by the meeting : 

Resolved, That the report of the Exccu 
tivc Committee be recommitted, with in 
structions to hold further conference witl 
the Executive Committee of the Union Ag 
ri cultural Society during the time interve 
ninu, and that they report to the next meet |= 
ing of the Farmers' Assembly on the prac 
ticability of a permanent union of the tw< 



Id I 



g59.] 



Til B SOUTH BB N PLA XTK R. 



ml also the terms of such union, 
f Pound practicable. 
The meeting then adjourned. 

Freda* Evening, Not. 5ih, 1868. 



your u a atui et and leldi — ia honee natefc- 
ieei lor blond and strength — in cattle of the. 
finest form and Btrootun — of sheep admira- 
ble for Beth and fleece, and of other animals 
which contribute bo essentially to the oom- 
The members of the dnion Society of «"*»it^ :in.l a ooc sa i ties of life; and here, too, 
hbginia and North Carolina, and of the ,n <' 1):ll, ".Y a,1(l Ponhry-yaid have liberally 
Rrginia State Agricoltaral Society, con- contributed their stores in order to enrich 

.ened in joint meeting al the Market Street tlu> 8001108. May I not, then, congratulate 

Uaj.tist Church t.» hear the Valedictory Ad- . v,,n on this sixth times repeated mo 
Bag. Rx-Presidenl Tyler was escorted to your patriotic associations. The opinion haa 
he stand by a Committee of the two Socio- «tensiTcly provailed in other States that 

ie>, and wasgreeted with enthusiastic dem- ^ 1, ^ 1 " ,: ' ll;l(1 "•" nei best days; that her 

)iistrations of respect, due to the venerable *&, ]) )' :1 ln ".- :l,1(l BeTCIC course of tillage, 

■teaman, who, after life-long devotion of *»■ exhausted, and that her people led a. 

Himself to the >en ice of his country, has so tol 'l ,i(l existence, content to pass their lives 

zracefully exchanged the sword of authority '» dreams of other days, and in the boast of 

for the ploughshare and the proning-hook, » illustrious ancestry, and in anticipation 

ind surrendered the robes and the' tenure <>f a future that can never come to an idle 

if office for the simple vesture and the dig- aml effeminate race. Bid these mistaken 

aified retirement of the citizen Farmer, lie -evilers visit the Fair Grounds of the niuno- 

Bsj proceeded to deliver the following K>os Agricultural Societies throughout the 

Valedictory: State. If this does not answer to dispel 

I the delusion, take them to your several 

Mr. President and Gentlemen : 'estates throughout the broad surface of the 

My task is readily accomplished. lam country; point out to them the march of 

bere to congratulate you on the continued improvement within the period of twenty 

I of the Society which bean the name years; shew them your fields during the 

.)f our time-honoured Commonwealth, and season of harvest home, teeming with the 

)f that with which it has upon this occasion golden abundance; tell them that those 

mited its destinies. That success is Btrik- fields now producing from twenty to forty 

ugly illustrated by the evidences presented fold, were indeed then worn and nearly cx- 

)n those grounds. The earth, although hausted by a culture of 250 years ; say to 

parched and dried op by a drought of unu- them what was truly the case, that our peo- 

■al duration, lias nevertheless contributed pie had to abandon the lands on which they 

is cereals, and fruits, and flowers, to embel- were born, to flee to others embosomed in 

ish the scene of your Fair Grounds, while the distant wilderness, where ploughman's 

pour mines, now in a course of rapid and whistle had never been heard, or woodman's 

sful development, have given up spec- axe had never resounded since the days of 

mens of their hidden treasures, in proof of the great flood. That in deserting their old 

■at resources yet to be dug from the bosom paternal homesteads, where they had | 

)f distant mountains. The manufacturer on the days of their infancy and early mnn- 

lis part has been no listless spectator of the hood, they might well break out in the 

■Being scene. The results of the loom and language of Melibeus to Tityrus when 

he spindle — of the ingenious contrivances forced to leave Italy — 

:o mitigate the severity of labour — of im- , v . • , , - 

, •'- _ . '■ i>os patnro lines, et uulcia hiiqiiiiniis ar\a : 

Movements in the mechanic arts — of the k» • ■ 

x , ,. . Aos pairiam Insulins : ' 

lumberless machines, apparently instinct 

,vith life, so admirably and systematically JBut that now the broom-straw old fields 

io they perform their functions — all bespeak bad disappeared — migration had nearly 

ihat hand and mind are alike at work, and ceased, and that the aid homesteads wen; 

;hat our fellow-citizens ate every where ac- ample and broad enough to shelter one and 

lively engaged in aiding the good part of all, and the lands restored to more than 

•aising food for the hungry, and clothes for their primeval fertility. Tf not yet satis- 

ho naked, and in ameliorating the condi- 1 tied, transport them to regions but recently 

;ion of society in all its departments. Here, ' visited by the • Steam-engine, and open to 

:oo ; have been exhibited the products of j their view extensive and fertile districts 



44 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



[January 



which, until now, have been alien to the 
world, and almost buried in primeval forests. 
Tell them that the hum of industry already 
disturbs the silence which there has ruled 
supreme, and that in a few years more the 
voice of activity and life will awaken the 
one universal echo through mountain and 
vale. And if still unconvinced, carry the 
unbelievers into your workshops and your 
mines. Point out to them the increase of 
the mechanical arts, and exhibit to them 
the extent of your mineral treasures — carry 
them, if no farther, to the banks of the 
Holstein, and call their attention to a com- 
paratively small area of valley and moun- 
tain, whose treasures of salt and plaster 
exceed in value the estimated value of the 
great and overshadowing city of New York. 
If, with these evidences of increasing pros- 
perity, they alter into the nasal twang, which 
I have often heard, of a decline of intellect 
among us, lead them into an assembly of 
our farmers, and after having heard their 
debates, then may we exclaim in an exul- 
tant voice, these are our people, and here 
are the men whose fathers were in the 
olden time the leaders of the hosts to the 
land of promise, and are themselves worthy 
to be their successors — and to finish the 
picture, then point them to ) 7 our wives and 
mothers, leading by their hands their infant 
children, to swear upon the altar of the 
living God eternal enmity, not as Hannibal, 
the Carthagenian, against an earthly power, 
but against immorality and vice in all its 
forms. Such is Virginia now, and such the 
symbol of a still greater Virginia that is to 
be. These make her what she is, the great 
conservative State of the Union, and im- 
part to her a moral influence more important 
than is tojbe found in numbers, or in an 
army with banners. 

Need I do more than point you to the 
motto of that glorious flag which floated 
over our fathers in other days, and has 
waved over you on this occasion. Let the 
motto of each and all be Per sever undo. 
And where can that old flag more proudly 
float than over that city which, by its 
heroism and its perseverance, has sought 
every field on which honor was to be won, 
and has gloriously acquired the title of 
the Cockade city of Virginia, " the blessed 
mother of us all." I remember well the 
day when the cry came from the far north- 
west for aid and succour. Discomfiture had 
befallen our arms, and a combined force 



pressed upon our exposed frontiers. Then 
there stepped forth from the ranks of her 
citizens, that noble and gallant corps which, 
with a step firm and determined, entered 
the wilderness and breasted at Fort Meigs, 
the wild and furious assaults of Proctor 
and its hosts. Nor can I quit this theme 
without expressing your sense, Mr. Presi- 
dent, and that of those assembled here at 
the manner of your reception by the citi- 
zens of this flourishing city upon the 
present occasion. Petersburg has inter- 
woven an additional wreath into her cock- 
ade, and there it floats in all the enticing 
loveliness of hospitality — unbounded and 
unlimited. Wear in your heart of hearts 
gentlemen, that proud old motto, " Perseve- 
rando. Let no petty local jealousies intro- 
duce discord into your councils. For men 
to differ is the inevitable result of freedom 
of thought and of speech — let no such 
differences affect the great and valuable 
association which you have so successfully 
organized. It is Virginia that pleads — 
you Mr. President of the State Agricultural 
Society, permit me to say, are more than 
all others interested in this. Through your 
analysis of soils, I speak what I think, 
Virginia has been materially aided in being 
what she is. The existence of the State 
Agricultural Society is materially due to 
your labours. Proud and lofty is the monu- 
ment. Shall we not preserve it undefiled 
and unmutilated ? Bring up your offerings 
to the next annual Fair. Let your wives 
bring also theirs, and your children theirs. 
Let the last bring garlands woven of the 
bright flowers of the forest, and the field, 
and the garden. They will be fit emblems 
of thar own purity, and types of their own 
brightness and beauty. 

At the close of the address, on motion of 
the President, 

Resolved, That the thanks of the Socie- 
ties be tendered to Ex-President Tyler for the 
feeling and appropriate manner in which he 
has addressed the meeting, and that he be 
requested to furnish a copy of his discourse 
for publication. 

The President reminded the Societies 
that, as the occasion was one of congratula- 
tion and of leave-taking after having enjoyed 
a delightful season of re-union and social in- 
tercourse, while witnessing one of the most 
successful exhibitions ever held in Virginia, 
any member present would be gladly heard 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



45 



who had any remarks to make, deemed ap- 
propriate to the oceasion. 

Messrs. Charles Carter Lee, James A. 
Scddon and Willoughby Newton, each de- 
livered appropriate addresses in answer to 
calls made upon them by the meeting. 

And then with the kindest feelings, and 
with fraternal harmony, the meeting ad- 
journed. CH. B. WILLIAMS, Sec'y. 

For the Planter. 

Profitable Treatment of an Orchard- 
A. A. CampbelVs annual contribution to the 

Nottoway Agricultural Club. 
Mr. President : 

Early in the month of March 1857, 1 had 
my apple orchard, containing three and a 
half acres of land, broken up with a two 
horse plough, say six or seven inches deep. 
This lot had been kept for eight years as 
a grazing lot, during which time a strong 
sod of wire and other grasses had formed 
on it; it was cross-plowed, and the heavy 
drag immediately passed over it; in which 
situation it was permitted to remain until 
the 28th, when the harrows were again 
passed over it, leaving it in fine tilth : the 
land was in good heart, though not rich. It 
was then laid off in rows, seven feet apart, 
with a trowel hoe, and planted in an early 
variety -of corn, brought from the mountains, 
2£ feet in the row, two stalks in the hill — 
and no manure of any kind was used. Be- 
tween the first and tenth of May, a trowel 
hoe furrow was run midway between the 
corn rows, say 3? feet from the corn and 
the land planted in the corn-field peas. This 
piece of land was selected more with the 
view of benefitting my orchard than the ex- 
pectation of receiving a remunerating return 
for my labour. The subsequent cultivation 
was with the harrows and two hoe workings, 
all done in good time. 

During the last week in July following, I 
had a three-tooth harrow run between the 
corn and pea rows; opened a drill with a 
trowel hoe plough and sowed in the furrows 
Reese's Manipulated Guano, at the rate of 
200 pounds per acre, and immediately fol- 
lowed on with a well constructed Turnip 
drill, which deposited the turnip seed to my 
entire satisfaction ; at the same time partial- 
ly incorporating the guano with the loose 
earth in the drill, by the action of the spout 
through which the seed pass. The seed 
were readily covered by an iron tooth gar- 
den rake and the operation finished, with 



but litrlo labour. The subsequent cultiva- 
tion was only one hoe working at the time 
of thinning the turnips, which wore left in 
the drill from six to ten inches apart. 

As BOOS as the corn begun to get out of 
the milk state, I commenced cutting down 
and throwing it to my stock hogs, after having 
stripped off the blades of as much as would 
last the hogs three or four days; thus sav- 
ing a good stack of fodder and giving the 
turnips more sun and air, and cutting off 
the draught on the laud. My hogs did well 
on this feed. 

It is impossible to say what the land 
would have produced in corn if it had been 
permitted to stand until matured. I sup- 
pose it would have produced five or six bar- 
rels to the acre, my opinion was corrobora- 
ted by others who saw it. The crop of peas 
was a beautiful one, supplying a lar%e fami- 
ly abundantly during the season, with that 
most wholesome and nutritious vegetable, 
aud in fall affording a good supply of seed 
peas. After gathering the dried peas, the 
vines were cut off with tobacco knives, cured 
and stacked for the stock in winter ; they 
were eaten greedily by cows and sheep. 

It only remains to say something of the 
turnip crop. It will be recollected, by the 
Club, that the last was an unfavorable year 
in this county for this crop ; the fly and 
grasshoppers were unusually destructive, not- 
withstanding which I raised a good crop for 
the land and season ; most of the turnips 
were large and well-flavoured. The crop 
was not measured otherwise than by the cart 
load ; and estimating the cart load at twenty- 
five bushels, the crop amounted to about 300 
bushels ; these were put up in mounds and 
covered over with corn-stalks and earth, and 
have been beneficially fed to my stock during 
the winter and spring months, — they kept 
well until the cold spell in March when they 
rotted badly. 

On the 5th day of October 1857, th-Q land 
having been previously cleared of the corn 
and peas — the turnips still remaining on the 
land — was sow/ed in wheat, at the rate of 1 \ 
bushels per acre, and 200 pounds of well- 
mixed and thoroughly incorporated Mexican 
and Icabo guanos, (done in my own guano- 
house, under my supervision,) in equal quan- 
tities by weight, and thoroughly harrowed 
in. Around and between the turnips the 
wheat was chopped in with hand hoes. The 
turnips were gathered by hand in December. 
The wheat came up evenly and regularly, 



4G 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



and is at this time (April 27th) a beautiful 
ami promising lot, comparing favorably with 
my tobacco lots, from which a fine crop is 
expected it' no casualty befals it. 

A. A. Campbell. 

Specific Manures, &c- 

Experiment* by W. J. Harris, reported to 

the Nottoway Club. 

Mr. President: — An analysis of To- 
bacco by Mr. W. A. Shepard, of Ran- 
dolph Macon College, which appeared in 
a late number of the Planter, agrees so 
well with some experiments made by me, 
that I think it will prove a safe guide in 
the application of specific manures for To- 
bacco. Not being able to make as much 
good farm-yard manure or compost as would 
be necessary for a crop, I have been com- 
pelled to make up the deficiency with 
guano, applied jointly with them, or alone. 
When guano was used alone, unless the land 
was very good, the crop always failed to ful- 
fill what might reasonably have been ex- 
pected from its early growth. It would start 
off finely and reach a large size, but as soon 
as the maturing process commenced it be- 
gun to burn at the bottom, or fire at the 
top ; or, if it escaped these disasters, it 
ripened, or rather dried up, thin and poor. 
It was evident, therefore, that, although 
the guano could give it size, it could not 
ripen it properly. As guano contained very 
little potash, and Tobacco a great deal, and 
as wood ashes is known to be one of the 
best manures for Tobacco, it appeared clear 
to me that potash and lime, when needed, 
would supply the deficiency. 

The first experiment I made was on a 
piece of thin, worn-out land, on which I 
applied a dressing of oak leaves and lime, 
saltpetre and guano. The oak leaves and 
lime were applied about two months before 
the saltpetre and guano. The result was, 
that I believe I got a better crop than from 
an ordinary dressing of stable manure. The 
next experiment was made with saltpetre 
and salt, and a small quantity of leached 
ashes — broadcast, andj guano in the drill, 
which made the richest and heaviest To- 
bacco I ever made from any application. 
The land on which this was made was a stiff 
red clay, and probably contained a sufficient 
quantity of lime. The first was a very poor 
sandy soil. 

Mr. Shepard's analysis shows a very large 
quantity of potash and lime in both the 



I dried leaf and stalk, — as much as G pounds 
to the 100 pounds ; so that an acre of land, 
to produce 1000 pounds of leaf and 200 
pounds of stalk, would have to supply 72 I 
pounds of potash and 72 pounds of lime, 
— the two making two-thirds of the inor- 
ganic elements of the plant. 

Salt is no doubt very beneficial as the 
analysis shows a large per cent, of chlorine 
and soda. Without being guided by an 
analysis I had, in the above mixture, every- 
thing of importance the analysis calls for. 
The guano furnished the nitrogen and 
phosphoric acid to give the growth — the 
ashes and saltpetre to furnish potash, and i 
salt the chlorine and soda. 

From the very large proportion of potash 
and lime in a well matured leaf and stalk 
of Tobacco, I think it very probable that 
a deficiency of these alkalies prevents a 
proper maturing of the leaf, and brings on 
burning, fire and starvation — (to both leaf 
and planter.) 

Saltpetre, 30 to 40 lbs., 

Ashes, quantum habet, 

Salt, 2 bushels, 

Guano, 200 lbs., 

Respectfully submitted. 

WM. J. HARRIS. 



Per acre. 



Experiments with Peruvian and Colum- 
bian Guano, both Separate and Mixed. 

Report of W. R. Bland to the Nottoway 
Club. 

I last fall, about the 12th of October, 
sowed one and a half acres of land in 
wheat, dressed with 250 pounds of Colum- 
bian guano, at a cost of $5 62 £, one acre 
and a half dressed with 212 pounds Pe- 
ruvian guano at a cost of $5 72, and six 
acres dressed with a mixture of the two 
guanos, 550 pounds Columbian and 370 
pounds Peruvian, at a cost of $22 37. The I 
acre and a half dressed with Columbian 
guano produced five shocks wheat, estimated 
at two bushels per shock, giving ten 
bushels, or six and two-third bushels per 
acre, cost $5 62, product at $1 50 per 
bushel $15 00, profit $9 37; profit per 
acre $6 25. The acre and a half dressed 
with Peruvian guano produced five shocks 
wheat, estimated at three bushels per shock, 
gives fifteen bushels, or ten bushels per 
acre; cost of guano $5 72, 15 bushels 
wheat, at $1 50, $22 50, profit $16 78, or 
a profit of $11 18 £ per acre. The six 



1858.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



47 



acres dressed with ■ mixture of the two 
guanos, at I cost of $22 37, produced twen- 
ty-lour slioeks, wliieli, at three bushels per 
Block, givefl seventy-two bushels, which, at 
jfi 50, gives |108j profit $85 88, or a 
profit of $14 40| per acre. 

The three sections of land were of as 
nearly equal fertility as 1 could well get, 
all very poor. If there was any difference, 
the land on which the separate applications 
were made was rather the best. The wheat 
was, I believe, all sown the same day. 

. WM. R. BLAND. 

July 9th, 1857. 



Comparative Experiment with Peruvian 

Guano and Reese's Manipulated Guano. 

Reported to the Nottoway Club by T. F. 

Epcs. 

On my tobacco lot last year, I tried Pe- 
ruvian guano on one half, and Reese's Ma- 
nipulated Guano on the other. That on; 
which the Peruvian guano was applied grew ! 
off best. It was topped at ten and twelve | 
leaves. The other was topped at ten and i 
eight. It was most leafy and ripened 
thicker. Whether attributable to the lower 
topping or Manipulated Guano I don't 
know. T. F. EPES. 

May, 1858. 



Experiments to Substitute Peruvian 

Guano (in part) on the Wheat Crop. 

Report of Travis II. Epcs to the Notion- ay 

Club. 

Last fall, Peruvian guano being high, 
I used 100 pounds of it to the acre on ! 
wheat mixed with 50 pounds of Mexican! 
and 50 of Jordan's Superphosphate of; 
Lime. All of the wheat that was seeded be- j 
fore the heavy rain of the first of Novem- j 
ber looks very well, and is as good (ex- 1 
cept being a little too thin) as when the ! 
same land was in wheat, with 200 pounds 
of Peruvian guano to the acre. That 1 
seeded after the rain looks well and healthy j 
also, and the whole crop is said by many 1 
farmers to be the best they have seen. 
Respectfully submitted. 

TRAVIS H. EPES. 



Those who are in the power of evil habits 
must conquer them as they can ; and con- 
quered they must be, or neither wisdom nor 
happiness can be attained. — Johnson. 



Toilet Soap. 
Take <> lbs. White soap, 
1 1 lbs. Sal Soda, 
1 table-spoonful Spirits Turpentine, 

" Hartshorn, 

1-] gallons of water. 

JELLI BOA*. 
24 ozs. water, or 1 \ pints, 
1 oz. Shaving Soap, 
1| ozs Carb. Soda, 
10 grains Pulv. Borax, 
5 " " Ammonia, 
li drachms Spirits Turpentine. 
Boil the water and mix the materials 
well. 

The above recipe is taken from an old 
newspaper, and it is thought to be identical 
with the celebrated Roraback recipe which 
is offered for sale all over the country.* It 
is said the Roraback Soap yields upon analy- 
sis nearly 40 per cent, of tallow. This 
agrees very well with the above recipe, for 
the common White Soap yields 70 per cent, 
of tallow. The usual colouring matter of 
soap, is vermillion. Scheele. 

[Independent Blade. 

Mr. Editor : — You will confer a favour 
upon one of the readers of the Journal, by 
publishing the above. By a perusal of it, 
the Rorabacks can ascertain whether they 
have been sold or not. It may or may not 
be correct, but it will do no harm to put 
people on their guard. Every eight or ten 
years a sort of soap paroxism convulses the 
country. Washing made easy, and soap 
made cheaper than Paddy's brooms, are all 
the go. All the scientific skill of chemis- 
try has long since been spent upon this vex- 
ed question, and soap is still nothing more 
than the union of an oil and an alkali — call 
it what you may. The firm white soaps are 
chiefly made of the olive oil and carbonate 
soda, common salt being added to promote 
the granulation and perfect separation of the 
soap. It is marbled by stirring in a solu- 
tion of sulp. iron. Common household 
soaps are made mainly of soda and tallow; 
or if potash is used, salt is added to harden 
it. Yellow soap is made by the addition of 
rosin. Common soft soap is made from 
potash and any oily substance, or a strong 
lye made from ashes and any animal oil — 
the lye is much improved by the addition of 



• It is not.— Ed. F. & P. 



48 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



lime to the ash hopper — but soap, made as 
it m a}' be, must consist of an oil and an al- 
kali. 

A considerable stir has been made lately . 
in New York, by dcvelopcment of the facti 
in the Supreme Court, that the " Balm of j 
a Thousand Flowers" was nothing but] 
good soap; that it was compounded of j 
greese, lye, sugar and alcohol, dignified ' 
with the name of palm oil, potash, &c. 

Certainly it must be a money-making bu- 
siness — ten dollars a gallon for an article 
which can be manufactured for six cents a 
gallon. So much for a fancy name. " Old 
women," save your soap grease — fancy de- 
tergents are looking up. Give a big name. 
Call it Mirangipania Humbugifolia, and ad- 
vertise 1000 certificates from the afflicted, 
and your fortune is maxle. 

But talking of soapsuds — take one gallon 
of water, pound of washing soda, and a 
quarter of a pound of unslacked lime, put 
them in water and simmer twenty minutes ; 
when cool, pour off the clear fluid into glass 
or stone ware, (it will ruin earthenware.) 
Put your clothes in, soak over night, wring 
them out in the morning, and put them 
into the wash kettle, with enough water to 
cover them. To a common sized kettle put 
a tea-cup full of the fluid ; boil half an 
hour, then wash well through one suds, and 
jinse thoroughly in two waters, and if you 
don't give up you are paid for your trouble, 
I'm mistaken. — Independent Blade. 



A Fair and Happy Milkmaid 

Is a country wench, that is so far from 
making herself beautiful by art, that one 
look of her is able to put all face-physic 
out of countenance. She knows a fair look 
is but a dumb orator to commend virtue, 
therefore minds it not. All her excellen- 
cies stand in her so silently, as if they had 
stolen upon her without her knowledge. 
The lining of her apparel, which is herself, 
is far better than outsides of tissue; for 
though she be not arrayed in the spoil of 
the silkworm, she is decked in innocence, a 
far better wearing. She doth not, with 
lying long in bed, spoil both her complexion 
and conditions : nature hath taught her, 
too, immoderate sleep is rust to the soul ; 
she rises therefore with Chanticlerc, her 
dame's cock, and at night makes the lamb 
her curfew. In milking a cow, and strian 
ing the teats through her fingers, it seems 



that so sweet a milk-press makes the milk 
whiter or sweeter; for never came almond- 
gore or aromatic ointment on her palm to 
taint it. The golden ears of corn fall and 
kiss her feet when she reaps them, as if 
they w r ishcd to be bound and lead prisoners 
by the same hand that felled them. Her 
breath is her own, which scents all the year 
long of June, like a new-made hay-cock. 
She makes her hand hard with labour, and 
her heart soft with pity ; and when winter 
evenings fall early, sitting at her merry 
wheel, she sings defiance, to the giddy wheel 
of fortune. She doth all things with so 
sweet a grace, it seems ignorance will not 
suffer her to do ill, being her mind is to do 
well. She bestows her year's wages at next 
fair, and in choosing her garments, counts 
no bravery in the world like decency. The 
garden and bee-hive are all her physic and 
surgery, and she lives the longer for it. 
She dares go alone and unfold sheep in the 
night, and fears no manner of ill, because 
she means none ; yet to say truth, she is 
never alone, but is still accompanied with 
old songs, honest thoughts, and prayers, but 
short ones ; yet they have their efficacy, in 
that they are palled with ensuing idle cogi- 
tations. Lastly, her dreams are so chaste, 
that she dare tell them; only a Friday's 
dream is all her superstition ; that she con- 
ceals for fear of anger. Thus lives she, 
and all her care is, she may die in the 
spring-time, to have store of flowers stuck 
upon her winding-sheet. — Overbury. 



Benevolence. 

When thou considerest thy wants, when 
thou beholdest thy imperfections, acknow- 
ledge his goodness, Man ! who honoured 
thee with reason, endowed thee with speech, 
and placed thee in society to receive and 
confer reciprocal helps and mutual obliga- 
tions. 

Thy food, thy clothing, thy convenience 
of habitation, thy protection from the inju- 
ries, thy enjoyment of the comforts and 
the pleasures of life, thou owest to the as- 
sistance of others, and couldest not enjoy 
but in the bands of society. It is thy duty, 
therefore, to be friendly to mankind, as it is 
thy interest that men should be friendly to 
thee. 

As the rose breathcth sweetness from its 
own nature, so the heart of a benevolent 
man produceth good works. — Dodsley. 



1859.] ' 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



49 




SILESIAN EWES. 



The above engraving represents a group 
of Silesian Ewes, exhibited at the late State 
Fair at Petersburg, by S. S. Bradford, Esq., 
of Culpeper. 

Mr. B. has lately purchased largely of 
this variety of fine wool sheep from the cel- 
ebrated flocks of G-eorge Campbell of Ver- 
mont, and William Chamberlain of New 
York. These gentlemen, by careful breed- 
ing and judicious management, have now, 
it is said, as pure blooded flocks as are to be 
found in this country. Indeed, such is their 
high character for purity, that orders are 
annually received by their owners from Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Michigan, Califor- 
nia, Texas, and even from Buenos Ayres. 

These sheep are hardy and easily kept, 
producing short wool, but of very fine sta- 
ple, which is highly valued by the manufac- 
turer. 

This group attracted great admiration at 
the Fair, and were considered equal to any 
specimen of fine wools ever exhibited in 
Virginia. 

The introduction of wool-growing in East- 
ern Virginia* has been but partial, and the 
experiments in sheep-husbandry not always 
satisfactory. The fine wool sheep introduced 
have been chiefly of the Saxon variety, 
4 



which, while distinguished for their fineness 
of fleece, have been liable to the strong ob- 
jection of weak constitutions, and the un- 
usual mortality consequent upon that infirmi- 
ty, heightened by the neglect which too gen- 
erally prevailed of allowing them indifferent 
and insufficient food, and leaving them ex- 
posed to the inclemency of winter without 
the protection of any kind of shelter. Of 
course they were unprofitable, both for 
"flesh and fleece." Mr. Bradford was not 
discouraged by these disadvantages. He 
resolved to persevere in his efforts to improve 
the character of his flock, giving special at- 
tention to those points in which he saw its 
deficiencies. He believed that a hardier 
race might be produced, which, by proper 
attention, would repay the expense of their 
keep, even upon a much more liberal scale 
of expenditure than had yet been essayed. 

In pursuance of these views he sent to 
Germany and procured a regularly discip- 
lined and experienced shepherd. He pur- 
chased of Mr. Campbell and other good 
flock masters in Vermont, some pure blooded 
Spanish Merinos, brought them to Virginia 
and gave them good feed and shelter and 
careful attention. Very soon the improve- 
ment both of his flock and of his farm, be- 



50 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[JANUARY 



gan to attract the attention of his neighbors,! 
and Mr. Bradford found himself in receipt 
of a handsome income from the produce of 
his flock. 

When sonic years ago he introduced sheep 
upon his farm, Mr. 1>. says it was in a very 
exhausted, naked, and unproductive condi- 
tion; now his pastures are thickly coated 
with tine sward, and his cultivated fields 
yield him more wheat and corn than when 
the whole farm w T as appropriated to the pro- 
duction of these cereals. Although his land 
lias been greatly enhanced in value by tho- 
rough undor-drainage of all the low grounds, 
by »'ory deep ploughing and a general sys- 
tem of good culture, yef, he thinks his flock 
of sheep has enabled him to increase the 
general productiveness of his farm much 
more rapidly than he could possibly have 
done by any other system. Mr. B. has good 
warm, dry shelters for his sheep; during 
winter they are every night and morning fed 
under these, in racks and troughs, so con- 
structed as to prevent any considerable loss 
of hay and other food. These sheds are 
kept well littered with straw, leaves or other 
coarse material most easily obtained, and 
once or twice a week are dusted with plas- 
ter, and occasionally with a sprinkling of 
crushed bones, which greatly improves the 
value of the manure. During summer the 
sheep are housed of cold wet nights, and at 
any time while raining, and never turned 
out to grass of mornings until the dew is off 
the grass. — eating of dewy or frozen grass, 
and exposure to wet weather, being consider- 
ed injurious to their health. In all good wea- 
ther of summer, his sheep sleep out on the 
fields in light, portable hurdles. During 
this season, his shepherd, with his dog and 
gun, sleeps by the flock in a small house on 
wheels, which by means of a yoke of steers, 
is moved along with the sheep fold, and en- 
ables him perfectly to protect the sheep 
against the trespasses of dogs and thieves. 

As soon as the oat crop is removed, the 
flock is turned on the stubble to sleep, se- 
lecting the thinnest portions, until it is all 
ploughed and seeded down in wheat — dur- 
ing this period of between two and three 
months, a flock of 1,000 sheep, will Bleep 
over some '25 or 30 acres, and wi)l fertilize 
them as well, Mr. B. thinks, for the produc- 
tion of the wheat crop, as an application of 
200 pounds guano per acre, and much bet- 
ter and more permanently for the ensuing 



Under this system, it is obvious 



that wool-growing can not be unprofitable. 
The average yield of his flock, Mr. B. says, 
is from U to 5 pounds of washed wool, 
which usually finds ready sale at about 50 
cents per pound. 

In the old wool-growing States, where 
sheep receive proper attention, and the ut- 
most care and judgment are exercised in 
selection and breeding, there are choice 
flocks which yield annually an average of 6 
pounds, and a few as high as 7 pounds of 
washed wool. 

In endeavoring to obtain as large a yield 
of wool as is practicable, regard must be 
had to good condition as well as to blood — 
for sheep, like other animals, other things 
being equal, remunerate their owners in pro- 
portion to the care bestowed upon them; 
wool will not grow while the animal has food 
sufficient only to keep it in a breathing con- 
dition — the demands of vitality must first be 
supplied, and it is only by increasing the 
food beyond this point that we can hope to 
realize a profit from w r ool or flesh ; even in 
the pure Merino of different folds, the 
amount of wool would vary considerably, ac- 
cordingly as they had been well or badly 
kept and bred in years past. The propor- 
tion, too, of lambs reared, varies greatly in 
different years, under different treatment. 
Mortality amongst them is frequently very 
great when neglected in cold w r et seasons; 
the ordinary loss is perhaps as high as 15 or 
20 per cent ; but this can be greatly reduced 
by a provision of wholesome and nutritious 
food and warm dry shelters, with careful at- 
tention during lambing season. There is no 
reason in nature, Mr. B. thinks, why there 
should be a greater mortality w r ith them than 
with calves and pigs, and one explanation of 
ordinary mortality may usually be found in 
the neglect or mismanagement of the breed- 
er. It is a law of nature that animals re- 
quire nutrition in proportion to their natu- 
ral weight of carcass, but no animal known 
to the economy of our agriculture can be 
maintained with so much ease and so little 
expense as the Merino sheep; nor is there 
any in wdiich there is so little waste and so 
little loss. They will thrive on tracts where 
neat cattle would starve. Bushes, briars, 
and coarse heritage, which infest our lands, 
are extirpated by them, and white clover, 
blue grass and green sward rapidly intro- 
duced. The continued pressure of their 
feet consolidates without penetrating the 
earth, and the uniform dropping of their 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



61 



liquid and solid excrements over its surface 
maintains the land in constant progression 
in fertility and value. The extent of profit 
to be derived from wool-growing depends 
much, of course, upon the scale in the prices 

of wool, as well as the kind of sheep and 
the condition in which they are kepi ; but 
our observation satisfies us that even at the 
present comparatively low prices, few occu- 
pations can be more remunerative or attrac- 
tive to the farmer than raising fine wool and 
sheep. 



For the Southern Planter. 

Facts for the Curious ; or Remarkable 
Peculiarities of Four Cows. 
I have intended, Mr. Editor, for some 
.time, to make public, through your columns, 
the remarkable facts which have occurred, 
under my own observation, in relation to 
four cows, the history of which I am about' 
to narrate. Some of these facts are so' 
strange, as almost to overleap the bounds of 
credibility, yet I shall give them, under the j 
sanction of my own name, and hold myself i 
responsible for their truth. As truth is I 
sometimes stranger than fiction, it only 



proves 



that the silent workings of Pr 



trivings of man. 

But to the facts proposed. Some years 
ago, I had a very good milch cow, of the 1 
scrub breed, whose constant habit it was, to 
give milk literally, from calf to calf, with- 
out cessation. On one occasion, I remem- 
ber distinctly, to have seen her give good, 
white Diiflc, at night, and in the morning en-j 
suing, she had a calf; and so continued on.; 
One striking effect of this habit of hers was, ' 
that her calves were always small and poor. 
But independent of that, I esteemed her 
very much, for she was always " Charley at 
the rack." So much for the first fact. Now j 
for the second. Some few years ago, I had 
a Short Horn Durham cow, that after hav- 
ing a calf or two, appeared to be with calf 
again ; and observing one evening when the] 
cattle were penned, that she was suffering! 
very much from the great distention of her 
udder, I very naturally supposed that she 
had calved, and had hid the calf in the pas- 
ture j and had been driven up without it. — 
In the morning. 1 directed a servant to drive 
her to the pasture, and bring her back, with 
the calf. He drove her to the pasture as 
directed, but after a while returned, saying 
that the cow showed no disposition to go to 



the calf; that he had .-earehed the field, but 
could find none. I directed hint to take the 
dogs to the field and set them after her, 

knowing, that instinct, would cause her to 
run directly to the calf, it' it was hid. Be 

returned again however, with no better 6UC- 
Cess than before. 1 then had the cow milk- 
ed, supposing that she had lost the call' by 
some casualty ; and that in a short time I 
should see the buzzards after it. I watched 
for some days, but saw no sign of the sup- 
posed lost calf. Well, here was a mystery 
I could not solve, so I pocketed it, but had 
no satisfactory solution of it until the expi- 
ration of five years; and here it is. The 
cow gave her usual quantity of milk for 18 
months, (which is the usual time all my 
cows milk between their calves,) when she 
was turned dry to calve again. This she did 
in due time, bearing a female calf, which I 
now own. At three years old, this calf, now a 
heifer, also appeared to be with calf; but when 
the time came to calve, she also had none. 
So I was compelled to have her milked, to 
keep her bag from spoiling. This brought 
back fresh to my memory the conduct of her 
mother, but only tended to increase the 
mystery. For, although I have a great fond- 
ness for stock, and have read every thing 
that I could lay my hand on, published 
either in this country or Europe, I had never 
seen, heard, nor read of a cow that had come 
to her milk, but from having a calf, or some 
other exciting cause. So I stuck a . peg 
there, and determined, if I ever had anoth- 
er opportunity of observing, to put the mat- 
ter beyond all cavil. In due course of time 
she was bulled, and again appeared to be 
pregnant. 

On closely observing my other cattle, I 
found another heifer that I thought would 
calve about the same time, so I had them 
turned into my yard to keep each other 
company, in their state of family solicitude, 
where I might have a full opportunity of 
watching the denouement. In due time the 
other heiter had a calf, but still the inexpli- 
cable held on, until it became apparent that 
her bag would certainly spoil unless I had 
her milked, which was accordingly done. — 
Not until then was the mystery entirely 
solved. I had read of cases in the medical 
books, of women having false conceptions, 
and passing what i.v called a mole} but this 



cow had no appearance 

cd any thing of that 
third fact. 



of having pass- 
So much 



S LIBRARY ° 



■ 



52 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



[January 



And now for the fourth. Some years ago, I 
happened in Lynchburg, Va., and on meeting 
with my old mend, Mr. John M. Warrick, 
we soon got into a conversation on the subject 
of improved stock ; and at his request, I rode 
out with him to his farm, to see his herd of 
Dnrhams. After pointing out to me several 
fine animals, he called my attention to a pair 
of twin heifers, then about two years old, 
with very large udders. I asked him if 
they had not been bulled ; he said they had 
not. I remarked to him that they evidently 
had milk in their bags, and requested hini 
to have one of them driven to his lot in 
town and regularly milked, which he readi- 
ly promised to do. He asked me if I had 
ever known a heifer to give milk under sim- 
ilar circumstances. I replied I had not, but 
that I once had a yearling heifer that was 
kept in my orchard, with some young calves, 
and one of them brought her to her milk 
by repeatedly sucking her, and I had some 
where read of a case of an old grandmother 
who had not borne a child for many years, 
having been brought to her milk again by 
taking a motherless child to sleep with her, 
and giving it the breast to keep it quiet. 

The next time I saw Mr. Warrick, he in- 
formed me that he had the heifer milked 
for some time, and finally wishing to breed 
from her, he had turned her dry. 

While upon the subject of cows, it may 
be proper that I should give some explana- 
tion of an incidental remark I made in the 
first part of this communication — which was 
that all my cows milked about eighteen 
months between their calves. Some thirty 
years ago, I observed that my cows that had 
annual calves were not worth half as much 
at the pail as those that intermitted a year. 
So I determined to correct it, by killing off' 
and selling all the annual breeders. So that 
now, and for many years past, I have had 
no cows in my herd of that description. — 
This, in part, gave rise to another practice 
of mine, which is different from my neigh- 
bours. It is this : I always have cows at 
the pail, (whose calves had been weaned,) 
to give milk at night. This makes it con- 
venient and profitable, to let the young 
calves run with their mothers in the day, 
and take all the milk in the morning. By 
this method, the cows and calves are kept 
quiet all day. I get as much milk, and the 
calves grow off" more thriftily, and are con- 
sequently much better prepared to stand the 
first winter. It always distressed me to ride 



by a house on a long summer day, and find 
the cows lowing at the fence, and the poor 
little calves on the other side, in feebler ac- 
cents, proclaiming the cruelty of their own- 
ers. R. J. GAINES. 
Charlotte County, Dec. 21, 1858. 

P. S. — At some future time, Mr. Edi- 
tor, if I can overcome my great aversion to 
writing, I should like to give you some ex- 
periments I have been making, in the im- 
provement of worn out land, by the repeat- 
ed applications of guano alone. R. J. G-.. 

[We shall feel very much obliged if our es- 
teemed correspondent will overcome his aver- 
sion to writing, and will favor our readers with 
the result of his experience in the important 
work of reclaiming exhausted lands — a subject 
of almost universal interest to the readers of the 
Planter. — Editor.] 



For the Southern Planter. 

Lard Cured with Soda. 

Mr. Editor — I find on page 690 of the 
November number of the Southern Planter, 
in an article on " Curing Lard with Soda," 
the following sentence: "To every gallon of 
lard, before it is washed, put one ounce of 
sal soda, dissolved in one gil of water; the 
fat needs no other washing or soaking than 
that just before being put on to cook." 

Please let me know what is meant — must 
the sal soda be put in and then washed out? 
or must the fat be washed and the soda put 
with it in the pot. 

You will oblige more than one of your 
subscribers by complying with the above re- 
quest. Respectfully, W. 

We have seen but one specimen of lard cared 
by the recipe referred to. That was beautifully 
white, and as nice as it could be. The fat; was 
washed to free it from blood, &c, before it was 
put on to boil, and the soda was mixed with wa- 
ter according to the proportions directed by the 
recipe in our November number, and stirred into 
the pot of fat only half full, after it was hung 
over the fire. 

Wo suppose that the chief benefit derived 
from the soda is the neutralization of some one, 
or all, of the acids probably evolved in the pro- 
cess of boiling, and of which there are three, 
viz : margaric, oleic and stearic. Certainly lard 
cured after this formulary is whiter, and nicer 
than any other we have ever seen. 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



53 



For the Southern Planter. 

Is the Cultivation of Oats in an Orchard 
Injurious to Peach Trees? 

Gloucester, Nov. 29, 1858. 

Mr. Editor — I am anxious to obtain some 
information on the subject of the treatment 
of the Peach tree, and would be grateful if 
you will answer some questions. 

Do you know of "any reason why oats 
should be injurious to a peach orchard? — 
Some of my neighbours have advised me 
against cultivating oats in my orchard, and 
have given as a reason that it would ruin it. 
I have, with considerable trouble and ex- 
pense, raised a fine orchard of choice fruit, 
and would dislike to injure it. 

Do you know of any instance where the 
plan has been pursued with injury or other- 
wise ? My plan was to sow oats, and turn 
the hogs in as soon as they were ripe, which 
would be in time for the peaches as the}^ 
commenced falling. 

I saw some time since in your paper, or 
the " Farmer," I do not recollect which, that 
a solution of potash, strong enough to bear 
an egg, was the best wash for the body of 
the tree. Have you ever tried it, or do you 
know any body who has ? When should it 
be applied ? Have you ever tried the plan 
of drawing the earth away from the roots of 
the tree, to destroy the worms? Does it an- 
swer, and if so, how long should the roots 
be exposed, and how much of them ? By 
answering the above queries, you will much 
oblige a subscriber. 

W. F. JONES. 



Southern Greenwood Nursery, \ 
Richmond, Va., Dec. 21, 1858. j 
Mr. Editor — In reply to the inquiries 
made by Mr. W. F. Jones, relative to the 
treatment of fruit trees, I can say, that I 
have known several instances where persons 
have planted good, thrifty, fruit trees in No- 
vember, or early in the Spring, then sowed 
the ground with oats, and by the time it was 
matured, the trees were nearly all dead, ow- 
ing, in my opinion, to the obstruction of a 
free circulation of air, and the atmosphere be- 
ing filled with something exhaled by the oats 
while in a growing state, which is instantly 
absorbed by the tree acting as a poison there- 
to; yet at present it is difficult to say what 
that something is, I only know such to be 
facts, while trees planted under the same 
circumstances, except that the ground was 



cultivated in peas and potatoes, become 
healthy and vigorous. I have also known 
instances, where the cultivation of oats in 
orchards of more advanced age has had simi- 
lar effects, though not so instantly fatal. I 
would recommend the entire prohibition of 
all crops in an orchard, except peas, pota- 
toes, or cabbage, and in some instances, to- 
bacco. I have been using strong soap-suds 
as a wash for the bodies of fruit trees for 
the last fifteen years, and from the advanta- 
geous results arising therefrom, I most heart- 
ily recommend it as superior to any other for 
that purpose. This should be applied with 
a coarse cloth during the growing season, 
viz : May, July, and the latter part of Au- 
gust. 

By observation and experience, I have 
found it very essential to the health, vigour, 
and longevity of the peach tree, that the earth 
be taken from the body during the months of 
Dec'r, Jan'ry and February, thus exposing 
the top of the main roots from two to six 
inches, according to the size of the tree, af- 
ter which, take all remaining insects from 
the body and roots with a knife or chisel, 
and throw upon them a half peck of leach- 
ed ashes, or a small quantity of lime, pre- 
vious to returning the top soil. 

By a strict adherence to the above sug- 
gestions, trees can be made to retain a thrif- 
ty and fruitful condition to an advanced 
age. Yours, truly, 

LEWIS TUDOR. 



Quantity and Value of the Manure of 
Cattle. 

Since the publication of our article on 
this subject (Co. Gent, of March 5th, and 
Cult, of April), we have found the following 
remarks in the report of a recent discussion 
at a meeting of the London Farmers' Club, 
England. The gentleman who opened the 
discussion, Mr. Baker, is reported to have 
said that he had found, on investigation, that 
a cow feeding on 100 lbs of grass gave 71 
lbs of solid and liquid deposit. An ox 
would produce li cwt. while feeding on 
turnips or mangold wurtzel with 24 to 28 
lbs. of solid straw daily; or, in all, about 
150 lbs. of solid and liquid manure would 
be produced by an ox daily. (This, we pre- 
sume, is true only of an ox of very large 
size, and weighing about 2000 lbs.) An 
ox, if kept feeding continually on turnips, 
grain, and hay, in the ordinary mode, would 
produce in the seven months of winter about 



54 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



twelve tons of manure; and if foddered in 
summer about seven tons more. Thus a 
Urge ox would produce, altogether, about 19 
tons in the yard. In feeding in boxes an ox 
of average weight, it was said, would pro- 
duce about 11 cubic yards of manure in 
four months, or 33 cubic yards if kept con- 
stantly in a box for the whole year. 

In reference to the value of manures from 
farm stock, it was remarked that horses was 
much superior to that from oxen, and that 
from oxen superior to that from cows, and 
that from old or full-grown animals far supe- 
rior to that from young animals. A cow in 
feeding extracts a larger quantity of the 
nutritive qualities of food than an ox, be- 
cause food passes more rapidly into the form 
of milk than that of muscle or flesh and fat. 
Again, nearly all the food consumed by full- 
grown animals goes to supply the natural 
waste of the system, whereas much of that 
consumed by younger ones is absorbed in 
the formation of additions to the bones, flesh 
and fat, and this is the reason why the rich- 
est manure is produced by animals already 
fat and full-grown. 

In the feeding of horses it has been found, 
said Mr. Baker, that this animal produced 
in solid and liquid deposits taken together 
three-fourths in weight of what it ate and 
drank. A well-fed horse would give 9| tons 
of solid and liquid manure per annum ; and 
if to this were added about 2} tons of straw 
or other litter, the whole amount made by a 
horse in a stable in the course of a year 
might be estimated at 12 tons. 

In our former paper the two following re- 
sults were obtained from collating a variety of 
observations made by different individuals : 
1. That an average size cow, or one fed 
chiefly on hay and allowed water freely, will 
make about two and a half pounds of solid 
manure for each pound of hay, or its equiv- 
alent consumed, or, allowing one-fifth for dif- 
ference between it and in the usual state of 
dryness, about two pounds for each pound of 
hay consumed. 2. That the value of the 
manure made by a medium sized cow in the 
course of a year would be according to the 
usual modes of estimating ammonia, potash 
and phosphoric acid, equal to between $20 
and $23, or a little over $10 in the course of 
the six moths of winter. 

A comparison of the somewhat loose esti- 
mates which we have quoted, with the results 
which we obtained as to quantity from collating 
several observations of the highest decree of 



accuracy and reliability, will furnish addi- 
tional grounds of confidence in the conclu- 
sions at which we arrived. In making any 
estimates based on these conclusions as to 
the quantity of manure made by animals fed 
in stables or at distilleries during the winter, 
it should be recollected that our conclusions 
refer to medium sized animals, cows or cattle 
rather under than over the weight of 1,000 
lbs. If the application is to be made to the 
case of large oxen, from 1,400 to 2,000 lbs., 
a corresponding allowance must be made ac- 
cording to the gross weight and the greater 
quantity- of food consumed. 

As it may seem to many that the estimate 
given in our former article, as to the value 
of the total deposits, solid and liquid, of a 
medium sized cow or ox during the course 
of a year, must be too high, we wish to re- 
mind such of the fact, that according to the 
usual modes of managing manure, far more 
than half its value is dissipated by exposure 
to rain, sun and wind, while the liquid por- 
tion is seldom saved at all. As manures are 
usually managed, there is little wonder that 
some should think them hardly worth haul- 
ing and spreading. The virtue has gone out 
of them. 

Then, again, it should be remembered in 
estimating the value of manures that much, 
very much, depends on the nature of the 
food consumed. The more nitrogen there 
is in the food, the more ammonia will there 
be in the manure. A cow or ox fed on 
straw, poor hay, and no grain, will yield 
manure of much less value than one fed on 
richer food, with oil-cake, &c. — Country 
G -entlcmcn. 



Keep the Stable Floors Clean. 

We know divers people who take some pride 
in their horses and cattle, but are inveterate 
slovens in their stables. Their racks and man- 
gers are so made that half the hay they give 
their stock is wasted under their feet. They 
don't clean their stables but once a week or 
fortnight. 

We have, indeed, seen stables, where valua- 
ble animals were kept, not cleaned out during 
the winter, and the heels of the poor beast 
stood a foot higher than their fore feet in the 
latter part of the season. We once hired a 
barn — a nice, newly built barn — of a man for 
the winter, and when Ave went to put our stock 
into it, found that the horse stahle sill waa 
more than two feet above the ground, and the 
poor Least had to leap that to get into it, and 
fall down or make a leap every time they went 
out of it; and also, that full eighteen inches 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PL ANTE It. 



55 



of solid horse dung had to be thrown out, taking 
a man half a day to do it hefore we could use 
it; besides repairing the entrance by a bridge 
that they could walk in and out upon. We 
scolded the owner soundly for laziness — it was 
nothing else — and he only answered that "he 
hadn't time to clean it. and did not see what 
harm it did the horses!" And yet when we 
came to settle with him in the spring, he wanted 
some dollars extra because Ave used a part of 
his barn door to mix cut feed upon, on the plea 
that in wetting it for mixing, it rotted the floor 
during the -winter! His half a dozen loads of 
horse dung, seething and fermenting through 
a long hot summer, didn't rot the stable floor. 

A stable where stock is kept should be 
cleaned out once a day, at least, and twice if 
the animals stand in it day and night. In all 
our stable practice, we clean the stible twice a 
day and shake up the bedding, let the weather 
be as it will. On the floors of our calf and 
sheep stables we scatter dry litter, and when 
thoroughly soiled and saturated, we clean it 
out and supply its place with fresh. The am- 
monia arising from the stale of stock in the 
stables, becomes, in a very short time, very of- 
fensive to them, as it is to ourselves. It pene- 
trates their lungs and gives them disease. Its 
pungency affects their eyes, making them sore 
and irritable, and is a positive injury, to say 
nothing of the slovenliness of leaving the sta- 
bles unclean. Cleanliness, indeed, is as ne- 
cessary to beast as to man. No creature can 
thrive when fouled and besmeared with ordure. 

Where horses (not mares) and oxen stand 
regularly, holes should be bored through the 
floor to let their stale run through on to muck 
below, or into a trench by which it may pass 
off and be saved. Otherwise, it remains under 
them to make them uncomfortable when they 
lie down, unless they have bedding enough to 
fully absorb it, which is not always convenient. 
Our own plan of stable flooring is to raise that 
part on which the animals stand two inches — 



long show 



the effect, and speedily manifest 
the action of manures, while clays were said 
to " hold" the fertilizing matters applied. 
The investigations of chemistry show that 
beside what would naturally result from the 
different mechanical action — the compact- 
ness or porosity of the soil — there ire differ- 
ences in their chemical affinities for acids, 
alkalies and gases, which vary their power 
of absorbing and retaining the elements of 
fertility derived from manures. 

Loamy and aluminous soils were found by 
Prof. Way to possess the power, when used 
as a leach or filter, of* retaining the ammo- 
nia, phosphoric acid, potash, etc., contained 
in the drainage of a London sewer — the 
very elements most valuable for manure — 
and to have the wonderful property, not only 
to select, but to retain these elements against 
every power naturally brought to bear upon 
them, save the growth of plants themselves. 
" A power," he remarks, " is here found to 
reside in soils, by virtue of which not only 
is rain unable to w r ash out of them those solu- 
ble ingredients forming a necessary condi- 
tion of vegetation, but even these com- 
pounds, when introduced artificially by ma- 
nures, are laid hold of any loss, either by 
rain or evaporation." 

These conclusions seem to show that on 
most soils (one class of experiments was 
made with light loam) manure may be ap- 
plied at any time in the season with ecpual 
good results — that there is no danger of loss 
when actually mixed with the soil, either by 
filtration or evaporation. Further experi- 
ments are needed to prove the absolute cor- 
rectness of these conclusions to the general 

. : , , , ,. ,, B a*"* but there *are those who beliere they 

behind, and sloping from the foot of the man-, m ^ * ct "P™ ^ em Wlt ^ saiety.^ If ^estab 

ger back, to give a fall of one or two inches in 

the distance of six or seven feet of floor on 



which they stand, to admit the stale to pass off 
readily, as well as to let the droppings on to 
the lower level behind them. — Maine Farmer. 



Absorbent Power of Soils. 
Absorption, defined by "Webster as " tne 
act or process of imbibing by substances 
which drink in and retain liquids," is a 
quality possessed by all soils in a greater or 
less degree. And of this difference in ca- 
pacity, especially as regards absorbing and 
retaining manures, something has long been 
known, and has given rise to the application 
of the terms " hungry" and " quiet," to 
loose and gravelly soils, because they do not ' 



lished, much labor may be saved in the ap- 
plication of manures. They may be drawn 
in the fall and plowed under, or left spread 
upon the surface, or may be distributed in 
winter instead of immediately before plant- 
ing and sowing, which is ever the most hur- 
rying season of the year. For ourself, on 
clays or heavy lands, we would not hesitate 
to act upon these suggestions. 

Some experiments tried in England sev- 
eral years since by Mr. Thomson, to ascer- 
tain the power of the soil to retain unim- 
paired in value, manure applied during win- 
ter, and also its power to hold in suspension 
the fixed ammonia of barnyard tanks and 
manure heaps, resulted in the following deduc- 
tions; — 1. That clay soils might be manured 



56 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



a considerable time before sowing without 
loss. 2. That light, shallow soils should 
not be manured heavily at one time; and the 
manure should be kept as near the surface 
as possible without leaving it uncovered. 3. 
That it is desirable to deepen the cultivated 
soil on all light land, as it thus gives it a 
greater power of retaining manure. 

That all soils possess considerable power 
of absorbing and retaining manure, is well 
known ; but the great question of the most 
economical application of different fertilizers 
is, and will long remain an open one, and one 
upon which every farmer can do more or less to 
satisfy himself by practical experiment. — 
Let those who can, throw light upon the 
subject, for it is one of large importance in 
Country Gentlemen. 



agriculture 



Water Proof Clothing for Negroes. 

"We give from the Scientific American the 
following method of rendering negro clothing 
proof against dews and showers : 

" Take one pound of wheat bran and one 
ounce of glue, and boil them in three gallons of 
water in a tin vessel for half an hour. Now 
lift the vessel from the tire, and set aside for ten 
minutes ; during this period the bran will fall 
to the bottom, leaving a clear liquid above, 
which is to be poured off, and the bran thrown 
away ; one pound of bar soap cut to small 
pieces is to be dissolved in it. The liquor may 
be put on the fire in the tin pan, and stirred 
until all the soap is dissolved. In another ves- 
sel one pound of alum is dissolved in half a 
gallon of water ; this is added to the soap-bran 
liquid while it is boiling, and all well stirred ; 
this forms the water-proofing liquid. It is used 
while cool. The textile fabric to be rendered 
water proof is immersed in it, and pressed be- 
tween the bands until it is perfectly saturated. 
It is now wrung, to squeeze out as much of the 
free liquor as possible; then shaken or stretched, 
and hung up to dry in a warm room, or in a dry 
atmosphere out doors. When dry, the fabric or 
cloth, so treated, will repel rain and moisture, 
but allow the air or perspiration to pass through 
it. 

" The alum, gluten, gelatine and soap unite 
together, and form an insoluble compound, 
which coats every fibre of the textile fabric, 
and when dry, repels water like the natural oil 
in the feathers of a duck. There are various 
substances which are soluble in water singly, 
but when combined form insoluble compounds, 
and vice versa. Alum, soap and gelatine are 
soluble in water singly, but form insoluble com- 
pounds when united chemically. Oil is inso- 
luble in water singly, but combined with caus- 
tic, soda or potash, it forms a soluble soap. Such 
are some of the useful curiosities of chemistry. " 
Soil of the South. 



Seventh Annual Meeting. 

The United States Agricultural Society will 
hold its Seventh Annual Meeting in the Lecture 
Room of the Smithsonian Institution, at Wash- 
ington city, on Wednesday, the 12th day of 
January, 1859, when the election of oilicers will 
be held, and the business required by the con- 
stitution of the Society will be transacted. 

Oilicers and Members of the Society are re- 
spectfully notified to attend, and a cordial invi- 
tation is extended to State and other Agricultu- 
ral Associations to send Delegates, that there 
may be a general representation of Agricultur- 
ists u in Congress assembled," to protect and 
sustain their interests, acting as a national or- 
ganization on such matters pertaining to Agri- 
culture as may be deemed appropriate. Gen- 
tlemen from other lands who may be interested 
in the acquisition and diffusion of Agricultural 
knowledge, are also invited to attend, and to 
participate in the proceedings. 

The Medals and Diplomas awarded at the 
Sixth Annual Exhibition at Richmond, will be 
delivered to successful competitors, or their 
agents. The published volume of Transactions 
for 1858, will be delivered to Members of the 
Society, and to gentlemen connected with the 
Agricultural Press. 

Important Agricultural topics will be publicly 
discussed, after introductory remarks by eminent 
scientific and practical agriculturists. Gentle- 
men having other topics pertinent to the ad- 
vancement of Agriculture, which they may 
wish to introduce or to have discussed, will 
please refer them to the Executive Committee, 
through the Secretary, that a place may be as- 
signed them on the daily programme. 

Delegates are requested to bring copies of 
the publications of the Societies which they 
represent — one for the Library of the United 
States Society, and others for foreign and home 
interchange. 

Propositions from cities at which the next 
Annual Exhibition of the Society is desired, 
will be received and considered. 

The Business Office of the Society is in T.odd's 
Marble Building, one door west of Brown's 
Hotel, Pennsylvania Avenue, where all interest- 
ed in the cause of Agricultural improvement are 
invited to call when in Washington city. A 
large number of Agricultural newspapers, peri- 
odicals and reports, (liberally contributed,) are 
placed on file for public inspection, and the Li- 
brary is also free to all who may desire to 
examine it. Models or Drawings of Agricul- 
tural Implements, and other objects of interest, 
are placed on exhibition without charge. 

Gentlemen who may wish to become Life 
Members of the Society, can do so by paying or 
remitting ten dollars to the Treasurer, Hon. B. 
B. French, Washington city. This will entitle 
them without any further payments, to the full 
privilege of membership — among these are : 
free admission to all exhibitions of the Society, 
the annual volumes of published Transactions, 
the Monthly Bulletin, and the large and elegant 
Diploma. The fee for Annual Membership is 
two dollars, which ensures the receipt of the 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



57 




%\t ganfytin tyhntti. 



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 



Happy New Year. 

Since the issue of our last No., another year, 
with all its concomitant circumstances of joy, 
grief, and toil: of pleasures, disappointments, 
and trials, has fled into the dim shadow of the 
past. We may remember, but cannot recall its 
hours. Yet time has laid upon us the burden 
and responsibility of both the number and occu- 
pation of its days. Happy he who, in a retro- 
spective glance, finds nothing to regret of greater 
moment than the increase of grey hairs, which 
serve to warn him of the sure approach of life's 
winter, and an honorable old age. Of time 
past, the recording angel has made up his ac- 
count; and we trust that in his sympathy for 
erring humanity, he has "dropped a tear" over 
the list of our short comings, and " blotted out 
the record forever," leaving life's page unblem- 
ished by marks of misspent time. 

In tendering to our patrons "the compliments 
of the season," we wish them the enjoyment of 
all the best blessings of a beneficent Providence, 
and that they may so occupy the hours of the 
year now before them, as to secure for them- 
selves, and those dependent on them, an in- 
crease of happiness, prosperity, and content- 
ment. 

"That they may live thro' many a joyous year, 
While health and happiness their steps attend — 

May sleep with lids unsullied by a tear, 

With naught to grieve the heart, naught to 
offend." 

A few words as to our own connection with 
the large and respectable class of our readers, 
may not now be improper. For six months past, 
it has been our duty to lay before them what- 
ever we could collect of an agricultural char- 
acter, which, in our humble judgment, we 
deemed best calculated to benefit, instruct, or 



amuse them. Of the measure of success at- 
tending our efforts, we may not speak, but we 
may honestly s?iy, we have done our best to ac- 
quit ourselves of the task with fidelity and dili- 
gence — while, with a painful consciousness of 
having fallen far short of our wishes in the 
scale of excellence, we may ask them to "pass 
our imperfections by." 

To many of our subscribers we are indebted 
for words of encouragement and good will, 
which have been gratefully received as "words 
spoken in season." These cheer us on, and 
tend to make of our labors, a labor of love. 

Thus may there ever be, between our patrons 
and ourselves, a reciprocity of kindly feelings, 
and good offices, while our time is profitably 
employed under the direction of the " Lord of 
the harvest." May we be gathered in His 
sheaves, and stored in His Garner, when time 
shall be no longer; and until this change shall 
come, may we never fail to attain the fullest 
fruition of a happy New Year. 



Special Notice. 

TO SUBSCRIBERS IN ARREAR. 

To every subscriber who shall send us, before 
the first day of February next, the amount now 
due us, together with his subscription for the 
present year, we will send with the receipt Post- 
age stamps sufficient to pay the postage on the 
volume for 1859. 

We hope they will all avail themselves of this 
offer. There are many of them in arrear, and 
their prompt attention to this matter will greatly 
benefit us. 

« • ♦ » » 

We have received a pamphlet copy of the 
Introductory Address of John F. G. Holston, 
A.M. M.D., Professor of Clinical Surgery in the 
National Medical College, on the opening of 
that Institution, delivered in the Hall of the 
Smithsonian Institute, October 18th, 1858, and 
published by the unanimous request of the 
students. 

The speaker gives a succinct but lucid and 
graphic history of medicine, first as an art and 
then as a science, and enunciates the cardinal 
points upon which it rests. "The last point is, 
indeed," says the speaker, " the only one strictly 
scientific and of an endlessly progressive char- 
acter," namely: "By the process of general- 
izing, to discover principles or primary truths 
applicable to the explanation of all observed 
phenomena." He repudiates, with merited 
scorn, the isms and pathies, the nostrum monger- 



58 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[Januaky 



ing and tpecialisms of our day, as having their 
antitype in the superstitious empiricism of 
Egypt, and extols the science of medicine as a 
"Godlike science, studying the relation of cause 
and effect by a system of severe induction, and 
rallying all the sciences around her, as subservi- 
ent handmaids." 



Cosmopolitan Art Journal. 

A quarterly, devoted to flie d illusion of Litera- 
ture and Art. Containing in the December issue 
a number of well written articles, among which 
we name the following: 
Art in America; its History, Condition, and Pros 

pects. By Henry T. Tuckerman. 
Character in Scenery ; its Relation to the National 

Mind. By the Editor. 
Santa Croce; The Westminster Abby of Florence. 

By O. W. Wight. 
Nature's Lessons. By Prof. Ira W. Allen. 
A Ballad; Dainty Jenny Englisheart. By T. 

B. Aldrich. 
The House with Two Fronts. By Alice Cary. And 
Body and Soul, (Poetry.) By Metta Victoria 

Victor. 

It is beautifully illustrated with a number of 
fine engravings, portraits, &c. ; and as a whole, 
is a very creditable representative of the intel- 
ligence and taste of the association under whose 
auspices it is published. We commend it to 
every one who desires to cultivate a taste for 
the beautiful, — a natural instinct of every mind, 
which, by its educational development, expands 
its powers, liberalizes, ennobles, and purifies its 
sentiments, and becomes the source of unal- 
loyed pleasure, as well as the handmaid of 
Virtue. 



We tender our thanks to the Publisher, for 
a sheet containing lithographic portraits of the 
eight Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South. If they are all as true and life-like as 
the likeness of Bishop Early, whom we have 
the happiness to know, and to hold in the highest 
estimation, as well for his personal worth, as 
"for his work's sake/' this publication must be 
greatly valued as a memorial of these self-deny- 
ing men of God, who have dedicated themselves 
to His service in the ministry of the gospel, and 
to the promotion of the progress and extension 
of that branch of the Christian Church to which 
they belong. 



We are much pleased with the first number of 
the "Virginia Farm Journal,*' and cordially ex 



tend to Mr. Crockett the right hand of fellow- 
ship. We hope he may be well recompensed 
for his efforts in the cause of Agriculture, and 
meet with abundant success in his undertaking. 



To Subscribers. 

In consequence of the change in the Proprie- 
torship of the "Southern Planter," it is very im- 
portant that our subscribers should remit the 
amount of their indebtedness with as little delay 
as possible. 

The amount due from each subscriber is in 
itself comparatively trifling, but in the aggre- 
gate it makes up a very large sum, and if each 
subscriber will consider this as a direct appeal 
to himself, and promptly remit the amount of 
his bill, it will be of infinite service to us. 

We commence sending with this number the 
bill to each subscriber who is in arrear, and 
shall continue to do so until all shall have been 
sent out. We ask, as a favor, a prompt response 
from all. 

The bills are made up to 1st January next. 
The fractional part of a dollar can be remitted 
in postage stamps, or the change returned in the 
same. August & Williams. 



To Postmasters and Others. 

We are satisfied, that with proper exertion, 
any person who will interest himself for us, will 
be able to make up a list of new subscribers for 
the "Planter," in almost any neighborhood, in 
this or any other of the Southern States. We 
offer, as an inducement to those who are dis- 
posed to aid and encourage us in our efforts to 
extend the circulation of this paper, the follow- 
ing premiums in addition to our hitherto pub- 
lished terms: 
To any person who will send us clubs of 

3 new subscribers and $6, — 

The So. Planter for 1857. 

6 new subscribers and $12, — 

The So. Planter for 1857 and '58. 

9 new subscribers and $18, — 

The So. Planter for 1857, '58 and '59. 

15 new subscribers and $30, — 

The So. Planter for 1857, '58, and '50, 
and a copy of the Southern Literary Messenger 
for one year. 

To single new subscribers we will send the 
present volume, (commencing with the numbor 
for January, 1859,) at the low price of $1 50, 
paid in advance. 

We call upon every one interested in promo- 



$59.] 



THE SOUTHERN PL A NT Kit. 



50 



ling the progress and improvement of agricul- 
ture, to lend us his aid in contributions of origi- 
nal articles on practical or scientific agriculture, 
in order that our paper may continue to be 

worthy of the confidence and support of those 

who have hitherto so liberally sustained it, and 
to whose interests its pages will continue to he 

zealously devoted. -Armsr & Williams. 



Thb Hidden World; Or the Induction of Gen- 
eral Principles from a multitude of Diversified 
Forms or Appearances. By Isaac Taylor. 

'•TIIK THINGS TFIAT ARE UNSEEN ARE ETERNAL." 

The main prerogative of the human mind is 
its power of gathering general principles from 
a multitude of diversified forms or appearances. 
This faculty, to a greater or less extent, deveiopes 
itself in all men; hut in some is so vigorous 
that it predominates, and gives law to the dis- 
positions and pursuits ; in such instances its ex- 
ercise is attended with a pleasurable emotion 
of the most vivid sort. The pre-eminence of 
the faculty of generalization constitutes what 
is termed the philosophic character. 

The delight wherewith minds of this class 
Contemplate universal truths, or abstract laws, 
does not so much spring from perceiving that 
some general principal holds good and reap- 
pears in a great number of instances, that very 
nearly, or perfectly resemble, one the other; as 
from discovering the occult presence or efficacy 
oi" some such principle in a multiplicity of cases 
which have few points, or perhaps, no other 
point of alliance beside this one of their obe- 
dience to the same general law. 

The more there is of external diversity, or un- 
likeness, or of apparent contrariety among the 
particular instances that are thus allied by their 
subjection to a common rule, so much the more 
of keen satisfaction or delight will be afforded 
to the. mind when it detects the hidden princi- 
ple of union. And not merely does diversity 
of form enhance the pleasure of generalization, 
but it is augmented, also, by mere remoteness 
of time or place. Thus, if we could glance for 
a moment at the surface of some world im- 
mensely distant from our own, and there re- 
cognize the operation of the same principles of 
life and organization with which here' we are 
familiar, this perception of analogy would gen- 
erate a pleasurable surprise, made the more in- 
tense by the recollection of the vast stretch, or 
wide empire of such common laws 

These elements of intellectual enjoyment are 
richly furnished by the studies of the naturalist. 
Now, it may be, he compares family with fam- 
ily of the Vegetable and animal world; and, 
after marking the ostensible peculiarities of 
each, descends beneath the surface of their ex- 
ternal differences, and lays open those great 
and uniform principles of mechanical or chem- 
ical structure, to which all are conformed: and 
(if the figure may be \\^(\) he listens, and hears 
all beings uttering, in their several dialects, one 



and the same code of physical existence. Or, 
turning from the present system of things, the 

lover Of nature explores the deep strata of the 
earth, gathers thence the fossil remains of lon^ 
extinct tribes, and. with more pleasure than the 
vulgar can conceive of. or he express, brings to 

light the unvarying laws of animal organiza- 
tion, BS they held their sway Bges ago, among 
orders the most Strangely unlike to the species 
Of the recent world. Whether he looks to the 

extreme distances of space, or of time, the nat- 
uralist, after giving a moment to the obvious or 
common gratification that springs from novelty 
and diversity, seeks and soon finds the more 
lasting and substantial pleasures of reason, 
while marking the oneness and harmony of na- 
ture, even where her clothing and her colours, 
and her proportions have the least of uni- 
formity. 

If we might so speak, it is by her diversities, 
her gay adornments, her copious fund of forms, 
her sportive freaks of shape and colour, that 
Nature allures the eye of man, while she draws 
him on to the more arduous, but more noble 
pursuit of her hidden analogies. Un liken ess 
awakens his attention; uniformity, or simplic- 
ity, fixes and enchains it; and,, by the pleasure 
it confers, ensures on his part the laborious in- 
vestigation of abstruse principles. 

While the human mind is thus employed, an 
insensible process goes on, the effect of which 
is gradually to invest general truths with a sort 
of majesty, as well as beauty; so that, at length, 
this new charm rivals and prevails over the 
graces and attractions of exterior diversity, and 
imparts more and more force and advantage to 
that which is occult, until it quite overpowers 
that which is visible. 

Thus it is, that, in the course of philosophical 
pursuits, abstract principles come forth more 
into the light — stand out with more distinctness 
before the mind, and, ere long, the laws which 
at first were apprehended with some degree of 
painful effort, occupy it as pleasant and facile 
matters in the hour of relaxation, as well as 
engage it in the season of strenuous exertion. 
At last, whatever is universal prevails altogether 
over whatever is individual, and the rational 
faculty, getting released from the disturbance 
and fascination of things external — accidental 
— trivial, contemplates with open eye all that 
is great and permanent. 

The whole evidence of our modern physical 
science serves to establish the belief (a belief 
in itself highly reasonable) that the mechanical 
and chemical laws which prevail in our planet, 
are common to other planets, and to other sys- 
tems — even the most remote of them ; so that, 
in this sense, the inhabitant of any one world 
would find himself at home in any otffer : just 
as the traveller, how much so ever he may be, 
for a moment, perplexed by diversity of cli- 
mate, or strangeness of foreign manners, soon 
confesses that nature and man are essentially 
the same in the country he has reached, and 
the country he has left. 

But, on the other hand, it cannot well be 



GO 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



doubted that the same principle of inexhausti- 
ble Variety, which as we see, in our world, 
throws out bo many thousand forms of beauty, 

has also its full play in other worlds, ;ind takes 

its range as freely in one district of the universe 

as in another. If so. it. follows that, could we 
Visit and explore other regions, or were permit- 
ted to tread the lields of space, and to set foot. 
as pilgrims, upon distant spheres, each newly 
discovered world must amaze the eye, by its 
singular fashion, or peculiar aspect, or particu- 
lar mould of beauty : each would present its 
proper and distinguishing style of symmetry and 
colour. Nevertheless, beneath all these diver- 
sities, and amid the confusion of these special 
graces, there woidd still be couched (as the sup- 
position implies) the few great canons of or- 
ganic combination ; so that each planet of all 
the skies would at once challenge to itself an 
individuality, and confess its relationship, or 
bond of alliance, with all the rest. — 

— And who shall duly conceive of that emo- 
tion of wonder and pleasure, with which the 
forms and contrivances of so many dissimilar 
worlds must present to a rational mind what 
may well be called the majesty or awful force 
and sanction of those few canons to which we 
find submission is made in all regions of the 
material system? In returning to onr abode 
from an excursion such as we have imagined, 
the familiar objects that adorn it, ceasing to at- 
tract the eye by their individuality, •would 
henceforward stand before us as the mere sym- 
bols of the abstract truths that had now gained 
possession of the mind. 

We may safely employ the analogy which 
we have thus drawn from tlie material world. 
and transfer it, with its inferences, to the intel- 
lectual and spiritual system. And we institute 
our parallel as follows: — It is not to be question- 
ed that the laws of the Divine Government (not 
less than the first principles of the material 
world) are one and the same in all places of the 
universe; for these laws are nothing else than 
expressions of the Eternal Excellence — its good- 
ness, and wisdom, and purity. As in the Su- 
preme Being there is no variableness, so 
neither can there be contrariety or opposition 
of purposes within the circle of his adminis- 
tration. Nevertheless, though the laws and ul- 
timate issue of the moral system must be one 
and unchanging, and must challenge applica- 
tion to all possible cases, yet it is reasonable to 
believe that the modes under which this one 
purpose or rule of the divine ' government 
reaches its accomplishment are as various as 
the worlds wherein it is taking its course are 
many. In other words, we are compelled to 
suppose, on the one hand, that the intelligent 
universe presents an absolute unity of principle ; 
and on fhe other, that it offers infinite dissimi- 
larities of means and events. If each sphere 
or planet has its own physical character — its 
peculiar fashion and form, so, doubtless, has 
each family of intelligent beings its special des- 
tiny — its single and peculiar history, and its in- 
dividual round of fortunes. The ways of Him 
who tits on the throne of universal dominion 



are "a great deep,' 1 and of his judgments or 
dispensations " there is no end." 

Now. in the very same way that extensive 
generalization in matters of physical science 
imparts gradually to universal laws a predomi- 
nance in the mind over visible appearances 
and single instances) SO, by an analogy of prin- 
ciple, would an extensive knowledge of the in- 
tellectual and moral system, as it. now exists, or 
has heretofore developed itself, in other worlds, 
produce a similar prevalence of abstract truths 
over the impression of particular facts. If a 
moral instead of a physical process of general- j 
ization could be pursued by the human mind 
in its passage from system to system; and if it 
could listen to the history, witness the condition, 
and learn the destiny, of thousands and thou- 
sands again of immortal tribes, whatever was 
uniform or fixed in the maxims of the divine 
government, and which presented itself ever 
and anew in every world, would, at length, as- 
sume to itself a paramount importance, and fill 
the faculty of rational contemplation almost to 
the exclusion of lesser objects. 

Let it be granted that, for awhile— perhaps 
long — the spirit of the traveller through the 
universe would be overpowered by its emotions 
of amazement and curiosity, in contemplating 
so many diversities of social constitution — so 
much strange magnificence, so many new forms 
of greatness or splendour; — the energies — revo- 
lutions — adventures of innumerable families. 
This must be : but it is certain that a mind con- 
stituted like that of man, would, at length (if 
we may so speak) collapse, or fall in upon its 
centre; it must return, and take up its proper 
nature — its innate usages of generalization ; — 
it must court the calmness of reason, as a relief 
from the turmoil, and perplexity, and fatigue, 
of looking so much abroad. Then would com- 
mence that process of the understanding, which 
digests and simplifies multifarious objects, and 
by which the burden and distress of too much 
variety is relieved. Or perhaps, suddenly, in 
the full course of eager contemplation, the 
spirit would be arrested by the thought of the 
universal law, which (amid these changing 
scenes) was displaying its unchanging force ; 
and, as with an instantaneous revulsion, it 
would at once pass over from things individ- 
ual and visible, to things invisible and perma- 
nent. 

In like manner, as from physical generaliza 
tion, the beautiful (might we say, awful) sim- 
plicity of the -material world fills the mind with 
a calm and elevated pleasure; so, and with 
much more power, would a similar process, 
carried on while the moral world at large was 
passing under the eye, bring in upon the heart 
those universal principles of the divine govern- 
ment which are the expression of the Divine 
Nature. These principles would gradually 
come forth from amid the innumerable instan- 
ces of their efficacy ; they would slowly and 
silently present themselves in a clearer and 
still clearer light; they would more and more 
be disengaged from anomalies or exceptions. 
The unchanging and unsullied glories of abso- 



1859.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANT E II. 



ill 



lute purity, wisdom, and benevolence, Would 
with an accelerating augmentation, prevail over 
the glare and show of individual objects. 
Whatever is limited, partial, temporary, contin- 
gent, accidental, must fade and become dim, or 
take its proper place of comparative i 1 1 .- i l^ 1 1 i I i - 

Since. .Meanwhile, though the SupRHfK, who 

dwelleth in light inaccessible, were not visibly 
revealed, nevertheless his actual presence, R8 
Ruler oi" all beings, would he declared in the 
brightness of his attributes ; so that the issue of 
so large a knowledge of the moral and intellec- 
tual system must cause, to the rational spirit — 
a vanishing oi" the creation, with its diversities, 
and a manifestation of the Creator ill his un- 
changeable perfections. Or otherwise to ex- 
press the same thing, that which is " seen and 
temporal" would be lost in that which is " un- 
seen and eternal." 



Back Numbers of the Southern Planter 
Wanted. 

See the advertisement of J. W, Randolph, on 
the first pa^e of Advertising Sheet. 



AGrENTS. 

Mr. Fitzhugh Catlett is our authorized agent 
(at Guiney's Depot, Caroline County,) to receive 
money for us, and to give receipts. New sub- 
scribers are requested to leave their names with 
him. />aily, if not oftcner. 

Mr. Geo. C. Reid, is our agent in Norfolk, Va. 

F. N. Watkins, Esq., at the office of the Far- 
mer's Bank of Virginia, at Farrnville. is our au- 
thorized agent to receive money due for sub- 
scriptions to this paper, and to grant receipts 
therefor. Our subscribers in Prince Edward and 
the counties adjacent will please call on him. 

Maj. Philip Williams is our authorized agent 
to receive subscriptions, and give receipts for us. 
See his card in our advertising sheet. Our sub- 
scribers in "Washington City and Georgetown, D. 
C, will confer a favor on us by settling their 
bills with him. August & Williams. 



For the Southern Planter. 

The Economy of Working and Gearing 
Teams. 

Mr. Editor — In a former communication 
I merely hinted at the subject of "Centre 
Draught," or "The Proper Mode of Gear- 
ing Horses and Mules: to the Different Ve- 
hicles and Implements to which they are 
worked." 

The subject is one in which the commu- 
nity generally and the farming portion of it 
particularly is deeply interested. Indeed, 
all would be surprised to see, if I could suc- 
ceed in demonstrating it, to what an extent 
they are interested in that which appears at 
first thought to be but a trifling, insignificant 



matter. We will assume, without pretend- 
ing to entire aeemaev, that the teams on 
each farm constitute one-tenth or oiie-(4uhtli 
of tln> whole capital employed on it, requir- 
ing the humane ami watchful care of their 

owner to keep them in that healthful vigor 
ami state of llesh which will best develop 

their strength and activity, and enable them 

not only to perform well for the time being 

the work assigned them, but also to p rese r v e 

them in a thrifty and improved condition 
that will ensure the long continuance of their 
ability to discharge their functions properly. 
Their intrinsic value, as well as the dura- 
tion of their service, all must admit, will 
greatly depend upon the care and protection 
accorded to them by their owner. Any 
means, therefore, by the adoption of which 
one-fourth of the power neutralized or wast- 
ed in the ignorant, careless, or injudicious 
use of these teams may be saved, not only 
adds proportionally to their value, but econ- 
omises in like proportion the expense of 
maintaining them, as well as justifies the 
curtailment of the number employed. In 
regard to the gearing of horses or mules and 
oxen, I refer you to two articles which I 
published in the Southern Planter of Janu- 
ary 1858. These articles explain how teams 
should be geared to ploughs, wagons, &c, 
but do not touch on the mode of attaching 
them to carts. On this subject, therefore, I 
now design to speak particularly. The 
draught line, as I have before stated, should 
pass from the shoulder of the horse to the 
junction of the back and belly band on the 
traces, precisely at right angles, in order 
that the pressure on the shoulder by the 
pulling of the horse may be so steady as to 
hold the collar and hanies firmly in their 
proper place, thereby avoiding the fruitful 
source of the chafing and galling which dis- 
figure, and often disable teams, by prevent- 
ing the slipping of the collar up and down 
at each alternate step of the animal as he 
advances. Besides this, the right angle line 
from the shoulder to' these bands, or the 
place where they should be (which is ju-t 
behind the shoulder) is the one upon which 
the horse can exert the greatest amount of 
power and throw the greatest degree of 
weight; both of which are essentially neces- 
sary in pulling. This being a fact, demon- 
strated by practice, we will now say that 
long traces would be used to carts as well 
as to one-horse wagons, and should be at- 
tached to a swingletree in the same manner, 



62 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 



in preference to hitching the hame on each I of the shafts) of the line upon which said 
side, with b few links of chain directly to front horse is pulling. 
the part shaft. This mode requires the I The amount I will not undertake to de- 
horse tn pull the whole load first with one termine here;, for it is needless to the end 
shoulder and then with the other, whereas '' 1 have in view. Suffice it to say, the loss 
pulling on the swingletree the pressure is j is very great, and may be very easily ascer- 
kejit ii]) all the while on both shoulders, be- tained at little or no cost. The remedy is 
cause the swingletree is fastened on a pivot j too simple to need explanation. But if it 
in the centre, and varies to suit the walking! be necessary, I will most cheerfully give it 
motion of the horse. Again, the long traces at some future day either by drawing or 
can be so fastened by the back and belly otherwise. 

bands as to get the power line of the horse,. In conclusion, I would most seriously 
because they are flexible and the shafts are urge the users of horses to turn their at- 
not, and hence the line of traction of the j tention to this subject. It is one fraught 
horse cannot be gotten when pulling by the i with momentous benefits, in accomplishing 
shafts. The difference in the two modes is greater results with their horses, and in 
at least twenty-five per cent in favor of the ; keeping them in better condition and caus- 



traces. The mode of working one horse be- 
fore another to a cart, as practised^ is shock- 
ing. Against this practice, I adduce the 
following simple and plain reason, viz : 

When a line is drawn straight from the 
centre of the resistance of the wheel and 
axletree to the pulling point at the girth 
where the traces crook into the draught 
line of the shaft horse, and another line is 
drawn from the same point of resistance of 
the wheel and axletree to the pulling point 
of the (firth of the front horse where the 
traces crook upward into his draught line, 
— the tw T o lines thus described, will be 
found very far from being parallel with 
each other. The line running to the front 
horse's girth will be found to be very much 
low r er than the rear one, because more dis- 
tant from the centre of resistance of the 
wheel and axle, and because the centre of 
resistance of said wheel and axle is not so 



ing them to be far more durable. 

OBSERVER. 



the point at the girth 
takes place, unless the 



high generally as 
where the crook 
team be exceedingly low. 

NoWj instead of running the traces from 
the girth of the front horse straight on to 
the centre of resistance of the wheel and 
axletree, run them to the ends of the 
cart-shafts, where they generally fasten, — 
which is some six or eight inches higher 
than the proper or correct line, and the 
front horse will exert a part of his strength 
or power in pulling the load, and a part in 
pulling a burden on the back of the rear 
horse. The amount of the lost power of 
the front horse in burdening the rear one, 
and the rear one in being burdened by the 
front one, will be; precisely in proportion to 
the amount of power exerted by the front 
horse, and the crook or angle (at the end 



Compliment to Virginia Farmers. 

In looking over a recent number of the 
Boston Congregationalist, we were very 
agreeably surprised to find in it the follow- 
ing complementary remarks on Virginia 
Farmers. We had seen in that paper so 
many things of a very different caste, when- 
ever it has spoken of the South, that we 
were not prepared to find in its columns the 
testimony of a Northern man, who is im- 
partial and independent enough to see and 
report things, just as he found them at the 
late Agricultural Fair in Richmond. We 
hope he will advise our New England breth- 
ren to visit the Southern Planters and take 
a " South side" view of things. It can 
do. them no harm. Let us hear him - : 

"After enjoying a good and ample op- 
portunity for observation, I feel ho hesita- 
tion in saying, that physically, and socially, 
the Southern farmers are more genial and 
sociable than they are East or West, judg- 
ing from observation. They impress a 
Northerner, that they enjoy life better, and 
are really and substantially, a happier peo- 
ple than the inhabitants of the East or 
West. I never saw so many large and 
well-proportioned men, physically, and such 
uniformity of genial, good-natured faces, 
as at Richmond. This quantity of graceful 
good-nature, was one of the most attrac- 
tive, pleasing, and interesting characteris- 
tics of Southern farmers. Would that our 
excellent New En glanders, engaged in the 
same occupation, would cultivate the same 
genial graces. A sad face, certainly, ill 



1850.] 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



G3 



pecomes one who lives, and moves, and has 
his being among plants, and trees, and (low- 
ers, and fruits and grains, and singing birds, 
and shrilling insects, and creeping reptiles, 

— amid a world adorned with beauty, and 
Vocal with song-. If any class above all, 
have special reasons for being genial and 
cheerful, and sociable, and running over, as 
it were, with peaceful good-will toward all 
men, it is the fanners. For them, then, 
there is no really good apology for their 
going about with a sad countenance, and 
clad with silence, as it were, with a gar- 
ment. 

More skill is manifested in farming and 
gardening at the South, than I expected to 
see. In stock breeding, whether of cattle, 
or horses, or nudes, New England would, 
most likely, come oft* second best in a fair 
comparison. In Short Horns and Devons, 
old Virginia and Maryland may challenge 
the East and the West, without fear of be- 
ing beaten in quality. They rank high, 
also, in the production of fine horses, as 
was demonstrated at the Fair. 

Sheep-culture and wool-growing have been 
recently and successfully introduced into 
some parts of Virgina. One farmer in- 
formed me that he had recently stocked his 
farm with about a thousand fine-wooled 
sheep, and now raises more wheat than 
when he kept no sheep. He finds them 
excellent renovators of the soil, in reclaim- 
ing worn land, and rendering it highly pro- 
ductive. He also said, that his wool brings 
three or four cents a pound in market more 
than Northern wool, because less " gummy.'" 
Christian Observer. 



Counsels to the Young. 

Never be cast down by trifles. If a spi- 
der breaks his web twenty times, twenty 
times will he mend it again. Make up your 
minds to do a thing, and you w T ill do it. — 
Fear not if trouble comes upon you; keep 
up your spirits though the day may be a 
dark one — 

" Troubles never last forever, 
The darkest day will pass away!" 

If the sun is going down, look up to the 
stars; if the earth is dark, keep your eyes 
on heaven. With God's presence and God's 
promise,. a man or child may be cheerful. 

"Never despair when fog's in the air, 
A sunshiny morning will come without warn- 
ing:!'' 



Mind what you run after! Never be con- 
tent with a bubble that will burst; or a fire- 
wood that will end in smoke and darkness. 
Hut that which you cankeep, and which is 
worth keeping. 

"Something startling that will stay 
When gold and silver lly away!" 

Fight hard against a hasty temper. An- 
ger will come, but resist it strongly. A 
spark may set a house on fire. A lit of pas- 
sion may give you cause to mourn all the 
days of your life. Never revenge an injury. 

"He that revengeth knows no rest; 

The meek possess a peaceful breast." 

If you have an enemy, act kindly to him, 
and make him your friend. You may not 
win him over at once, but try again. Let 
one kindness be followed by another, till you 
have compassed your end. .By little and by 
little great things are completed. 

" Water falling day by day, 
Wears the hardest roek away." 

And so repeated kindness will soften a heart 
of stone. 

Whatever you do, do it willingly. A boy 
that is whipped at school never learns his 
lessons well. A boy that is compelled to 
work, cares not how badly it is performed. 
He that pulls off his coat cheerfully, strips 
up his clothes in earnest, and sings while he 
works, is the man for me — 

"A cheerful spirit gets on quick ; 
A grumbler in the mud will stick." 

Evil thoughts are worse enemies than 
lions and tigers, for we can get out of the 
way of wild beasts — but bad thoughts win 
their way everywhere. Keep your heads 
and hearts full of good thoughts, that bad 
thoughts may not find room — 

"Be on your guard, and strive and pray, 
To drive all evil thoughts away." 

The rough work of the world is sure to 
be done sufficiently well at the prompting of 
those motives which impel every man to do 
the best he can for himself." These univer- 
sal motives take effect alike upon the lad who 
sweeps a crossing and upon an under secre- 
tary of state. Another class of the common 
interests of a community will be cared for 
and made good by those who, while laboring, 
in fact, for their fellow-men, are thinking 
only of their individual tastes in doing BO. 
It is thus that much of the intellectual work 
of a people is prosecuted in the fields of phi- 
losophy, poetry, and the fine arts. 



64 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[January 




The Light at Home. 

The light at home! how bright it beams 

When evening shades around us fall; 
And from the lattice far it gleams 

To lure to rest, and comfort all, 
When wearied with the toil of day; 

And strife for glory, gold, or fame, 
How sweet to seek the quiet way, 

Where loving lips will lisp our name. 

When, through the dark and stormy night, 

The wayward wanderer homeward hies, 
How cheering is the twinkling light, 

Which through the forest gloom he spies! 
It is the light of home, he feels 

That loving hearts will greet him there, 
And softly through his bosom steals 

The joy and love that banish care. 

The light at home! How still and sweet 

It peeps from yonder cottage door — 
The weary labourer to greet 

When the rough toils of day are o'er! 
Sad is the soul that does not know 

The blessings that its beams impart, 
The cheerful hopes and joys that flow, 

And lighten up the heaviest heart. 



Ft 



the Knickerbocker, 



Rich Though Poor. 

BY A. D. F. RANDOLPH. 

No rood of land in all the earth, 

No ships upon the sea, 
Nor treasures rare, nor gems, nor gold, 

Do any keep for me : 
As yesterday I wrought for bread, 

So must I toil to-day; 
Yet some are not so rich as I, 

Nor 1 so poor as they. 

On yonder tree the sun-light falls, 

The robin 's on the bough. 
Still I can hear a merrier note 

Than he is warbling now: 
He's hut an Arab of the sky, 

And never lingers long ; 
But that o'erruns the livelong year 

With music and with song. 

Come, gather round me, little ones, 

And as 1 sit me down, 
With shouts of laughter on me place 

A mimic regal crown : 



Say, childless King, would I accept 

Your armies and domain, 
Or e'en your crown, and never feel 

These tiny hands again? 

There's more of honor in their touch 

And blessing unto me, 
Than kingdom unto kingdom joined, 

Or navies on the sea: 
So greater gilts to me arc brought 

Than Sheba's Queen did bring 
To him, who at Jerusalem 

Was born to be a King. 

Look at my crown and then at yours 

Look in my heart and thine : 
How do our jewels now compare — 

The earthly and divine? 
Hold up your diamonds to the light, 

Emerald and amethyst; 
They're nothing to those love-lit eyes, 

These lips so often kissed ! 

Oh! noblest Roman of them all, 

That mother good and wise, 
Who pointed to her little ones, 

The jewels of her eyes. 
Four sparkle in my own to-day, 

Two deck a sinless brow : 
How grow my riches at the thought 

Of those in glory now ! 

And yet no rood of all the earth, 

No ships upon the sea, 
No treasures rare, nor gold, nor gems 

Are safely kept for me : 
Yet I am rich — myself a King? 

And here is my domain : 
Which only God shall take away 

To give me back again ! 



Gentle Words. 

A young rose in the summer time, 

Is beautiful to me, 
And glorious the many stars, 

That glimmer on the sea ; 
But gentle words and loving hearts, 

And hands to clasp my own, 
Are better than the brightest /lowers, 

Or stars that ever shone ; 

The sun may warm the grass to life, 

The i\e\\\ the drooping iiowers, 
And eyes grow bright and watch the light 

Of autumn's opening hours; 
But words that breathe of tenderness, 

And smiles we know are true, 
And warmer than the summer time, 

And brighter than the dew. 

It is not much the world can give, 

With all its subtle art. 
And gold or gems are not the things 

To satisfy the heart; 
But, 0. if those who cluster round 

The altar and the hearth, 
Have gentle words and loving smiles, 

How beautiful is earth ! 



No. 1. 



THE 



SOUTHERN PLANTER, 

ADVERTISING SHEET. 



RICHMOND, VA. 



January, 1859. 



OLD PLANTEES WANTED 



I will pnv *.i for vols. 1. 2, 3. 10. 11 and 14, or $2 for Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, of vol. I.— 1, 3, 4, of vol 
II.— 3 of v«,l. 111. — 1. 6, of vol. X.— 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 of vol. XL— and 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11 of vol. XIV 
Those having old Nos. of the Southern Planter to sell, will please address 

J. W. RANDOLPH, Richmond. 



SCHOOL BOOKS. 

Permit me to call your attention to a work which I have lately published. It is 

"AN ELEMEXTARY TREATISE ON DESCRIPTIVE GEOMETRY," 

BY SAMUEL SCHOOLER, M.A., 

Principal of Edge-Hill School, Caroline, Va. 

This work has been prepared with much care, and it is hoped that it will 
supply a want long existing in our Schools and Academies. 

With the view of showing you what is thought of the particular work in 
question, by some of the most experienced Teachers and eminent men in the 
country, I beg leave to offer for your perusal, the following 

RECO MM ENDATIONS. 



From W. H. C. BARTLETT, L.L.D., Prof, of 
Natural and Experimental Philosophy at the U. 
S. Military Academy, West Point. 

My Dear Sir: — I have had the pleasure to 
receive vour beautiful volume on Descriptive 
Geometry. Your work is well conceived, and 
admirably carried out in the execution of its 
plan : ;ind as a specimen of typography and 
drawing, is unsurpassed by anything that I have 
seen. The attractive form in Which you have 
presented this most useful branch of Mathe- 
matics will. I trust, accelerate its general adop- 
tion into our course of common school instruc- 
tion. Its study is one of the most prolitable 
means of mental discipline, and an indispensa- 
ble preparation to every successful Architect, 
Machinist and Civil Engineer. 



From F. H. SMITH, M.A., Prof, of Nat. Philoso 
phy in the University of Va. 
I can say, without hesitation, that 1 think it 
the best book I have seen, upon the subject, in 
the English language. The system of symbols 
you have adopted appears to me to be an admira- 
ble improvement. Your publisher deserves com- 
mendation for the very band some and generous 
way in which the work is gotten up. 

From D. H. MAHAN, M.A., Professor of Engi- 
neering in the U. S. Military Academy, West 



Dear Sir: — I have looked over your work, and 
am very much pleased with the arrangement of 
the subjects, and the clear, concise manner in 
which you have presented each point. 

ELEMENTS OF DESCRIPTIVE GEOMETRY— the Point, the Straight Line and the Plane- 
by S. Schooler, M.A. 4to. half roan ; $2. It will be mailed, post paid, to all who remit the price. 

The paper, type and plates, are in the Quest style of the arts, and the book, altogether, has been 
pronounced equal, if not superior, to any English, French or American work on the subject. 

Jg^^ One extra copy (for their own use) will be given to those who order six or more copies. 

All the SCHOOL BOOKS of merit, of the latest editions, always on hand and sold on the best 
terms. 

A liberal discount made to Teachers and others who buy in quantities. 

J. W. RANDOLPH, Bookseller and Publisher, 
121 Main Street, Richmond, Va. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



RU1EMEDE SCHOOL. 

The next session ol this school will commence on 
tin- 1st of October, 1858, and close on the 31st of July, 
1859 The branches taught are the English, Latin, 
Greek, French, and Spanish Languages and their Lit- 
erature, and Mathematics (both theoretically and in 
its practical applications.) The Principal is a gradu- 
ate of the University of Virginia, and the course of 
instruction is designed with a view to the thorough 
preparation of the pupils for that Institution. The 
school is situated in Fauquier County, in a neighbor- 
hood well known for its fine climate and excellent 
society. 

'J' K R.MS— Board and Tuition for each term of five 
months, $125; payable on the 1st October and 1st of 
March. Lights extra. 

Fo- further particulars, address the Principal at Sa- 
lem Station, Fauquier County, Virginia. 

GRAY CARROLL, M. A. 
Reference*. 

The FaeulrV of the University of Virginia. 

James K. Marshall, Esq., Virginia Senate. 

F. W. Coleman, Esq., " » 

Kev. (1. H. Norton, Columbus, Ohio. 

Col. C. G. Coleman, Louisa C H., Va. 

Col. It. Christmas, Tall u la. Issaquena Co., Miss. 

Win. Roy .Mason, Esq., King George County, Va. 

Lewis M. Coleman, Esq., Hanover Co., Va. 
August 1858.— tf 



University of Virginia, 
May 13th, 1858. 
Gentlemen — In my letter of last week I gave 
you a percentage for the Phosphate of Lime in 
the SOMBRERO GUANO you sent me for analy- 
sis, which I suspected at the time to be too high, 
as I informed you. An error was probably made 
in the weighing. 

The analysis has since been repeated by both 
Dr. Tuttle and myself, and I submit the follow- 
ing as a reliable result: 

Phosphate of lime, 83.43 

Carbonate of lime, 3.45 

Insoluble matter, 1.18 

Moisture and organic matter, 11.47 



99.53 
The organic matter in the Guano was too 
inconsiderable to be deemed worthy of separate 
estimation. 

Very respectfully your ob't serv't, 

S. MAUPIN. 
Messrs. Edmund k Davenport. Richmond. Va. 
The above was an average sample of Som- 
brero Guano from the bark Christiana's cargo, 
(315 tons). We refer to a former advertise- 
ment as to what other eminent chemists think 
of this Guano; and among planters of our own 
Siate, to whom we would refer, we name the 
Kev. J. S. Arraistead, of Cumberland, who has 
purchased for himself and friends some twenty 
tons of it. 

EDMOND, DAVENPORT & CO. 
July 1898 — tf 

R. 0. HASKIN8, 

Ship Chandler, Grocer and Com- 
mission Merchant, 

In bis l:ir"o new building, in front of the Steamboat 
Whoif, Ro< axrrs. RICHMOND, VA. 

Sep i isoC.— 1> 



BLOOMFIELD ACADEMY 

Five miles West ol the University ol Virginia. 
W. LEROY BROUN, M. A., " { Assistant 
W. WILLOUGIIBY TEBBS, j Principals. 

The object of this academy is to prepare students 
for the University of Virginia, or to fit them lor the ac- 
tive duties of life. The course of instruction embra- 
ces all those subjects requisite for a prepa ation for 
any of the academic schools of the University, and 
the method, as far as practicable, is similar to that pur- 
sued at that Institution. The Fifth Session will begin 
on the 1st of September. The following departments 
are included in the course: 

1 — The English Language and Literature. 

2 — The Latin and Greek Languages and Literature. 

3 — The Modern Languages and Literature. 

4— The Mathematics. 

5 — Chemistry, Natural Philosophy and Astronomv. 
\Y. W1LLOUGHBY TEBBS, Instructor in Lan- 
guages. 
W. LEROY BROUN, M. A., Instructor in Mathe- 
matics. 
H. WALDEGRAVE LUCKETT, Assistant in Lan- 
guages and Mathematics. 
JOSEPH M. BROUN, Assistant in Mathematics and 
English. 

Gymnastics will be taught by J. E. d'Alfonce, sub- 
ject to an extra charge made by him. 

Expenses for Board and Tuition in all the depart- 
ments, including every thing, except lights, $125, per 
term of five months ; the payment to be made in ad- 
vance. 

The Principals have had considerable experience 
in teaching in schools and colleges, and would refer 
to their antecedents to any of the following gentle- 
men : 

The Faculty of the University of Virginia. 

Lieut. M. F. Maury, Sup't National Observatory, 
Washington. 

Prof. A. D. Bache, Sup't U. S. Coast Survey. 

Franklin Minor, Esq., Charlottesville, Va. 

Alexander Rives, Esq., " " 

B. Johnson Barbour, Esq., Barboursville, Va. 

J. Randolph Tucker, Esq., Richmond, Va. 

Rev. R. H. Phillips, Staunton, Va. 

Judge J VV. Tyler, VVarrenton, Va. 

Frank: G. Ruffin, Esq., Richmond, Va. 

Rev. John A. Broadus, Charlottesville, Va. 

Prof. C. S, Venable, So. Ca. College, Columbia. 

Prof. Leconte, " " u 

J. Hamilton Couper, Esq., Darien, Ga. 

Hon. Geoige R. Gilmer, Lexington. 

Hon Thomas Duval, Austin, Texas. 

Right Rev. Stephen Llliott, Savannah, Ga. 

For catalogues address either of the Principals. — 
The postoffice is Ivy Depot, Albemarle co., Va. 

August 1, 1858.— Cm 



FARM FOR SALE. 



:.iiiM*»«i»»>" 



I am anxious to sell immediatelv, 
my farm, HAZEL HILL, situated Ayj&HP 
in Spottsvlvania. It is M miles dis- 
tant from Fredericksburg, S. VV. and 
sonic (i miles west of county seat. 

It contains 800 acres, divided into live fields, 5.30 be- 
ing arable, the balance well timbered. It has 150 
acres of good bottom land, which is well adapted to 
prain ami grass. The high land has no superior in 
the county, in its adaptation to grain, tobacco and 
grass and its high susceptibility of improvement. 

The houses, for all kinds of farming purposes, are 
numerous and in good order, with a large Dwelling. 
House, in neat repair, and every out house,. I invite an 
examination of the Farm, and am willing to sell it, 
just as the lands and growing crops show for them- 
selves, being satisfied thai no such farm, containing 
advantages of soil, location and price, can be pun-bas- 
ed in Eastern Virginia. WM. J. FIFE. 

Daniel iville !'■ O:, Fpolttylvania. an 58 tf 



SOUTHERN PLANTER— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



SUPER-PHOSPHATE OF LIME. 

Every lot offered for sale regularly Analyzed and fully Warranted. 
MASl'FACTrRED BV 

IB. M. RHODES & CO., 

Office 82 South Street i Bowly't Wharf, Baltimore, Md. 

Packed in Barrels and Bags. Price $45 per ton, cash, in Baltimore. 



Ricnmond— SCHAER, KOHLER & CO, 
Petersburg— VENA BLE & MORTON. 
Lynchburg— M. HOLLINS & CO. 



AGENTS. 

I Fredericksburg— SCOTT, FRENCH & CO. 

Alexandria— WATERS, ZIMMERMAN & CO. 
| Norfolk— BORUM & McCLEAN. au 58. 



MACFARLANE & FERGUSSON, 
BOOK, JOB, AND ORNAMENTAL PRINTERS, 

EICHMOND, VA.., 

Have removed their office from the Law Building, to the house recently fitted up for them on the corner o 
Bank and 12ft Streets, where they will be pleased to see their former friends and patrons, and all others who 
mav wish to have PRINTING done in the best and cheapest style. July 1858. 



PIGS OF 

FOR SALE. 

I have for sale, to be delivered at weaning 
time, a good many pigs of improved breed. I 
have produced it myself from crosses of the 
Surry (or Suffolk) genuine Berkshire, (Dr. John 
U. Woods' stock) Irish Grazier, Chester County, 
no Bone and Duchess. I think them superior 
hogs of medium size, and for fourteen jears they 
bare not had a bad cross among them. I prefer 
that purchasers should view my brood sows and 
my boar on my farm, three miles below Rich- 
mond I will not sell them in pairs, because the 
in-and-in-breeding would depreciate the stock at 
once and cause dissatisfaction, but I will sell in 
one lot several of the same S6X, 

Price $10 per head lor one, and an agreed 
price for a larger number. They will be delivered 
on the Basin or any of the Railroad Depots free 
of charge. FRANK: G. RUFFIN 
Summer Hdl Chesterfield. March, 30. 1858. 



PORTABLE GAS APPARATUS. 

HAYING received the exclusive agency for 
the Slate of Virginia from the Maryland Portable Gas 
Company, for the sale of iheir machines, we are now 
prepared to contract for their erection. 

The machine is remarkable 'or its extreme simplici- 
ty, its safely and economy ; one half a cent per burner 
[bran hour a consumption, is a large estimate for this 
Gas, while in illuminating qualities it is not surpassed 
by the Coal Gas of any city in the Union. It is well 
adapted for Private Mouses. Factories, Schools, Col- 
leges, Churches and watering places, and provides, 
What in cities is considered an indispensable luxury, 
a good «as light, at much less expense than is paid 
for Oil or Candles. 

Any information on the subject mav beobtainedby 
addressing STEBBINS & PULLEN, 

Mav 57— lv 101 Broad St., Richmond, Va- 



K. H. Meade.) (T. R. Baker. 

Graduate Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. 

MEADE 8c BAKER, 

Apothecaries, Chemists & Pharmaceutists, 

186, N. W. Corner of Main and 10th Sis. 

Diagonally opposite the Farmers and Virginia Banks 

and just above the. new Custom House. 

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. 

Ofer to Farmers, Physicians and Families, a new 
and perfectly fresh stock of Pure Drugs, Chemicals 
and Medicines; Surgical Instruments; Spices ; Im- 
ported Cigars; Chewing and Smoking Tobacco; 
Fancy Articles, Perfumery, Soaps, Brushes, &c.,; nor 
as good terms as any oilier House in the Countv. 

Sept. 1857— 1> 



E. T. WINSTON & CO., 

Sole Agents in Richmond, Va.. for 



MANIPULATED GUANO. 



CHURCH & FLEMING, 
COMMISSION MERCHANTS, 

AND DEALERS IN- 
THRESHING MACHINES, 

PLOUGHS, WAGONS, 

And all kinds of Agriculiural Implements ; also Field 

and Garden Seeds, 

Corner Cary and Thihtkknth Sts., 

(Opposite old Columbian Hotel.) 

Z: S: K^r;. I Richmond, Va. 



FOE SALE. 

A very desirable (arm on Dan River. ti'M Acres. — 
150 Acres in Wood— 151 Acre* of Creek and River 
Bottoms. Improvements good, and terms liberal. 

ectf Apply to AUGUST &. WILLIAMS. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



E W PHELPS* 

COMBINATION BEE-HIVE. 

Patbnti d April, L852. 
This Hive is now, do new untried experiment, but 
has been thoroughly tented for six or seven seasons 
past, ami given bettor satisfaction than any other hive 
known, and u greater number ol them made mid sold. 
during 1 1 it' seasons of ISoti and '57, in the States of 
.New York and New Jersey, than of all the other pa- 
tetfl Hives combined, and been awarded the highest 
premiums where exhibited, viz : The first Premium 
and a Diploma at the Ohio State Fuir in 1851, in com- 
petition with six other patent Hives. The first Pre- 
mium and a Diploma at the Indiana State Fair in 
1852. The first Premium at tiie Wisconsin State Fair 
in 1853. A Diploma and honourable mention at the 
World's Fair, in hew York in 1853, in competition 
with "Davis' Platform Hive." The first Premium at 
the New York State Fair and American Institute in 
Mew York city in 1S54, in competition with " Davis' 
Platform Hive*," and ' l)v. Eddy's Patent Hive," and 
the first Premium at the New Jersey State Fair, held 
at Camden, September, 1855, in competition with 
" Langstroth's Patent Comb-moving: Hive." Also the 
first Premium at the New Y'ork State Fair at Elmira, 
October, 1855. The first and second Premiums at 
the New Jersey State Fair in 1857, and the first 
Premium at the New York State Fair, held at Buffa- 
lo, New York, in 1857, in competition with Lang- 
stroth's " Moveable-comb Hive," and the first Premi- 
um at the Virginia State Agricultural Fair, held in 
1855, in this city. 

The subscriber is now prepared to sell county and 
individual rights in Virginia and North Carolina. We 
have several in operation in this city. 

This Hive may he seen in operation at the resi- 
dences of the following gentlemen in this city : C. T. 
Wortham, Esq., George S. Palmer, Esq., John Q. 
Winn, Esq., and Peyton Johnson, Esq. They are 
made in any style that may be wanted, and can be 
placed in the Parlor chamber, Dining room, or any 
other part of the house, without disturbing the family 
in the least. 

Individual rights, including recipe for the feed, and 
printed instructions for using, $5, or rijdit and Hive 
$9, feeder $1. County rights on reasonable terms. 

WANTED to purchase, or exchange for Hives 
and rights, any number of HONEY BEES, either old 
or new colonies. Also will be purchased any quan- 
tity of HONEY. 

Address A. S. MADDOX, Agent, 

For Virginia and North Carolina, 

may — tf Richmond, Va. 

One of the above Hives can be seen at this office, 
wheie orders will be received and executed for the 
same. County rights for Virginia and North Carolina 
will be disposed of on reasonable terms. 

AUG I ST & WILLIAMS. 



J. R. KEININCHAM 

Has removed to 227 Broad Street, between 
3rd and 4th Streets, and next door to Crenshaw, 
Uuarles & Co., where he will always be found well 
supplied with BOOKS & STATIONERY, at fair 
rates. 

Books bound and Blank Books made for Clerks of 
Courts and others, as heretofore on strictlv fair terms 
J. II. KEIMNGHAM, 
Bookseller and Bookbinder, 227 Broad St., 

August 1857 — if Richmond, Va. 



SUPERPHOSPHATE LIME. 

We have manufactured expressly to our order 
the above article, which we can recommend to 
the Farmers as being equal to any Superphos- 
phate in use, and the best permanent improver. 
It is put up m good, strong barrels for shipping, 
and every barrel warranted to be up to the anal- 
ysis given below by Dr. James Higgins, State 
Chemist, Md-, in store and for sale by 

CHURCH & FLEMING. 

Cor. Cary and 13th Sts. 

No. 29 Exchange Buildings, 
Baltimore, April 19th, 1858. 

Report of Analysis of " Superphosphate of 
Lime' for Messrs. Church & Fleming, Rich- 
mond, Va. 

A sample of the above, which was sent to this 
Office for examination, was found, upon analy- 
sis, to be composed as. follows: 

Lime, .24.02 

Soda. . 1.25 

Phosphoric acid, . 17-00 

Sulphuric acid, 24.38 

Per oxide of iron, 0.36 

Sand and animal carbon, 6.54 

Water, 26.45 

100. 
Which constituents are combined, as follows : 
Bi-Phosphate of Lime, (soluble) 25.22 

Containing of Lime, 6.04 

Water, . 3.86 

" Phosphoric acid, 15.32 

Bone-Phosphate of Lime, (sparingly 

soluble.) 3.68 

Containing of Lime, 2.00 

" Phosphoric acid, . 1.68 

Hydrated Sulphate of Lime, . 48.96 

Containing of Lime, 15.98 

" Sulphuric acid, 22.70 

Water, . 10.22 

Sulphate of Soda, 2.87 

Containing of Soda, 1.25 

" Sulphuric acid, 1.62 

Sand, Animal Carbon, and Per oxide 

of Iron,. 6.90 

Water, (as moisture 12.37 

100. 
JAS. HIGGINS. Stale Agr. Cliem., 
-tf CHAS. BICKELL, Ph. D. 



STRAW CUTTERS. 

My patent Straw Cutter is admitted to be the most 
valuable in use. I guarantee satisfaction. 

H. M. SMITH, Agricultural Warehouse, 
oc 58— t f 14 Mnin Street. 



ap- 



WESTWOOD SCHOOL, 

Near Lynchburg, Virginia. 

INSTRUCTORS: 

JOHN H. WINSTON, Principal. 
R. C. BERKELEY. 

The Fifth Session of this School will begin on the 
1st Monday in September, and end on the last Friday 
in J une, l859- Thorough instruction is given in every 
branch of education, proper to prepare boys for the 
University of Virginia, or for the practical duties of 
life. Expenses of Board and Tuition, $220— no extra 
charge, except for lights. 

2tr#" For detailed Catalogue, address the Prinpipal 
at l.vnchburg. Aug 1858— tf 



SOUTHERN PLANTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



PHOSPHATIC GUANO, 

FROM THE ISLAND OF SOMBRERO, West Indies, 

THE RICHEST DEPOSIT!* OF PHOSPHATE OE LIME KNOWN TO THE WORLD. 



By a careful analysis of an average sample of different cargoes, the annexed eminent Chemists 

have fbund this remarkable <leno>ite to contain of Phosphate of Lime, as follows: 

of Lai Sample, Bft.60 per cent. 



By PsorastOB HA1 ES, 
REESE, 

u u 

CHILTON, 



Boston, 
Baltimore, 
u 

New York, 



2d 
1st 

2d 
3d 

4th 

1st 

2d 

1st 



89.20 
85. 1 1 
86.60 
72.04 
72.04 
86.3 i 
84.92 
76.85 
80.20 
88.00 
98.25 
85.16 



PIGGOT, - Baltimore, - 

" 1IUSON, Liverpool, England, - 

DECK, - New York, - 1st 

" • of a selected specimen, 

MA UPIN & TUTTLE, University of Virginia 

" WILLIAM GILHAM, Military Institute, Lexington, Va., 83.40 " 

Thus proving it to average the richest deposite of Phosphate of Lime known to the world. 

Pure Bone Dust contains but 55 or 56 per cent, of this important Phosphate; hence a compari- 
son of the relative value of the two, will at once show which is the most desirable for Agricultural 
purposes. 

Guanos are of two distinct species — those in which the Phosphates of Lime predominate, as 
in Sombrero, and others; and those in which Ammonia predominates, as in the Peruvian. Both 
experience and theory establish the fact, that Ammonia and Phosphate of Lime are essential in- 
gredients for a general fertilizer, and, consequently, for general purposes, a proper mixture of the 
two is recommended: whilst the Peruvian and other Ammoniated Guanos, are mere stimulants or 
qutckeners of the soil, the Sombrero and other Phosphatic Guanos, are permanent fertilizers, but of 
slower action and less perceptible effect the first year, unless aided by some stimulants. Hence 
the great importance of combining the two in proper proportions, which, if done, makes the best, 
most convenient, and economical fertilizer known. Assuming the cost of Peruvian Guano at $62, 
and Sombrero at $34 per ton — and with one-quarter of the former, mix three-quarters of the 
latter, (which proportions are recommended "by experienced Farmers,) it gives, at a cost of about $41 
per ton. a fertilizer far more valuable and permanent than the Peruvian alone. The agriculturist 
need only be reminded of the nature of the two predominating ingredients, in the different species 
of Guano, to enable him to understand- the proper mode of its application. Whilst Ammonia (in the 
Peruvian) is liable to evaporate or rise. Phosphate of Lime (in the Sombrero) is heavy, and liable to 
sink below the reach of the roots of plants Therefore it should be either deposited in the hill, or 
drill with the crop, or used as a top dressing, in the proportion of from 200 to 400 His. to the acre, 
according to the wants of the soil. If used as a top dressing, the Spring is the best time, when 
the crop is assuming its strength and sustenance, as, at that time, the benefit of the Ammonia is 
less likely to be lost than if used in the Fail or early Winter. 

EDMOND DAVENPORT & CO., Agents. 

RICHMOND, Virginia. 

WS^It can also be obtained of A. GARRETT, E. WORTHAM & CO., DUKE & HUTCHIN- 
SON, and E II. SKINKER, Richmond. Feb. 1. 1858. 



ALEXANDER GARRETT, 

38 Main Sine/. RICHMOND. ) A. 

General COMMISSION MERCHANT, - 

AND DEALER IX 

GROCERIES, 

PERUVIAN AND SOMBRERO GUANOS, 
PLASTER, &c. 

WILLIAM G. MILLER, 

Who is associated with him, devotes his partic- 
ular attention to the sale of 



SAMUEL S. COTTRELL, 
Saddle and Harness Manufacturer, 

Wholesale and Retail, 
No. 118 Main St., RICHMOND, VA. 

Having received the first premium 
at the Fair of the Virginia Mechanics' 
Institute, in 1854, tnd n Silver Medal nt tha 
Fair of the same Institute in 1855, feels confident he 
ran please all persons in want of any article in his 
line. March 1857— lv 



BOOK AND JOB PRINTING 

Neatly executed at this Office. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



GREAT REDUCTION in THE PRICE OF 

HATS AND BOOTS. 

From L5 bo 20 per cent, saved 
l»v baring from J. H. ANTHONV.Co 
Iumhi.il] Hotel Building. 

Moleskin Hats or best quality, §2\\ 
do. Becond quality, $3; Fashionable 
Silk Hats, $2 50; "Fine Calfskin Sew- 
ed Boots, s:i 50; Congress Gaiter 
Boots, £:* 25; Fine Calfskin Sewed 
Shoes, - - 

J. 11. ANTHONY has made ar- 
rangements with one of the best ma- 
kers in the city of Philadelphia to supply him with a 
handsome and substantial Calf-skin Sewed HOOT, 
which lie will sell at the unprecedented low price of 
Three Dollars mid a Half Ap 1857. 




Southern Clothing House 

RICHMOND, VA. 




tf^i;.. The subscriber keep 

\:^4 stantlv on hand a large and 

f^\ ionable assortment ol Kead; 

*^vtf Clothing, of his own munul 



Quality, which he 
the shortest notice and 
ble stvle. 



subscriber keeps con- 
nd Fash- 
made 
fact ii re, 

of the latest and most approved 
Styles. Also a large assoriment 
of Gentlemen's furnishing Goods, 
such as Handk'fs, Cravats, Neck 
Tics, Shirts, Drawers, Gloves and 
Suspenders. Collars, Umbrellas. 

In addition to which he keeps a 

large and general assortment of 

Piece Goods of every Style and 

3 prepared to make to measure at 

n the best and most fashiona- 

E. B. SPENCE. 



No. 120, Corner of Main and 13th Sts. 
May 1858— lv 



THE GREAT SOUTHERN 

Hat and Cap Manufactory and Depot. 
JOHN DOOLEY, 

No. 81, Main Street, Richmond Va. 

MANUFACTURER of HATS and CAPS on 
I lie largest scale, and in every possible variety, 
and Importer of North American and European Furs, 
HATS, CAPS, PLUSHES, TRIMMINGS, and all 
oilier articles belonging to the Trade, is always sup- 
plied with a splendid stock of Goods, for Wholesale 
and Retail, which in quality and quantity cannot be 
excelled by any other house in the South. His man- 
ufacturing arrangements are of the completes! kind, 
and his facilities for supplying country merchants a 
the shortest notice, cannot be surpassed. 
J u |y 1S58— ly 



LIME-LIME— LIME. 

To Farmers, Bricklayers and Others. 

HAVING made arrangements for a 
. regular supply of Shells, I am prepared 
to furnish any quantity of well burnt Shell 
Lime, as low or lower than can be procured 
elsewhere. It will be delivered to farmers at 
any of the railroad depots, and to customers 
in the City wherever they may desire. 

Application to be made at my Lime Kilns, 
opposite Tredegar Iron Works, at Mr. John G. 
Worth's office, corner 10th Street and Basin 
Bank, or at Messrs. Smith & Harwood's Hard 
ware Store, Main Street, Richmond. 

Jan 1858.— 6t WM. SMITH. 



S. SANDS' 
Farmers and Planters' Agency. 

Office of tlic Mar 11 1 in ul Stair Agricultural Society, 
(formerly "American Fanner" office,) 128 Haiti- 
more Street, BALTIMORE, Md. 
The subscriber, who has been for twentv-five vears 
past identified with the "AMERICAN PARMER." 
having disposed of bis interest in that journal, will 
continue on bis individual account, to act as AGENT 
for the 

FARMERS AND PLANTERS OF THE UNITED 
STATES, 

In the purchase and shipment of all articles required 
by them, and will also open a LAM) AGENCY, for 
the purchase and sale of Landed Estate in the Middle 
and Southern States. He will particularly attend to 
bin ing all kinds of 

Manures, Ayricultnrat Implements and Machi- 
nery, Live Stock, Trees, Plants, Seeds, &c. 

His long and intimate acquaintance with this busi- 
ness whilst in connection with the American Farmer, 
enables him, he thinks, to render good service, as he 
hopes h<' has heretofore done, in his former position, 
to the Farming and Planting Interest, particularly of 
the Middle and Southern States, and hopes to obtain 
for hi ; Agency that support which has heretofore been 
so liberally extended to him by those for whom he has 
labored for a quarter of a century. He intends to pay 
personal attention to the purchase of 

Peruvian, Mexican, Colopbian, Navassa and 

other GUANOES, 
BONE DUST, GROUND PLASTER, SUPER- 
PHOSPHATES OF LIME, 

of every reliable kind. 

REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES, 

GRAIN DRILLS, HORSE POWERS, 
THRASHERS, FANS, PLOWS, HARROWS, 

SAW AND GRIST MILLS, 
and every other description of 

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY, 

and LIVE STOCK of every kind. 

H4; will also receive Subscriptions and Advertise- 
ments for the various Agricultural Journals of the L. 
States. Register LANDS lor sale in any State in the. 
Union, and use bis dibits to effect sales, charging a 
sin 11 fee for the Registry, and a commission on sales 
made. JSP 3 He contemplates building up an estab- 
lishment in this city, by which all kinds of information 
and aid can be rendered to agriculturists who may de- 
sire it — and as many of the transactions connected 
with bis Agency will include considerable liabilities, 
he will (by their permission) refer to the following 
gentlemen, those who may not be acquainted with his 
responsibility, viz : 

Charles B. Calvert, Esq., James T. Earlc, Esq., 
Ramsay McIIenry, Esq., formerly Presidents of the 
Maryland State Agiicullural Society — and John Mer- 
ryman, Esq., present President of same. 

To the many thousands with whom he has been 
transacting business lor so many years, be cun confi- 
dently appeal for bis prompt and judicious discbarge 
of all the duties committed to him, and he appeals to 
them to continue to him their support and influence 
in his present undertaking. Address 

SAMUEL SANDS, 
(Late of the firm of S. Sands Sc VVorthington,) 
Office M(\. State Agricultural Society, (formerly Amer- 
ican Office,) 128 Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 
November 1858— tit 



SOUTHERN" PLANTER— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



AUGUST & WILLIAMS' 

Agricultural Registry and Agency Office, 

At the office of the Southern Planter, No. L53 Main Street, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. 
The subscribers are engaged in the business of 

BUYING AND SELLING LANDS, 

and executing orders for all Kinds of 

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AMD IMPLEMENTS 

IMPROVED STOCK, of every variety, Ac, 

to the selection and shipment of which we will give our personal attention. 

We have now on hand for sale, a large number of Farms in various sections of the State, (see 
our list to be found in another pari of this paper), to suit persons of the mosl limited or enlarged 
means, and will cheerfully furnish information respecting any of them upon application. 

We arc also Agents for the sale <>f 

"Phelps' Patent Combination Bee-Hive," 

one of* which can be seen in operation at our office. 

Ir is our design to make our office a kind of "Farmers* Head-Quarters," and cordially invite 
them to call and see us when in the city. They will find constantly on our table a number of the 
besi agricultural periodicals in the country, always open for their inspection and information and 
we will receive and remit subscriptions for the same, free of charge. 

July 1, 1858. AUGUST & WILLIAMS. 

A Card from Dr. James M. Jarrett, of the 
New York Lung Infirmary. 

My connection for the past eiizrii t years with the 
above Institution, as Chief Physician, nnd a twelve 
years' course of steady devotion to the cure of Pul- 
monary Consumption and its kindred diseases, togeth- 
er with my unrivalled opportunities and advantage of 
pathological research— aided not a little by a perfect 
system of Medical Inhalation — has enabled me to ar- 
rive at a decisive, direct and successful course of treat- 
ment for the positive and radical cure of all diseases 
of the Throat, Lungs, and Air Passages. By Inha- 
lation, the vapor and curative properties of medicines 
are directly addressed to the diseased organs and the 
■tegument. 1 do not advise the use of Medical In- < 
Illation of any kind, to the exclusion of general] 
treatment : and although I consider it a useful adju- i 
vunt in the proper management of those tearful and 
often fatal diseases, vet I deem it very necessary that 
each patient should have the benefit of both general 
and local treatment. The success of my treatment 
in the above diseases, and the high character of the 
Institution over which I have so long had the honor 
to preside, ure too well known to need any eulogy 
or comment from me. At the solicitation of many 
private and professional friends, through whose phi- 
lanthropic aid the above charily has been long and 
liberally supported, and after duo consideration, I 
have concluded to make such arrangements as will 
bring the benefits of my experience and treatment 
within the reach of all, and not confine myself, as 
heretofore, to those only who entered the Infirmary, 
Or who were able to visit me at my office. Hoping, 
therefore, that the arrangement will give entire satis- 
faction, both to my professional brethren and the pub- 
lic, 1 would respectfully announce in conclusion, that 
I can now he consulted personally or by letter, on all 
diseases as above, and that the medicines, the same as 
used in the Institution, prepared to suit each individ- 
ual case, Inhaling Vapors, Medical Inhalers, SfC. A 
&.C, will be forwarded by express to any part of the 
United States or the Canadas. 

Terms — My terms of treatment by letter are as fel- 
lows, viz : $12 per mouth for each patient, which will 
include medicine sufficient for one month's use; also 
Inhaling Vapor, and an Inhaling Appsrutus. Pay- 
meut as follows: $6 to be [Mid to Express Agent on 



receipt of the box of Medicine, and tn * balance, (|6j 
at the expiration of the month, if the patient he cured 
or is entirely satisfied with the treat menrt - Patients, 
by giving a full history of their case, :uu ' 'l' e ''* symp- 
toms in full, can be treated as well hy letter as by 
personal examination. Patients avai mi £ themselves 
of Dr. Jarrett's treatment may rely upon immediate 
and permanent relief, as he seldoms has to treat a case 
over thirty days. Letters for advice promptly answer- 
ed. For further particulars, address 

JAMES M. JARRETT, M.D., 
No. 820 Broadway, cor. Twelfth St, N. Y. 

P. S. — Physicians and others visiting the city are 
respectfully invited to call at the Infirmary, where 
many interesting cases can be witnessed, and where 
our improved apparatus for the inhalation of medica- 
ted vapor can be seen and inspected. 

September 1858.— 6m 



Saddles, Harness, &c. 

I manufacture a superior 
COLLAR 

which I warrant not to chafe or gall. I have 
ways on hand a good assortment of all articles in 
my line, which I will sell, wholesale or retail, as cheap 
as they can be procured an v where. North or South. 
CHARLES I. BALDWIN, 
Franklin St.,2d square above Old Market. 
Sept— ly 




P. WILLIAMS, 

Prosecutes claims for PENSIONS, fee., before the 
different Departments of the Government] and will 
also attend to making collections. 

I5P 3 Office, corner of IHth Street and Pennsvlvania 
Avenue, upstairs, WASHINGTON CITY, D. C 
September 1858— ts. 

BO N ED U ST. BONE DUST. 

Just received, a superior lot of Pone Dnst 
in store and for 9al 

CHURCH & FLEMING 
Mav 1858. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



The Horse and Horsemanship 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES & BRITISH PROVINCES. 

BY HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT. 

Author of "Frank Forrester's Field Sport*," "Fish 

and Fishing," " The Complete Manual lor Young 

Sportsmen," etc. Third Edition. 

Herbert's Great National Work on the Horse of 
America is the most comprehensive and reliable work 
ever published on this most important and interesting 
subject. It affords a complete history of the Horse 
from the earliest ages; contains essays on Breeding, 
Feeding, Clothing and general management; a histo- 
ry and anecdotes of the most celebrated Race Horses; 
tlie pedigrees of imported Mares and Stallions; a sur- 
vey of all i lie various breeds of Horses; descriptions, 
performances, etc, of celebrated Trotters; in brief, it 
js a perfect tadt mccvm upon the subject, and whe- 
ther for the breeder, the student, the tanner, or the 
general reader, an invaluable authority and guide. 

li is issued in two superb imperial octavo volumes 
of 1,"J(JU pages, illustrated with steel-engraved original 
Portraits, from painting and drawings by the most 
distinguished artists, of the following celebrated 
Horses, carefully piinted on India paper : Sir Archy, 
Black Muria, Lexington, Lantern, Glencoe, Stella. 
Fashion, Black Hawk, American Eclipse, Boston, 
I'ryor, Pocahontas, Lady Suffolk, Whalebone, Flora 
Temple, Alice Gray, Ethan Allen, &,c, embellished 
with Vignette Title Pages, from original designs, by 
F. O. (J. Darlev, finely engraved on steel by the most 
eminent Engravers, including numerous line Wood 
Engravings. 

Published by subscription. Price, in embossed 
cloth and gilt, $10. Mailed or sent by express free of 
charge upon receipt of the price. 

This magnificent work should be in the possession 
of every gentleman interested in the Breeding or man 
agemeiil ol the Horse. i\o woik in any way its equal 
has ever heretofore appeared from the press! 

" A valuable and interes ing work. JNo time or mo- 
ney has been spared to make it complete in all its de- 
partments.'' — Spirit of the /'imes. 

" I his splendid work is everything that could be de- 
sired. It must become at once a standard authority 
on the subject." — New England Farmer. 

" lu point of elaborated and general thoroughness, 
it is said to surpass anything of a similar kind ever 
produced in Europe." — boston Fust. 
AGEA IS WAN I ED. 
\\ • A. TOWJNSEND & CO., Publishers, 

dec 58 No. 1377 Broadway, N. V r . 



VALUABLE FARM FOR SALE IN WAR- 
WICK COUNIY. 

This farm is located at the junction of Warwick and 
James River, having a line view ol both. It contains 
451) acre.-, of which about one-halt is cleared and in 
good heart, a large portion having been recently well 
limed. There are Uysier Shells enough at the land- 
ing lo lime the residue, and wood ready cut to burn 
them; besides which there is an inexhaustible quanti- 
ty of Indian Core, one of the best oi fertilizers. Nav- 
igable water fur large class vessels ; fine ovster plain- 
ing grounds, and fish of the finest quality taken in 
abundance at the shore. The hum is well watered, 
(ha.- a good sulphur spring on it,) and iff as healthy as 
an) spot in Virginia.; convenient to church, schools, 
posioilice, Sua. Within \{ hours' drive of Hampton 
and Old Point Comlort- 

The improvements consist of a good plain dwelling, 
with five looms, (not vet completed,) new large bam, 
built of the best materials, and other necessary out- 
bourn -. Sei euiv bushels uf wheat will he seeded this 
Fall. The stock, implements, &c on the place will 
be sold with u ii des'ired. For term- and other infor- 
mation, appl» lo AUGUST &, WILLIAMS, office 
Boutin in Planter. oct 58— tf 



ANTM. F. LADD, 

No. &19, head Broad Street, Shockoe Hill, 
RICHMOND, VA. 

Wholesale and Retail Detail Dealer in English, French 

and American 



Paints, Oils, Varnishes and Dya*S tuffs; Window Glass, 

Putty, Glue and Sand Taper; Paint, Camel's 

Hair and Whitewash Brushes; Cloth 

Hair, Flesh, Nail and Tooth Brushes. 

Fine and Choice Perfumery, Fancy Goods, 

PURE LIQ.UORS AND WINES, 

For Medicinal and Sacramental Purposes. 

Surgical Instruments, Trusses, Shoulder Braces, 

Supporters, &c. 

Landreth's Celebrated Garden Seeds, 

In great variety. Also, 

DRS. JAYNE& AND ROSE'S 

FAMILY MEDICINES, 
MEXICAN MUSTANG LINIMENT. 

Together with all the most popular PATENT AND 
BOTANICAL MEDICINES, direct from the Propri- 
etors. 

Orders from Country Merchants and Physicians 
thankfully received and promptly attended to. 

I5P" All articles from this Establishment are war- 
ranted pure, fresh and genuine. dec 58 — ly 



AMERICAN STOCK JOURNAL, 
FOR 1859. 

A Monthly Paper, of 3 I large octavo pages, devo- 
ted exclusively to the subject of Stock-Growing-. It 
is the only paper of the kind published in the United 
Slate-, and the topics treated of are deeply interest- 
ing to every owner of a domestic animal, whether 
living in the town or country. # 

The Volume will commence with the first of Janua- 
rv. 1S59, and the numbers will be issued promptly on 
the first of each month. It will be printed on fine, 
clear paper, with entirely new type; and each num- 
ber will be illustrated with Cuts of Animals, in the 
best stvle ot art. Our mono is: A good Paper, a 
large circulation, and a small price, invariably in ad- 
vance. 

TERMS. 

Single Copies, one year, - - $1 00 

Six Copies, one year, - - 5 00 

Clubs of Ten Copies, one year, - 80 cts. each. 

Clubs of Twenty-Five or more Copies, 

one year, - - - 75 ct«. each. 

I5P 1 ' An extra copy to the person sending us 15 o» 
more names at 80 cents each. 

Specimen Copies, Prospectuses, and Posters sen! 
gratis to all who wish to examine them or get up clubs 
of subscribers. 

All orders should be addressed to the " Ameri 
can Slock Journal," JNo. 110 Fulton Street, New York 
City. I). C. L1NSLEY. 

A. O. MOORE, Agent, Agricultural Book Publish* 
er, No. 140 Fulton Street, New York. dec 2t 



Full Blood Silesian and Spanish 
Merino SHEEP, 

Bred, and for sale by 

S. S. BRADFORD, 
dec 53— tf Culpeper, Va. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER.— ADVERTISING SHEET. 




HEAD-QUARTERS 

FOR THE 
CELEBRATED PREMIUM 

IRON CYLINDER 

^^^^1 Grain Drill, 



!th the Improved Guano Attachment and Grass Seed Sower. 




PATENTED IN 1856 AND 1858. 




MANUFACTURED BY 

BICKFORD & HUFFMAN, 

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. 

Those wishing this article, and one thai is universally acknowledged by the Fanners of the South, North 
West, and hv all that have examined it, to be the best ever offered to the public, will bear in mind th.t un- 
they order early, may be disappointed, as hundreds were last season, by delay. 



PRICES, 



$90 00 
85 00 
80 00 



Guano Attachment, 
Grass Seed Sower, 



9 TUBE DRILL, 

8 « " - 

7 . 

All Orders promptly filled and information given, hv application to 

C. F. CORSER, 
General Agent for the Southern States, 

Office, No. 90 .9. Charles Street, between Pratt and Camden, Baltimore 

sale by CHURCH & FLEMING, Agents, Richmond, Va. 



$25 00 
10 00 



Md. 



C^LTJTIOISr. 



Notice is hereby given to all whom it may concern: That this is to forbid all persons making, vending 
ig or infringing upon our Guano or Compost Attachment, patented April 22d, 1856, re-issued lYluy 18th, 
Any person violating our rights, will be held accountable. None g.nnine except manufactured by 
where they can l>e had on application to C F. CORSER, our General Agent, at No 91) S. Charles 
;et, Baltimore. Md.. or to agents appointed to sell the same by said Comer. 
eptember 1858.— ly BICKFORD & HUFFMANN. 



SOUTHERN PLANTER— ADVERTISING SHEET. 



3VIr. Lefebvre's Schoo 

Corner of Grace and Foushee Streets, RICHMOND, VA. 

The next Session of this Institution will open on the FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER, 18 
and close on the First Day of July, 1859. 

TERMS FOR THE SCHOLASTIC YEAR, 



.85 



For Board, - - - $200 

For Washing, - - 20 

For Lights, - - - 6 

For English Tuition, - - 40 

For Modern Languages, (each,) - 20 
•Tor French, when studied exclusively of 

the English branches, - - 40 

For Latin, - - - 20 
For Music on Piano, Harp, Guitar, Or- 
gan or Singing: 

For one lesson (of an hour) a week, 40 

REFERENCES: 

The Patrons of the School. — Right Rev. Bishop Meade, Right Rev. Bishop Johns, Rij 
Bishop Elliott of Georgia, Right Rev. Bishop Cobbs of Alabama, Rev. Moses I). I 
D., Rev. Charles II. Read, D. D., Rev. T. V. Mo, re, D. D.„ Rev. B. Gildersleve. The 
of the Episcopal Church in Virginia. 

3?Aetrx,TT\ 

HUBERT P. LEFEBVRE, A. M,, Principal. 



For two lessons (of an hour) a week, $ 
For three lessons (of an hour) a week, 1 
For four lessons (of an hour) a week, li 

For the use of Piano, 

For Drawing, from Models, 

For Drawing, from Nature, 

For Painting in "Water Colors, 

For Oil Painting, 

Primary Department — for Children in 
der 11 years of age, 



John A. Calyo, 
C. W. Thilow, 
W. F. Grabau, 
Mrs. A. E. J. Gibson, 
Miss Mary Gordon, 
MAD'ELLE L. VILLEMET, French Governess. 
All letters to be directed to Hubert P. Lefebvre, Richmond, Va. [July '58 — ly 



Rev. II. S. Keppler, 
William Q. Williams, a 
John P. Little, M. D. 
R. A. Lewis, M. D. 
Eliodoro Camps, 



Miss E. Bartlett, 
Mrs. M. Taylor, 
Mad'me M. Estvan, 
Mad'elle Lacy, 
Charles II. Roseen, 



FAINTS. PAINTS. PAINTS. 

PURCELL, LADD & CO., I 

DRUOGISTS, ] 

No. 122 Main Street, corner 13th, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, 

Ter at low prices, a large and well assorted stock of articles in their line — embracing 

PAINTS, COLORS, VARNISHES, OILS, &C, i 

LEWIS' WHITE LEAD, MACHINE OIL. 

NEW J. WHITE ZINC, Horsehead brand, PAULS GREEN, 

CHROME GREEN, CHROME YELLOW, 

VERDIGRIS. TURKEY UMBKE, 

TERRA l)[ SIENNA, LAMP OILS, 

LINSEED OIL, SPTS. TURPENTINE. 

All Colors for Painters, Coach Makers, and others, Dry and in Oil, Paint Brushes, Sand Paper, and a very 

large stock of best 

WINDOW QL^lSS, 

omprisine nearly every size made. We are also prepared to take orders for Imported 

Polished Plate, Sky Light and Ornamental Glass. 

f^p* Particular attention to packing and forwarding all goods — nnd the minlitv warranted. 

PURCELL, LADD & CO, Dnirrgist*, 
June 1 !2Q Main Street, Richmond.