Digitized by the Internet Archive 

in 2012 with funding from 

LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation 



http://archive.org/details/southernplanterd25sout 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER; 

Bebotefc to ^grfculture, ^ortfculturcr, anfc the ^ousefiolti girts. 



Agriculture is the nursing- mother of the Arts. 

Xenophon. 



Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts of the State. 

Sully. 



C. T. BOTTS, Editor. 



Vol. II. 



RICHMOND, MAY, 1842. 



No. 5. 



CORN STALK SUGAR. 

We are indebted to H. L. Ellsworth, Esq., the 
most excellent commissioner of patents, for a 
very interesting pamphlet published under the 
superintendence of the National Agricultural 
•Society. It contains two articles ; one, on the 
subject of making sugar from the stalks of In- 
dian corn, and the other, upon the separation of 
the solid constituent of fatty substances for can- 
dles and other purposes. 

Some time during the last year, Mr. William 
Webb, of Wilmington, Delaware, exhibited in 
Philadelphia some specimens of sugar obtained 
from the stalks of Indian corn, that attracted 
considerable attention, and were much admired 
for their superior quality. All vegetables contain 
more or less of saccharine matter, and there are 
few substances in nature out of which sugar 
nKjy not be made. We had thought, however, 
that there was nothing yet discovered that could 
compete with the sugar cane. We, therefore, 
looked upon Mr. Webb's operations rather as 
curious, than likely to lead to any very practical 
results, and paid very little attention to the sub- 
ject. We confess that this pamphlet, which is 
neither more nor less than the publication of an 
address delivered by Mr. Webb upon the subject, 
places the matter in a new light, and renders the 
subject one of the deepest interest to our readers. 

Mr. Webb claims to have discovered a new 
and practical use for our great crop of Indian 
corn. If he is correct in his estimates, we are 
destined to become the sugar growers of the 
world. Maiz3 or Indian corn is our peculiar 
product, and Mr. Webb thinks that sugar can 
be obtained from it at less expense than from 
any other article known to the world. 

The many temptations offered by* eur pros- 
perous and happy government to the enslaved 
population of Europe, has already produced a 
tide of emigration that has filled the channels 
of industry at present open. In almost every 
branch we are producing to excess, and nothing 
is more wantin jt nan new resources for the sur- 
plus labor that we have already collected. This 
Vol. 2—13 



desideratum, if his estimates are correct, Mr. 
Webb has obtained, and he deserves to be ranked 
amongst the benefactors who have added to the 
variety, and consequently, to the extent of the 
products of his country. 

We have said, that the fact, that sugar could 
be extracted from Indian com, was not new ; 
but Mr. Webb, by dint of sound reasoning and 
untiring experiment, has discovered the mode of 
management, by which the business may be 
made profitable. The corn should not be per- 
mitted to ear, nor the stalk to grow large. For 
this purpose, the corn is sowed in drills, and the 
ear nipped off in the embryo state, whereby the 
saccharine juice of the sap is retained in the 
stalk. By the bye, it seems, that M. Pallas, a 
citizen of that nation, which robs all others of the 
merit of discovery, had, as early as 1839, de- 
monstrated to the Polytechnic Society of Paris, 
the great saccharine properties of Indian corn, 
and the method of increasing them by separat- 
ing the ear from the plant immediately after the 
tasselling. This essay Mr. Webb had never 
seen, and al hough he arrived at the same re- 
sults, he went far beyond the speculations of the 
Frenchman ; he has actually made the sugar, 
of a quality pronounced to be far superior to any 
thing obtained from the beet with so imperfect 
an apparatus. He has found that the raw juice 
of maize is, in sicch trine matter, to the juice of 
Louisiana cane, as 10 to S, and to beet juice, as 
10 to 3. He feels assured from calculations 
founded on f xp< riments, that from 800 to 1,000 
lbs. of sugar can be obtained from an acre pro- 
perly cultivated in Indian corn. Mr. Webb en- 
deavors to demonstrate, in the first place, that 
sugar must be made elsewhere than in the tro- 
pics. Statistics, he says, prove that a greater 
quantity of labor is annually required in the 
West Indies for the production of the same 
amount of sugar ; that emancipation in some of 
the Islands, and the unpopularity of the slave 
trade, are daily lessening he only labor that has 
been hitherto foui.d for this laborious and toil- 
some production. So that whilst the demand is 



98 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



hourly increasing, causes are daily operating to I 
lessen the supply from the tropics. Out of the 
tropics, the cane seldom matures, and he, there- 
fore, compares the corn with the cane in Loui- 
siana. The cost of seed is, as one to thirteen ; 
the expense of planting, one to fifty ; the culti- 
vation about the same, the manufacture infi- 
nitely less, and the product per acre equal. 

The beet, especially in this country, he thinks, 
will bear no comparison with it. The greater 
facility of cultivation, the peculiar adaptation of 
soil and climate, the greater freedom from foreign 
admixture in the juice, all combine to render the 
corn cheaper and more profitable than the beet 
sugar. 

In the manufacture of the sugar from corn, 
one of the* greatest advantages seems to be de- 
rived from the softness of the stalk, compared 
with cane, whereby, the power and machinery 
required to express the juice, are so much lighter 
and cheaper. 

Whilst we have endeavored to condense Mr. 
Webb's general views upon this important sub- 
ject, we have purposely omitted the detailed 
directions he gives for the manufacture of sugar ; 
for, although we hope much from his ingenious 
labors, we do not consider the profits of the bu- 
siness fully established, or that the day has come, 
or will perhaps ever come, when, as he infers, 
the process will be so simplified, as to render 
every man his own sugar maker. 



For the Southern Planter. 
DRAINING AND MANURING. 

JWr. Editor, — It may be safely affirmed that 
the two most prominent remedies for the im- 
provement of land consist in draining and ma- 
nuring. To have a good understanding of these 
will go far to the speedy restoration of our worn 
out lands. I know a piece of land on which a 
friend of mine has put hundreds of loads of ma- 
nure, and yet the land looks very poor, arising 
from the too great abundance of water retained in 
the soil. As I often see in your useful paper, 
communications on both these subjects differing 
somewhat from my own views, I beg leave 
through the Planter to state a few things in re- 
ference to both. 

1st. As it regards draining. There are many, 
who, although convinced that water retained in 
the soil neutralizes the fertilizing qualities of it, 
yet, are deterred from draining on account of the 
labor and expense, especially if wood is scarce 
with them. Now, the plan I pursue is certainly 
the cheapest of any I have yet seen recom- 
mended. It is as follows: I dig my drain, if 



possible, three feet deep, but so narrow at the 
bottom as just to let two pine poles lie side by 
side. Within four inches of the bottom, I lay 
pieces of pine of the same size with the poles 
across the drain, about four feet apart, on which 
the pine poles are to rest. These cross pieces 
are to keep the long poles from falling down on 
the bottom of the drain, and being four inches 
from it, give abundance of vent to the water. 
When I put down the long poles, it is necessary 
to reverse them, laying the thick end of one 
with the small end of the other ; then, on the 
top of the poles put the pine brush thick enough 
to prevent the loose dirt from falling under the 
poles. I know some have been in the practice 
of laying down three poles in the bottom, but it 
does not answer a good purpose long, and in a 
short time, it is seen that the labor and poles are 
thrown away ; but as long as poles will last 
under ground, you have a good drain ; one, that 
will last longer than a box drain of plank. 
Moreover, in many places, the ground, through 
which you cut a ditch, is so soft that no box 
drain will be of any service, on account of its 
sinking; this you will see is remedied by the 
cross pieces, which can be made to stretch far 
enough across on both sides of the drain, as to 
resist the pressure ; or if you choose, drive a 
stop down on each side of the drain for the cross 
piece to rest upon, as I have done many times. 
If I were near a saw mill, and had plenty of 
outside plank offered to me for nothing, I would 
make use of them to lay on the cross pieces ; 
but as every body has pine poles, it is poorly 
worth while to be hauling slab plank from a 
distance. I have only to add, that I have made 
drains of stone, of plank, and of poles, and pre- 
fer the latter, for expedition and cheapness. I 
could say much on the importance of draining 
land, but as I fear I would be troublesome to 
you, I shall proceed to the next article.* 

2d. On the most judicious method of using, 
manure. I take it for granted that a majority 
of farmers admit that manure ought not to be 
deeply covered, but kept near the surface of the 
earth, and shall not, therefore, give the why or 
wherefore, only observing, that it is one thing 
to put manure near the surface, and another, to 
put it on the top, and leave it exposed to the 
wasting influence of exhalation. If, for exam- 
ple, it be hauled out and spread on ihe crop of 
wheat in the spring, or laid on ihe top of corn, 
so much of it is wasted by the influence of the 
sun and wind. Now, I am not saying that no 
good will be done to the wheat and corn by the 
above plan of surface dressing ; what we are in 
pursuit of, is the most judicious method of using 
manure. Let a piece of land be taken which 

* We will "trouble" Mr. F. if he pleases, for all he 
has to say upon ihe subject of Draining - ; but would 
suggest to him the advantage of using his full name 
instead of hie initials. 



C 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



99 



has been in corn the previous year, plough it up 
well — haul out all the manure that can be spared 
— let it be scattered on this land, and, afier oats 
has been sown, harrow it over with a large har- 
row, then sow clover and run a heavy roller over 
it, and when the clover and oats are above the 
ground, sow a bushel of plaster to the acre, and 
you have, in my judgment, the best way manure 
can be used, both as it regards saving it from 
waste and improving land. The harrow incor- 
porates it with the earth sufficiently to prevent 
the ammonia from escaping, while every clod is 
pulverized by the roller, and manure and earth 
together brought directly in contact with the 
seed sown. J. F. 



SOUTHERN MANUFACTURES. 

We see that the Charleston Transcript is en- 
gaged in a very able demonstration of the ca- 
pability of the South to manufacture her own 
products. We have been long satisfied of the 
fact, and it would be just as reasonable for Vir- 
ginia to send her wheat and tobacco to be ma- 
nufactured in New England, or in Europ2, as 
it is in South Carolina to transport her cotton 
thousands of miles, to have it returned to her in 
manufactured goods. The perfect command of 
her laboring population, the subordination and 
system to which they may be subjected, the 
very low price at which their labor is obtained, 
being nothing more than the mere price of the 
plainest food and clothing, all combine to enable 
the South to compete with any portion of the 
globe, especially in the manufacture of her own 
products. 

Whence originates the idea that the North 
can manufacture cheaper than the South ? We 
answer, from the fact, that the price of northern 
white labor has been compared with the price of 
southern white labor. Habits of southern luxury 
infect even the mechanics within their influence, 
and render them unable to compete with their 
more economical brethren of the North. Con- 
sequently, in all of those articles, in which the 
cost of transportation is not too great, the}' have 
been driven from the market by northern impor- 
tations. Where there is any thing like equality 
in natural advantages, the southern artificer can 
never compete with the northern workman, until 
he learns to reduce his expenses to the same 
standard. This he will not do, whilst nature 
invites him to a more generous living in the cul- 
tivation of the earth. 

Here, we see, that the North manufactures 
cheaper, simply because she is less blessed by 



nature ; because her people are poorer, and be- 
cause the low prices, which the operative re- 
ceivesafter all theexpensesof getting his products 
to a southern market are paid, are still more 
than he can make at another calling, although 
infinitely less than would satisfy the farmer of 
the South. But we have another great class of 
operatives in our negro population, that are ac- 
customed to no such expensive habits ; whose 
labor is obtained for their victuals and clothes, 
the very lowest price at which it can be afforded 
any where. This labor, we maintain, can be 
made to compete successfully with any other 
upon the face of the earth. The only question 
is, how can it be most advantageously employed, 
and the answer heretofore has been, in the cul- 
tivation of the earth. But now that an over- 
production has reduced the prices of cur great 
southern staples, of cotton, wheal and tobacco, 
we believe it may be most advantageously di- 
verted to manufactures. If thus, ihe increase 
of our population drives a portion of our people 
to encroach upon what has been heretofore the 
peculiar business of our northern allies, and they 
are injured by it, we most heartily sympathise 
with their afflictions, and wish to God we could 
continue to follow one branch of the business, 
leaving the other to them. But charity begins 
at home, and we believe that the only means of 
employing a large portion of southern labor ad- 
vantageously, hereafter, will be to appropriate it 
to manufactures. 

But we will be told that manufactures have 
been tried at the South, and have universally 
failed. Manufactures have been established, 
generally, at the South by joint stock companies, 
and such, we believe, will fail wherever they are 
tried, either at the South or the North. The 
old proverb is, " if you want your business done, 
get some body to do it for } t ou, if you want it 
well done, do it yourself." Joint stock compa- 
nies always "get somebody to do it for them," 
and they, if not the business, are in the end 
pretty sure to get done. Another great mistake, 
we think, that is generally made in the estab- 
lishment of southern manufactories, is in the 
inordinate and unnecessary erection of expen- 
sive buildings, extra finish about machinery, a 
great deal of which is intended more for orna- 
ment than use. We have sometimes been sur- 
prised in visiting a northern manufactory, the 
reputation of which had created the imagina- 
tion of a splendid and extensive establishment, 
to find the whole works probably under a wooden 



100 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



cover, presenting an unpleasing contrast with 
some of the expensive factories we had left be- 
hind us. But when we got inside, we found 
cheerful, active, regularly paid workmen, instead 
of neglected machinery and abandoned imple- 
ments, and this, because the capital of the pro- 
prietors was engaged in conducting their busi- 
ness, instead of being locked up in brick walls, I 
with elegant fronts, and finely ornamented win- ' 
dows. 



If instead of forming a joint stock company, 
any three men will unite their capital, one of 
them, at least, thoroughly understanding the 
mechanical part of the business they propose to 
conduct, purchase a parcel of sprightly negro 
boys, and take care to keep enough of their 
capital in money, to conduct the business, we 
believe they may engage in almost any branch 
of manufactures, with the certainty of success, 



For the Southern Planter. 

SIDE WIPER. 




C. T. Botts, Esc,. 

Deai- Sir, — Some of your readers desire a 
plan throughout, for making a crop of corn ; as 
I have usually had good success on good land, 
with good seasons you shall have my mode. 
The preparation for, and mode of working the 
corn crop, differ frequently on adjoining farms; 
in some instances from want of skill, or indus- 
try, but in many, from a marked difference in 
soil ; stiff clay land should be broken in the fall ; 
all other soils with which I am acquainted in 
this section of the State, will yield by far a better 
return for the labor spent from spring ploughing ; 
first you save (after planting) near half the 
work; secondly, your land is not so liable to 
wash, and will be in a better state for a wheat 
crop. Col. Isbel has written a very sensible ar- 
ticle for your paper on this subject; he and I 
agree as to the time of breaking most soils, but 
we differ widely as to the manner of planting, 
and working the crop. 



My plan is to plough with a three-horse plough 
and cutter ; turn the sod or soil perfectly ; har- 
row until the land is in nice order ; sometimes 
on turf I use a heavy roller to expedite the pre- 
paration — lay off with a three-horse plough, on 
high land, 5 feet — drop the corn from l£ to 2 
and 2£ feet, according to the strength of soil- 
cover with the coulter where it will answer, and 
follow with the hoe, chopping, and putting in 
nice order. Where the coulter will not answer, 
we cover with the hoe. When the corn is about 
four inches above ground, we run a two-horse 
harrow plump over it — follow with hoes and 
thin to two stalks in each hill; then, after a 
time, (the length of which depends on circum- 
stances) the sooner the better, we run what is 
called a side wiper, the best tool for corn I have 
seen, (used no where that I have heard of 
but in Albemarle.) It is made with a beam 4 
feet 8 inches in length, morticed into one 2 feet 
6 inches, at an angle of about 45 degrees ; the 






i 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



101 



handles are fixed as to a shovel or coulter, one 
tooth rather larger than the common cultivator 
fastened at top with a screw, is placed near each 
end, and one passes through both the beam and 
end piece. Follow with the hoes, and thin to 
one stalk per hill, chopping nicely ; after a time 
we run the side wiper again, three times in each 
row, which leaves the land level, the three-horse 
furrow having by the various workings neen 
levelled also. After harvest, if convenient, we 
walk over, hoe in hand, and chop out the large 
weeds, briers or bushes, which may have sprung 
up. The last of August and first of September, 
we cut and haul our corn to a lot near the barn, 
stack half a barrel at first, afterwards more — 
start two-horse ploughs to fallow the land for 
wheat. What corn we are unable to haul so 
far, is stacked round the fences, and in roads left 
for oats, twenty feet wide. We frequently haul 
home more than two-thirds the crop. Thus, 
when we begin sowing wheat, our fallow and 
corn land are all ready to sow down and harrow 
in. The amount of food thus saved, and its 
quality would amaze you, and many of your 
low land subscribers ; when you visit Albemarle 
you shall see it. 

Mr. Dicken's plan is good for flat, slash, or 
wet land, but the listing is needless with us ; I 
have not a neighbor who does it. We begin 
usually in March to plough for corn — prepare 
and plant one-third or half, 15th of April, as 
nearly as may be — last April, one-third, or near 
it — and about the 10th May, the balance; thus 
we are rarely hard pressed in working corn. 
We make large crops of tobacco, and used to 
make good wheat crops, but have failed for 
years ; the making corn is looked on by some 
of us as a light job, but in soils which run to- 
gether, hold w T ater, and have but little strength 
it is a serious business. 

Every section of country has its peculiar mode 
of farming and planting ; could you find the 
best manager in each county, and prevail on 
them one and all to give you his plan for making 
one crop, or all crops, you would have just so 
many different schemes!! Com maybe cut 
and shocked without injury earlier than the fod- 
der will be ripe, if put up well with an oak split, 
or grape vine near the top to prevent its falling. 
Over the Ridge, many graziers prefer this food 
to hay. After the harrow is run over the corn, 
is the best time for plastering. 

COLLONUS. 

Leigh, March 6, 1842. 

At the head of this article will be found an 
engraving of the implement which our corres- 
pondent calls a " Side Wiper," and of which he 
sent us a drawing. 



in common life things which are considered va- 
lueless are compared to a dog, yet the fidelity 
and affection of that valuable domestic animal 
have always made him an object of gratitude 
and care with man. If we should disregard his 
comforts, or neglect to alleviate his maladies, we 
should be wanting in those noble qualities in 
which he has set us the example. 

Some years ago, when residing in the upper 
country, I had a very beautiful and favorite 
pointer. He became mangy over his whole 
body, and very much reduced, so that I expected 
to lose him. I had a friend residing in the 
neighborhood who owned a tan-yard. He was 
kind enough to take my dog for a week or ten 
days, and dip him in the tan-vat several times 
each day. He was then rubbed well with a 
mixture of tanner's oil and tar, and sent home. 
In the course of a short time the scales began 
to peel off, and new hair to grow out. He soon 
became the sleekest and prettiest animal I ever 
saw, and was never again affected with the dis- 
ease, or even visited by vermin for a year or 
two. I often thought, by his playful antics that 
he was conscious of his obligations, and wished 
to express with kindness a gratitude which he 
felt ; but the obligations were transferred to me, 
for he lived to afford me many an hour of sport 
and many a nice dish of game. 

The disease is evidently infectious, and those 
that are subjects of it should not be permitted to 
consort with those that are not. 

I hope the brief remarks above, may lead to 
the relief of many a valuable animal for the 
mutual protection and enjoyment of himself and 
owner. W. J. Dupuy. 

P. S. — In the case above related, I first re- 
sorted to the usual remedies, such as sulphur, 
&c. without effect. — Farmers 1 Register. 



In the last " Southern Planter," a writer gives 
us a remedy for the mange in dogs. Although 



PIGGERY. 

In the Western Farmer we find a description 
of Mr. H. S. Kellogg's piggery, which is very 
much lauded by the Editor. 

Like many others, it has stalls with a division 
for straw for bedding, and a passage in the rear. 
Its great peculiarity is a swinging board, hang- 
ing perpendicularly over the centre of the trough. 
This may be bolted to either side of the trough, 
at pleasure, throwing the trough in the passage, 
or in the stall, as it is fastened to the front, or 
the back. This is a simple, ingenious, and use- 
ful arrangement. The hanging board being 
fastened to the front of the trough, the feeder in 
the passage may fill the troughs without moles- 
tation or hindrance from the impatient grunters. 
When this is done, he brings the board towards 



102 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



him, and fastens it on the side next the passage, 
which, like the magic uncovering at the " Ex- 
change Hotel," brings the repast within the 
reach of the hungry expectants. 



BENEFITS OF DEEP PLOUGHING. 

A gentleman some days since, while convers- 
ing with us upon the subject of agriculture, re- 
lated the following instance in favor of deep 
ploughing. He said that his father, some twen- 
ty-five years ago, bought a farm which had been 
nearly worn out ; that the surface soil was al- 
most a bed of floating sand with a clay subsoil ; 
that after cultivating it in the usual way, of 
shallow ploughing, for two or three years, he 
became vexed at the smallness of product, and 
determined to try the virtue of deep ploughing: 
that to effect this, he procured two double-horse 
ploughs, and made one plough follow in the 
track of the other, so that he penetrated the 
earth fully twelve inches, and threw up half 
that number of inches in depth, of the subsoil 
upon the top of the sand thrown down by the 
operation of the plough. This experiment was 
first tried upon a field of twenty acres, late in 
the fall, intended for corn the ensuing spring. 
The ground after being thus ploughed was har- 
rowed and suffered to remain until sufficiently 
frozen to bear teams, when fifty bushels of lime 
to the acre was spread thereon. In the spring, 
the usual quantity of barn-yard manure was 
carted out, spread and ploughed in to the depth 
of four inches; after which the ground was 
harrowed, and an additional quantity of lime, 
at the rate of fifty bushels to the acre, was spread 
thereon, and harrowed in. 

Our informant assured us, that while this 
operation of deep ploughing was going on, his 
father's neighbors admonished him of the danger 
of poisoning his land ; but that when the corn 
crop came to be gathered, they changed their 
tunes, as instead of getting, as formerly, three 
or four barrels to the acre, there were housed 
143 barrels of good corn and upwards of seven 
barrels of nubbins, and that the fourth year 
thereafter, after the field had been in wheat and 
clover, it brought rising of ten barrels of good 
corn to the acre, besides six of refuse corn. 

As the above facts will speak for themselves, 
we shall omit all comment. 

The above is extracted from the American 
Farmer, and is only another added to the thou- 
sand testimonials of the advantages of a deep 
soil. Every large growth, corn especially, re- 
quires it. It affords the surest protection against 
a drought, because the deeper strata, into which 
the roots will penetrate, are preserved free from 
the parching influence to which the shallower 



ones are exposed. The roots of some vegeta- 
bles are known to penetrate several feet, and 
wherever the roots of a plant are inclined to go, 
there, if possible, it should find its food. Still 
the cost must be remembered. Deep ploughing 
is in itself more expensive than shallow, and 
the subsoil turned up can only be converted into 
a good soil, sometimes, at very heavy expense. 
We must remember, too, that the new theory is, 
that much the largest portion of the food of 
plants is obtained from the atmosphere, through 
their leaves. 

If this be true, and the great Liebig says it 
is, it may be questioned whether, under certain 
circumstances, the expense of deepening the 
soil for the roots, might not be better bestowed 
in originating gaseous products for the leaves. 

We only desire to awaken attention to the 
whole matter, so that the operator may duly 
consider, and expend his means to the greatest 
advantage. 



POWDERED MILK. 

Kirchoff, a Russian chemist, who discovered 
the process of converting starch into sugar, has 
recently made, it is said, several experiments on 
milk, by which it appears that fluid may be pre- 
served for use for an indefinite time. Fresh milk 
is slowly evaporated by a very gentle heat, till 
it is reduced to dry powder, which is to be kept 
perfectly dry in a bottle, well stopped, for use. 
When required, it need only be diluted with a 
sufficient quaniity of water, the mixture will 
then have all the taste and properties of new 
milk. 



For the Southern Planter. 

MAKING, PRESERVING AND APPLYING 
MANURE. 

1. Making. The making manure is like the 
making of other things ; every one has his own 
way, and thinks it best. A great deal may be 
made by using the proper means, collecting every 
thing that would otherwise be lost, and deposit- 
ing it in a particular place. For instance, have 
a pen made near the kitchen — put into it from 
time to time all the ashes, trash, weeds growing 
on places where they are in the way. In this 
way I have seen a considerable quantity of ma- 
nure made. Then to the stable, farm-pen, and 
hog-pen, all which should be kept well littered 
with straw, leaves, or other coarse material that 
you may have. My own opinion is that more 
leaves may be put into a farm-pen than is ad- 
visable. I would keep all these places well lit- 
tered, and if more leaves were collected than 
was required for that purpose — pile them up in 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



103 



the woods, apply lime or plasier, and in the 
spring spread and plough them in. By that 
means, one hauling is saved, and 1 think, equal 
benefit secured. 

In cleaning out slables, cattle-sheds, and hog- 
sties, I would spread the manure over the farm- 
yard — by which means the whole is more ra- 
pidly decomposed, and is of equal strength, be- 
sides that it prevents what is called fire fang in 
the horse manure. By so arranging the farm- 
pen that no water can get into it but what falls 
from the clouds, and none can pass out — all the 
liquid portion of the manure is absorbed by the 
litter and the whole mass made rich. 

In my travels, last year, I observed at a gen- 
tleman's house a plan that pleased me much. 
A pit was dug near to his stable, and when that 
required cleaning out, the manure was thrown 
into the pit with alternate layers of sand until 
filled, a covering of sand being the last, and a 
small trench connecting the pit with several 
smaller ones filled with litter, to absorb the liquid 
which escaped from the larger pit, by which 
means all was saved. 

2. Preserving. The great secret of preserv- 
ing is to prevent the escape of the liquid portion 
of manure. It will not do to rely upon its being 
absorbed by litter — if it can pass off, it will go. 

Under the first head, " making," I have in- 
cluded necessarily the other means of preserving. 
After it is made, if it cannot be immediately 
applied, put it into a situation to prevent its 
heating, and cover it to prevent evaporation. 

3. Applying. Manure is like money ; any 
body can make it, but few take care of it, and 
apply it properly. I consider the last of most 
importance. 

In the application of manure we all have 
some leading object in view ; one to make a large 
crop of corn, another a large crop of tobacco, 
and another a large crop of something else. It 
should be so applied, that whilst it secures us 
good crops, it also secures the permanent im- 
provement of our lands. This cannot be effected 
by those who have to rely upon their own re- 
sources, without giving back to the land in some 
form, a portion of its product. As the most ef- 
fective means of rapid and extensive improve- 
ment, I would so apply manure as to produce 
good crops of clover, using for that purpose the 
finest, and applying the coarse manure to the 
corn crop. When a good crop of clover is once 
secured, I should rely upon that for keeping up 
the improvement on the land which produced it. 
Corn is an exhausting crop — I have known one 
crop of it to consume the fruits of six years' 
improvement. But as we cannot do without it, 
the cultivator should be careful not to tax his 
land, either by too much crowding or by a care- 
less or injudicious mode of culture. Land may 
be kept in a state of improvement, and even be 



benefitted by a corn crop once in four or five 
years, if not grazed, or badly cultivated. 

To return to manure. My opinion is that 
land, like the stomach, may be over-loaded with 
food — and as it is best to err on the safe side, I 
prefer to appty my manure in " broken doses," 
so that none shall be wasted. I have known 
persons to fail in making a good crop by apply- 
ing too much manure — and with the loss of half 
that, and half the crop, few persons can afford 
to improve under such circumstances. It is, I 
think, bad policy to use any thing for the pur- 
pose of increasing the quantity of manure, that 
can of itself be applied as a top-dressing or 
otherwise — which takes off the produce of the 
land to add to the stock of manure. I contend 
that it is best to let it return to the land which 
produced it, by the natural course of decay. 

As already stated, manure should not be ap- 
plied in larger quantities than may be necessary 
to secure a good crop, and leave the land im- 
proved — otherwise if the season be a pushing 
one, the extra crop will take too much from the 
land — if it be a dry one, there will be a loss of 
crop and manure. It is, therefore, my opinion 
that it is best to apply so much manure only as 
may be necessary to secure a good crop and 
leave the land in a condition to produce a good 
crop of clover, by the aid of which the improve- 
ment may be continued and perpetuated. This 
appears to me to be the cheapest, and the surest, 
as it is the only way of effecting a general sys- 
tem of improvement, where the farmer has to 
rely upon the resources of the farm alone. I 
have tried it and my own experience has satisfied 
me that by these means a rapid and effective 
system of improvement can be kept up. 

William Miller. 



BREEDING. 

The duration of life in the swine, is said by 
naturalists, to extend to twenty or thirty years, 
who report that the boar continues to grow to 
the end of the term. Swine are ready for pro- 
creation at the age of seven months, but the 
male is unprofitable for that purpose until twelve 
months old, and is in his prime at two years. 
In other respects, the age of swine is maiter of 
small concern, since they are never kept until 
they are old; and it is the custom with many 
breeders to slaughter even their most prolific 
sows in the second year. The } 7 oung sows to 
be preserved for breeding, should be chosen with 
deep and capacious bellies, the full number of 
teats, and of the most extensive or widest general 
form. The term of gestation in swine is four 
months, or one hundred and fifteen days, with a 
very few days variation, producing thiee litters 
of from five to twelve pigs each, in about eigh- 
teen months, supposing the pigs to be weaned ; 
but in two or three months less time, the pigs 



104 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



being suckled for roasters. I have, however, 
found, and more especially in the large breeds, 
that a litter of a moderate number is most pro- 
fitable, since in the most numerous litters there 
are generally several undersized and weak indi- 
viduals. 

Thus a litter of nine or ten good pigs may 
bring more profit than a litter of thirteen or four- 
teen. — Western Farmer. 



POTATOES. 
Mr. Daniel I. Curl is, in a letter to the Editors 
of the Cultivator, expresses the opinion that too 
much seed is generally used in planting Irish 
potatoes. The consequence is a great many 
small potatoes, instead of a lesser number and 
greater weight of good ones. This opinion, 
long entertained, has been, he says, confirmed 
by experiments made during the last season, 
which he presents in the following tabular form : 

"No. 1 — All large potatoes, had in number, 
368, weight 40 1-4 lbs. 

" No. 2 — Six eyes in hill, cut from large po- 
tatoes, 292, weight 39 1-4 lbs. 

" No. 3 — Four eyes in hill, cut from large po- 
tatoes, 220, weight 44 3-4 lbs. 

" No. 4 — Two eyes in hill, cut from large po- 
tatoes, 230, weight 45 lbs. 

"No. 5 — All small whole potatoes, 260, weight 
45 1-4 lbs. 

" No. 6 — Six eyes, cut from small potatoes, 
262, weight 41 1-4 lbs. 

" No. 7 — Four eyes, cut from small potatoes, 
270, weight 49 1-4 lbs." 

The season he says was a very dry one, but 
thinks that would not affect the relative results. 
The rows were all subjected to exactly the same 
treatment, there being no difference, except in 
the seed, which were all of the same variety. 
We infer, although it is not expressly stated, 
that the kind known as Pink Eye was the one 
used on this occasion. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE QUALITY OF THE 
SALT USED IN MAKING BUTTER. 

At a late agricultural meeting in Augusta, 
Maine, Dr. Bates stated that the Quakers in 
Fairfield were in the habit of buying the best 
description of coarse salt and cleansing it, and 
having it ground, and this salt they used in the 
manufacture of butter. The consequence was, 
the butter made by the Gluakers of Fairfield, 
had a better reputation and bore a higher price 
than the butter made in other towns. He held 
them up as worthy of imitation. He stated 
that the loss of the butter manufactured in this 



State was greater in amount every year than 
the sum raised for the State tax — more than 
two hundred thousand dollars. He believed that, 
if this fact was generally understood, if the peo- 
ple could be made aware of the loss incurred by 
bad manufacture, we should at once see an im- 
provement in this article of which so much is 
produced and which enters into our daily con- 
sumption. — Maine Farmer. 



CHOKED CATTLE. 

Mr. Josiah D. Smith, of the county of Hen- 
rico, desires us to say to his brother farmers, that 
after an ineffectual resort to the usual remedies, 
he relieved a choked ox, a few days since, by 
holding up his head, and pouring into his mouth 
a strong solution of soap in water. The relief 
was instantaneous, the turnip with which he 
was choked passing down immediately into the 
stomach. 

Mr. " Whalen," in the Cultivator, says, that 
for animals that have good teeth, there is no oc- 
casion for slicing Ruta Baga, that sheep eat 
them decidedly belter when fed whole, and cat- 
tle never choke on them. 



From the Farmers' Gazette. 
LUCERNE. 

JVLr. Editor , — I presume you have not forgot- 
ten my promise of the last year, to advise you 
of the result of my experiment on lucerne. I 
do this the more readily as I am informed se- 
veral neighboring planters intend making the 
like experiment. You will recollect that my 
communication stated, that I sowed on the 25ih 
of April, and that I thought it a month too late, 
at least. Of this I am now convinced, though 
my experiment is far from being full, it has been 
entirely satisfactory in one particular, that is, we 
can cultivate to profit. 

I will first state the errors I committed, for the 
purpose of enabling others to avoid similar ones. 
My rows were twenty-two inches apart, they 
should not have been more than fifteen at the 
utmost, perhaps twelve, would be better. The 
land that I sowed upon was not dry enough, 
though it was pine land, it should be a very dry 
soil, one that quickly absorbs water. It should 
be trenched (as recommended by Arthur Young) 
to at least the depth of twelve inches, and filled 
with the best undecomposed manure for two- 
thirds of the distance from the bottom, the seeds 
should be sown thick, the most regular and ex- 
peditious way is, to put them in a bottle with a 
quill through its cork. These are some of the 
errors that I committed — having the rows too 
wide apart ; not having a sufficiently rich and 
dry soil ; and sowing the seeds too thin. It is 






THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



105 



a waste of time and money to attempt cultivating 
lucerne without a very rich and dry soil, kept 
entirely clean of every thing that might obstruct 
its growth, though when once firmly rooted it 
would be difficult to eradicate it, yet in its ear- 
liest stages it is a very delicate plant. I pulled 
up about the 1st of January a sprig that had 
a root more than twelve inches in length, the 
lateral roots were very short, and few, and hence 
my concl ision that it will admit of being planted 
very close, and should be made very rich to a 
considerable depth. 

In looking over some old papers sometime 
since, I found a very small pamphlet, entitled 
"A Treatise on the Culture of Lucerne in and 
about Richmond, Va., by Jacqueline Ambler, 
Esq." which is at your disposal, to make any 
extracts from that you may think interesting to 
your readers. 

Yours, A Planter. 



HIGH CULTIVATION MOST PROFITABLE. 

The following is an extract from a letter of 
E. Phinney, Esq. published in the transactions 
of the Essex Agricultural Society. Thousands 
of acres in this country are in annual cultiva- 
tion, the fertility of which has been so exhausted, 
that the product will not pay for the first plough- 
ing. To continue to work without improving 
them, is the height of folly. By reducing the 
quantity, and concentrating the manure, the 
same yield might be obtained with half the 
force, and a good profit made, where labor is 
now thrown away. But how far is this system 
to be carried 1 How much money should a 
farmer lay out upon one acre before he begins 
to improve another 1 This will of course de- 
pend upon situation and circumstances. In the 
neighborhood of a city, where land is high, and 
a ready market afforded for vegetables, many of 
which can be crowded into a small space, it 
may be advisable to spend a hundred dollars 
upon the improvement of an acre. But to a 
farmer in the interior, whose land costs him eight 
or ten dollars an acre, we should say, divide it 
between two or three. It is more likely that 
thirty barrels of corn will be obtained from three 
acres, than twenty from one. The difference 
will more than pay for the extra work. 

An ounce of fact is worth a pound of theory, 
and notwithstanding all we have seen and read 
of "extraordinary yields," we have observed, 
that your steady, prosperous farmer, was gener- 
ally your six or eight barrel man. When you 
hear of one who has made " at the rate" of fif- 
Vol. 2—14 



teen or twenty barrels to the acre, it is generally 
done upon the tenth of an acre; if effected 
upon a larger scale, and the cost is counted, the 
experimenter is ready to exclaim with Pyrrhus, 
"one such achievement more, and I am undone." 
We of course refer to those products obtained 
by imparting artificial fertility to worn-out land. 
There is certainly a stopping point of expen- 
diture per acre, and we believe, in a greater part 
even of our poor land, that it is a long way this 
side of a hundred dollars. Nevertheless, we 
shall be glad if Mr. Phinney's observations shall 
have the effect of stimulating our farmers to the 
true point ; there is no great danger, yet awhile, 
of their going beyond it. 

The question is often asked, How can farm- 
ing be made profitable? I answer, by liberal 
manuring, deep and thorough ploughing, and 
clean culture. I will venture to affirm, without 
fear of contradiction, that no instance can be 
cited, where a farmer who has manured his 
grounds highly, made a judicious use of the 
plough, and cultivated with care, has failed to 
receive an ample remuneration for the amount 
invested — nay more, that has not received a 
greater advance upon his outlay than the aver- 
age profit derived from any other business. One 
great difficulty is, that most farmers seem not to 
be aware of the fact, that the greater the outlay, 
to a reasonable extent, when skilfully applied, 
the greater will be the profit ; they, therefore, 
manure sparingly, plough shallow, and the con- 
sequence is, get poorly paid for their labor. This 
has raised a piejudice and given a disrelish to 
the business of farming, especially among those 
who are in the habit and are desirous of realiz- 
ing something more from their occupation than 
a naked return of the amount expended. 

The farmer who is so sparing of his manure 
that he can get but thirty bushels of corn from 
an acre, gets barely enough to pay him for the 
expense of cultivation ; and in addition to this, 
by the ordinary method of ploughing, his field, 
at each successive rotation, is deteriorating, his 
crops becoming less, and in a few years he finds 
he must abandon his exhausted and worn-out 
fields, to seek a subsistence for himself and fa- 
mily in some other business, or in some other 
region, where the hand of man has been less 
wasteful of the bounties of nature. 

Instead then of his scanty manuring of ten 
cart-loads to the acre, which will give him but 
thirty bushels of corn, let him apply thirty loads. 
This additional twenty loads, at the usual price 
of manure in this part of the country, will cost 
him thirty dollars. But he now, instead of thirty 
bushels of corn, gets sixty bushels, and the in- 
creased quantity of stover will more than pay 
for the excess of labor required in cultivating 



106 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



and harvesting the large crop over that of the 
small one. He has then added thirty bushels 
of corn to his crop by means of twenty loads of 
manure, which at the usual price of one dollar 
per bushel, pays him in the first crop for his ex- 
tra outlay. His acre of land is laid to grass 
after taking off the corn, and the effect of his 
twenty loads of additional manuring, will be to 
give him, at the lowest, estimate, three additional 
tons of hay in the three first years of mowing 
it, worth fifteen dollors a ton standing in the field. 
Now look at the result. His thirty dollars ex- 
pended for extra manuring was paid for in the 
first year's crop, and at the end of three years 
more he will have received forty-five dollars profit 
on his outlay of thirty dollars : and in addition 
to this, his land is improved, and in much better 
condition for a second rotation. There is no de- 
lusion in this. It is a practical result, of the 
reality of which any farmer may satisfy himself, 
who will take the trouble to try the experiment. 
From no item of outlays can the farmer de- 
rive so ample and so certain a profit, as from his 
expenditures for manure to a certain extent. 
This has been most strikingly verified by some 
of our West Cambridge farmers. It is not un- 
common among some of the farmers in that 
town, to put on their grounds one hundred dol- 
lars' worth of manure to the acre, and in more 
instances than one, the gross sales of produce 
from ten acres under the plough, have amounted 
to five thousand dollars in one season. This is 
the result of high manuring and judicious cul- 
tivation of a soil too which is exceedingly poor 
and sandy. 



BUTTER. 

We have frequently urged the necessity of 
keeping milk or cream at a moderate tempera- 
ture for churning. By artificial means, it must 
be kept cool in summer, and warm in winter. 
The following is an extract from a letter of Mr. 
C. N. Bement to the " Northern Light," upon 
the Management of Winter Butter : 

"The process of extracting cream from milk, 
adopted in the county of Devonshire, England, 
by which a superior richness is produced in the 
cream had long been known by the name of 
'clotted' or 'clouded cream.' They use a four- 
sided vessel formed of zinc plates twelve inches 
long, eight inches wide, and six inches deep, 
with a false bottom one half the depth. The 
only communication to the lower part is by a 
lip, through which it may he filled or emptied. 
A plate of perforated zinc, is placed in the bot- 
tom, which is equal in size to that of the false 
bottom, with ringed handles, by which means 
the whole of the cream can be lifted off in a 
sheet without remixing with the milk. The 
milk, fresh drawn from the cow, is strained into | 



the pan, and remains at rest for twelve hours, 
when an equal quantity of boiling water is 
poured into the lower compartment, through the 
lip ; it is then permitted to stand twelve hours 
more, when the cream will be found perfect, and 
of such consistence that it may be lifted off 
with the finger and thumb. In a trial of twelve 
successive experiments with the above appara- 
tus, the following results were obtained : from 
four gallons of milk treated as above, produced 
in twenty-four hours, four and a half pints of 
cream, which after churning only fifteen minutes, 
gave forty ounces butter. The same quantity 
of milk treated in the common mode, in earthem 
ware pans, and standing forty-eight hours, pro- 
duced four pints of cream, which after churning 
ninety minutes gave thirty-six ounces butter. 
The increase of cream was twelve and a half 
per cent, and of butter eleven per cent. 

From the above suggestions, I caused a pan 
to be made six inches deep, to receive one of 
one-half the depth, which was set into the other, 
resting on the edge of the lower one, and care- 
fully soldered together ; near the top of the outer 
pan, a tube one inch in diameter was inserted, 
to admit the hot water, and on the opposite side 
a small hole was made to let the air escape when 
pouring in the water. With this double pan I 
tried several experiments, and the results, though 
varied, were very satisfactory. 

In one instance, eleven pounds milk, fresh 
drawn from the cow, and after standing twelve 
hours boiling water was introduced into the 
lower pan, and stood thirty-six hours more, when 
it was skimmed and twelve hours after the 
cream was converted into butter, with a spoon 
and bowl, in seven minutes, and produced five 
ounces. 

In another trial, eleven and a half pounds of 
milk, subject to the same process, except it stood 
only twelve hours after the hot water was put 
in ; skimmed and churned immediately, which 
took only one minute to convert into butter — pro- 
duce seven ounces. 

In the next case eleven pounds of milk was 
conducted in the same manner as before, except 
standing twenty-four hours after the hot water 
was put in ; skimmed and churned in eleven 
minutes, and produced six ounces of butter. 

Several other trials were made, with a view 
of ascertaining the best time to let it stand after 
the introduction of the hot water and the result 
was that in some cases it took four, seven, ten 
and a half, eleven and fourteen minutes to churn, 
and the quantity varied from eight to twelve 
ounces, and in no instance did the quantity of 
milk exceed twelve and a half pounds, which 
was the most successful as to quantity, giving 
one ounce of butter for every pound of milk, 
which rates at one pound of butter from six 
quarts of milk, which is equal to the celebrated 
'Haskin's cow,' the reputed mother of Colonel 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



107 



Jaque's ' Cream Pot' breed as noticed in Mr. 
Coltnan's Fourth Report. The milk with which 
the above experiments were made, was taken 
from a two year old heifer, a cross of the Dur- 
ham and Ayrshire, seventeen days after calving-, 
and a heifer's milk is never considered as rich as 
when more advanced in years. 

Allowing that we get, as we did in the last 
trial, one ounce of butter for every pound of 
milk, which will average twenty-three pounds 
daily, would be over ten pounds of butter per 
week. 

From the foregoing experiments I have ar- 
rived at the following conclusions: that the most 
profitable method is to let the milk stand twelve 
hours — then add the boiling water, then stand 
twelve hours more, then skim, and churn the 
cream from the evening and morning's milk at 
the same time. 

An improvement may be made in having the 
pans separate, but fitted tight where they come 
together, by which means they can be much 
easier cleaned and dried ; as in the above method 
it would be more difficult to dry them when to- 
gether. 

I am inclined to think too, that the same pans 
may be made useful in the summer when the 
weather is very hot, and the quantity and qua- 
lity of the cream much increased by filling the 
under pan with cold well or spring water, pre- 
vious to putting in the milk." 

The Editor adds, that Mr. Bement had sent 
him a sample of butter, made in thirty seconds, 
equal in quality to any he ever saw. 



ASHES. 



In answer to our correspondent's inquiry as 
to the operation of ashes on grass or on hoed 
crops, we would state they operate well on all 
dry and light soils, but they always have much 
more effect when the soil is full of vegetable 
matter which we wish to decompose than when 
it is destitute of it. Hence a handful of ashes — 
a gill — on a hill of corn, in green sward land, 
has four times as much effect as on land desti- 
tute of such matter. 

Leached ashes, in large quantity, improve the 
texture of light soils, render them more cohesive 
and more capable of retaining moisture. For 
this reason they should never be applied to heavy 
soils — the low, clayey grounds. At five or six 
cents per bushel they will prove as cheap as 
manure at one dollar for a load, (thirty bushels); 
they operate for a longer term. 

On grass lands we think dry ashes not suita- 
ble, alone, for a top dressing — there is nothing 
on which they can operate to advantage — but 
thej' may be mixed advantageously with any 
kind of vegetable matter. If mixed in large 
quantities with stable manures they may cause 



a more rapid decomposition than is desirable — 
but with peat muck they operate admirably. 
On corn lands one gill of ashes is enough for 
one hill, and this gill should be dropped on the 
surface as soon as the corn is planted — it then 
operates quicker and keeps away the worms. 
Massachusetts Ploughman. 



From the Northern Light. 
THE WOODLAND. 



BY W. BACON. 



In a climate like ours, where wintry winds 
hold such unlimited control over the seasons; 
where, in the intensity of cold, the mercury 
sleeps so many nights below zero ; in a country 
like ours, where cities are springing up on every 
hand, and populous villages, dresssd in the fresh- 
ness of yesterday, greet the eye at almost every 
corner; in our own country, where enterprise, 
smiling at the mockery of restraint, throws its 
curling smoke from every mountain and valley, 
rill and secluded dell; in such a country and in 
such an age, where every thing moves by steam, 
economy in fuel, and the protection of woodlands 
is a subject of universal interest, and may well 
call forth the attention of the philanthropist and 
the economist in its behalf. 

In remarking upon this subject, w r e shall pre- 
sent the results of our own observation, and if 
they are wrong, we hope someone more skilled 
in these matters will have the goodness to cor- 
rect them. 

First, then, too much indifference towards 
woodlands is manifested by the general practice 
of allowing them to lie in common with high- 
ways or pasture lands, where cattle without re- 
straint range over them, destroying all young 
shoots which are starting up to supply a new 
generation of trees, when the present crop shall 
have been removed. If this practice were uni- 
versal, fifty years hence, and we believe a much 
less period, would find our country as destitute 
of trees as the deserts of Africa. Where then 
would the supply for fuel and for building be 
found? Our coal mines might, in some mea- 
sure, remedy the evil ; but it would be in a very 
slight degree. The quarry might furnish mate- 
rials for fences and for buildings ; but there are 
innumerable purposes to which even the trea- 
sures of the quarry cannot apply. There is, in 
fact, no substitute for wood, no getting along 
without it, unless an individual would go through 
the world by a mere get along impulse. How, 
then, can the present course of wastefulness, 
which so generally exists, be tolerated, even by 
owners of lands kept in this sad predicament of 
commonalty ? Surely, it cannot be because the 
profits will not pay the expense of fencing, for 
no lands yield a greater profit in proportion to 
expenditure than forest lands. The present 
prices of fuel and timber warrant this assertion. 



108 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



The second consideration we offer in regard 
to economy in timber land, is the time of felling. 
Here public opinion is at variance. So far as 
durability in the timber taken off is concerned, 
some suppose that winter is the best season, as 
in common phrase, the sap is down ; others pre- 
fer midsummer. As regards the two seasons 
for the operation, we do not imagine that any 
material difference can exist where favorable 
circumstances are brought to bear upon the ob- 
ject. There must be a circulation of sap in 
winter, else how can the buds retain their vitali- 
ty ? Indeed, we know there is, unless it is im- 
peded by frost, for we see it exude from the 
fallen tree. And in evergreens, which are cut 
down in December, the leaves usually dry and 
fall from the branches before spring. That sap 
flows more freely in spring and autumn we do 
not doubt, for every observer knows it does. But 
we consider the argument vain, and contrary to 
nature, that supposes that the vital fluid of trees 
does not, like that of animals, flow through the 
system at all times, unless impeded by counter- 
acting causes. Yet, as the flow of sap is most 
abundant in spring, when the freezing and thaw- 
ing of the earth, are the consequence of day 
and night; and in autumn, when like causes 
are in operation, we should give it as our un- 
scrupulous opinion, that these are the two worst 
seasons of the year for felling timber, either to 
insure its durability or a new crop from the roots 
of the trees fallen. 

Timber fallen in midsummer is rendered very 
firm and durable by immediately divesting it of 
the bark ; or if it is designed for fuel, splitting 
is immediately necessary, in order that the liquid 
matter it contains may pass off. Unless these 
processes are performed, as every farmer may 
well know, decay soon sets itself to work. Two 
chesnut rails, taken from the same tree, will 
give an example ; the one, if of a proper size, 
with the bark immediately stripped, will last 
thirty, forty, perhaps fifty years ; while one, with 
the bark on, will do well if it lasts a dozen years. 
Thus we see, that durability in timber depends 
somewhat on precautionary measures to make 
it so. 

For fire wood, if only the present profit is to 
be consulted, September is undoubtedly the best 
month for chopping, as by this the growth of 
the present year may be gained, and yet the 
wood, if properly prepared, have sufficient time 
for seasoning before winter, and will make a 
livelier, better fire than that prepared a year pre- 
vious. Yet this is only a temporary advantage, 
one for the present few days, while the many 
future ones have a claim upon operations. — 
Where timber is cut at this season, the land is 
slow to produce a new growth. The roots, ex- 
hausted by the labors of summer, send up feeble 
shoots, if they send up any; and these, for the 
most part, sicken and diebeforereachingmaturity. 



On the whole, all things considered, we think 
the weight of evidence goes strongly in favor 
of winter chopping. It is the season of leisure 
from other employments to the farmer; hence 
the appropriate one for this ; and timber cut at 
this season possesses every desirable quality, if 
means to establish those qualities are employed, 
for the wood cut now must be split and housed 
in order to make it excellent ; and the timber, 
whether for fences, buildings, or any other pur- 
pose, must pass through a seasoning process 
(unless employed under water) with the bark 
off, which may be divested in spring, in order 
to substantiate its full value ; and where repro- 
duction is desired, it is, of all "times and sea- 
sons," decidedly the best. 

When it is expected that a new growth will 
ensue, particular attention must be paid to the 
manner of felling the trees. Economy requires 
that the tree should be cut as near the ground 
as possible, as thereby wood w 7 ill be saved. And 
where trees are so cut, they much more readily 
throw up shoots, than when a high, unsightly 
stump remains. And these shoots will be of a 
healthier and more vigorous character. Care 
should also be taken, in chopping, that the stump 
be not left hollowing inward, like a dish ; for in 
this case it would become a reservoir for the 
rains, and the water collected there would be- 
come a fountain of mischief, working through 
the stump to the roots, which sustain the new 
plant, and inducing diseases which would defy 
remedy. 

Another error in regard to the management 
of woodlands, and which has no claim to appro- 
bation, save its popularity, is the prevailing prac- 
tice of chopping only the old trees and such as 
are beginning to decay. By this process, much 
valuable young timber must necessarily be de- 
stroyed ; the woodland becomes thin ; the winds 
pass through it with fury, twisting the remain- 
ing trees greatly to their injuty, and in the event 
making them a sickly, short lived affair. Cut 
clean as you go, is a motto which cannot be too 
clearly adhered to with regard to woodlands ; 
then there will be no lodging trees ; no regrets 
at breaking down young timber; no necessity 
for paths here and there, which, in many wood- 
lots occupy almost as much space as the wood 
itself. A new and even growth will spring up, 
which will protect itself from the violence of 
winds, and shield the earth and roots from scorch- 
ing sunbeams. As it advances in growth, the 
sickly plants will die out, and nature, by a pro- 
cess of her own, will prune such as remain to 
her own advantage. Where shoots start from 
stumps, however, it may be well to thin them 
with an axe the second year, for such shoots are 
liable to start in so great abundance as to ex- 
haust, to a great extent, the source of nourish- 
ment. This is especially the case with the 
chesnut. But let it be remembered, that from 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



109 



woodlands so managed, cattle and sheep must 
be kept at a respectful distance, else the bump 
of destructiveness will manifest itself very se- 
riously to the injury of the owner of the lands. 

Where timber lands are cut off with a view 
of renewing their growth, then the winter months 
are the preferable time for performing the opera- 
tion. When trees are cut in spring or summer, 
shoots will start ; but they are less vigorous than 
those which spring from winter clearings, and 
more liable to decay. 

The period necessary for a forest to renew it- 
self varies with the sod and location to from 
twenty to thirty years. We have seen very 
pretty woodlots, of tall, handsome trees, which 



were said to have been entirely cut off twenty 
years before; and there are instances mentioned 
in which, by cutting off well covered woodlands, 
a new crop has appeared in that time, more va- 
luable than the one taken off. 

A new variety of trees is usually introduced 
to the soil. Evergreens never start from the 
stump or root of old trees, but are succeeded by 
birch, beech and maple. Beech, though a re- 
productive tree, is usually succeeded by maple 
and white ash. Thus nature gives a rotation 
of crops, which may, to some extent, account 
for the rapid growth of trees on lands which 
have been cut over. 

Mount Osceola, January, 1842. 



TOBACCO PRIZE 




The above engraving is taken from a model 
of a tobacco prize, furnished us by Dr. R. H. 
Nelson, of Hanover. He thinks it superior to 
any other in use, both in simplicity and cheap- 
ness. The Doctor's tobacco-house consists of 
two log-pens, twenty feet square, with a twelve 
foot passage between. In this passage the 
prizes are placed, the sides of the pens answer- 
ing to the frame work represented in the en- 
graving. Consequent^, all that is wanted is 
two uprights securely fastened to a cross piece 
above and another below. They can be so se- 



cured as to be immovable except at the expense 
of the house. The levers are moticed into the 
uprights in the usual manner, and the sword 
passing through the other end, with the stand 
for the weights, is after the common mode. The 
wheel and axle, by which the levers are raised, 
is peculiar, and we think an excellent contri- 
vance. The power here depends upon the dif- 
ference between the size of the wheel and the 
axle, and may be increased at pleasure. By 
pulling the rope which is coiled around the 
1 wheel, a lad may raise both levers at once, and 



110 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



enable a man to prepare the hogsheads for an- 
other prize. 

If it be desirable to raise or lower the sword 
to which the weights are attached, the power 
of the wheel and axle can be applied to this 
purpose also, by simply slipping the loop from 
the end of the lever, and hooking it over a pin 
in the sword. 



CHINESE METHOD OF PROPAGATING FRUIT 
TREES. 

Take about two quarts of moist earth and tie 
it around the limb, which you wish to make a 
new tree of, by means of a piece of old cloth, 
or any thing else that will keep in place. Let 
it remain several months, till the earth becomes 
full of small roots. Then cut off the limb just 
below the parcel of earth, and set it in the ground. 
The small roots soon become large ones, and the 
limb speedily forms a productive tree. If the 
earth be put on a good limb in April it would 
probably be fit to plant in November ; though I 
cannot say it would not require another year. 
This method may, in many cases, be better than 
grafting, cutting off roots and planting the 
sprouts that run up from them, or any other 
method in use among us for multiplying the 
number of trees bearing choice kinds of apples, 
or other fruits. — Vermont Chronicle. 

Care should be taken to include a bud or eye 
in the earth, and it will be better if one or two 
incisions are made through the bark, about one- 
third of the way round. With shrubs, it is 
more convenient to peg down a twig in the earth 
in which it grows. 



METHOD OF DETERMINING THE WEIGHT 
OF CATTLE. 

The following rules are given in an English 
agricultural work of established reputation. I 
cannot vouch for their exactness; but should 
they upon trial be found of use, the table, cal- 
culated upon these principles, might be easily 
published in a convenient form for general use, 
like an interest table : 

" The following method of ascertaining the 
dead weight of cattle by measurement when 
alive, has been adopted to a considerable extent. 
It is found to bean expeditious mode; and if 
not to be implicitly depended upon, at least fur- 
nishes a very important assistance to the judg- 
ment of the dealer. 

u Rule. — Take the girth of the beast by mea- 
suring round with a string or tape close behind 
the shoulder-blade, and the length by measuring 
from the fore part of the shoulder-blade, along 
the back, to that bone of the tail which is in a 



perpendicular line with the hind part of the but- 
tock. Multiply the girth (in feet) by itself, and 
that product by the length, and then again by 
42; the last product, divided by 100, will give 
the weight in Smithfield stones of 8 lbs. each. 
If stones of 14 lbs. are required, the multiplier 
will be 24 instead of 42." — Baxter's Library of 
Agricultural Knowledge, p. 364. 



BONE DUST. 

An anonymous correspondent of the Albany 
Cultivator states that, he put twenty loads of 
long manure on an acre of good sward land in 
May, turned it under, and harrowed well. He 
then mixed twenty bushels of bone dust and 
twenty bushels of loam, and, when fermented 
well, put this compost in each hill, dropped his 
corn upon it, and covered in the usual manner. 
The experiment was a total failure. The Edi- 
tors think that the want of success in this case 
is to be attributed to the state of fermentation in 
the compost ; the heat produced being so long 
continued as seriously to affect the germinating 
powers of the corn. They say they have known 
a precisely similar result from the use of hog 
and horse manure applied to corn in the hill, or 
the seed planted on it, while the manure was in 
a high state of fermentation. They, however, 
admit that many failures have occurred with 
bone dust, notwithstanding its general beneficial 
effects, upon root crops especially, that are en* 
tirely inexplicable. 



SALT FOR HOGS. 

Swine that are kept mostly on fresh food such 
as roots, apples, &c. with but little seasoned food, 
require salt as often, and are as fond of it in its 
simple state, and as much benefitted by it too, 
as the sheep or cow. We have found, by recent 
experience, that a store hog, confined to fresh 
food, will eat an average one pint of salt per 
week. Farmers would do well to attend to this 
propensity, as by the free use of salt many ofi 
those fearful diseases to which hogs are subject 
during their confinement would be ameliorated. 

Yankee Farmer. 



BONE MANURE. 

Professor Coleman says, " The most success- 
ful application, which I have known, of bone 
manure, was, where it was mixed at the rate of 
about one part to eight with leached ashes on 
mould, and a fermentation brought on before 
they were applied. It was then spread lightiy 
in the furrows where carrots were sown." 



of a f 

of III 

lainei 

'Ir.Ti, 
and ' 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Ill 



Care should be taken, that the bones used 
have not been subjected to heat, as the gelatine, 
which is separated by this process, is known to 
be the most valuable part of the bone. 



SCARE-CROWS, 

The best scare-crows we have ever used, were 
bright sheets of tin suspended from poles, by 
wires ; the poles of sufficient height, and in suf- 
ficient numbers, to be seen all over the field. 
Four or six, if judiciously placed, will effectually 
answer for a field of fifty acres. Our mode of 
fixing them was this ; we cut a pole of sufficient 
height, trimmed off all the limbs but the upper 
one ; to the end of this limb, we attached, by a 
strong flexible wire, a sheet of tin, and planted 
the pole thus provided firmly in the ground on 
the destined spot. The limb left at the top, 
should project horizontally far enough to allow 
full play to the tin. Thus attached, the slightest 
breeze gives motion to the tin, and consequently 
causes a reflection, so sudden as to effectually 
frighten off crows, or other birds addicted to 
picking up the corn. Three years successful 
use of such scare-crows, justify us in recom- 
mending them to our brethren. 

American Farmer. 

A writer in a South Carolina paper recom- 
mends the use of newspapers instead of sheets 
of tin, and thinks that there is great choice 
amongst them, in respect to the noise they make. 



We have received the following communica- 
tion from our friend Mr. Pedder, of the Far- 
mers' Cabinet, in relation to the article " The 
Level," p. 69, and our comments, in the last 
number, upon his "Boilers." 

We felt a little curious to see how he would 
extricate himself from the difficulty about that 
level, and congratulate him upon the ingenuity 
of his explanation. 

We most cordially reciprocate Mr. Pedder's 
kind wishes, and shall prize highly the present, 
alluded to in his postscript. We shall avail our- 
selves of the earliest opportunity to reduce it into 
possession. 

THE SPAN LEVEL, &c. 

Philadelphia, April 10, 1842. 
My Dear Sir, — I cry 'cave — but if confession 
of a fault makes one half amends, the comeliness 
of the bantling is a very fair apology for the 
other. You must know, I have always enter- 
tained a strong penchant for other people's chil- 
dren, especially if their parents are amiable 
and commanding the respect of good society ; 



so, meeting with a child of your's, I took him 
by the hand without examining his proportions, 
as I hold to the axiom in breeding, " like produces 
like;" nor was I sensible of the lad's deficiency, 
until our lynx-eyed correspondent, J. Lewis, by 
a glance at his lower extremities, directed my 
attention thitherward, when I found that he was 
short of one leg ! a sad defect certainly, and one 
that must needs ruin his standing in society ; 
but as all was sound about the head, our Potts- 
ville friend found it not difficult to set him up- 
right, and now he will be able to pursue the 
even tenor of his way without further trouble or 
assistance. 

You do me honor by the notice which you 
take of my boilers, but I am vejy desirous of 
knowing what are the difficulties which you 
suspect in the way of their working. There 
were sixteen of these fire-places erected at Mr. 
Lovering's Sugar Refinery, large enough to ad- 
mit cord-wood at full length, namely, four feet ; 
and at each burning, the quantity of w ? ood con- 
sumed was not less than four or five cords, yet, 
for the space of four years no difficulty has ever 
occurred, or any escape of smoke from the top 
of the chimney, after the fires are once lighted, 
although the fires are kept up for eighteen hours; 
the heat being augmented — merely by opening 
the iron covers — to such a degree as to liquefy 
the iron pots in the kilns in a very short space 
of time, if exposed to its violence, operating ex- 
pressly on the principle of the blow-pipe ; all 
which, however, can be regulated in an instant, 
and to any degree, by partially or wholly closing 
the covers, or putting in the slides ; all further 
operations being stopped as effectually and sud- 
denly as the turning off steam. Indeed I am 
anxious to hear what are the difficulties which 
you feel in prospect. 

Since writing the above, 1 have received your 
very interesting number for April, and can now 
proceed to relieve your mind from farther doubt 
respecting the working of the fires from the top, 
by assuring you that the draught of air from 
above, appears about as natural as for the "sparks 
to fly upward." The pressure of the atmosphere 
on the fire being cut off by way of the chimney, 
the air finds a quicker passage to it from imme- 
diately above, than it could by descending down 
it, and this determines the draught downwards 
through the pit so soon as the cold air is driven 
out of the chimney, which it very soon is, after 
the fire is lighted ; and then the operation goes 
on as naturally and rationally as though the air 
were to ascend by means of draught from below. 
The only way of clearing the ashes from the 
pit, is from above, but it is done most easily by 
a small scoop with a crooked handle ; and it 
will be a matter of astonishment to find how 
small a portion of ashes will remain, after the 
consumption of even a cord of wood, the com- 
bustion being so complete as to reduce all to 



112 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



mere dust, so light as to be driven away before 
the blast. It may, however, be desirable to leave 
a loose brick at the bottom of the boiler for the 
introduction of a small scraper, by which the 
light dust, which might accumulate after a time, 
may be easily removed remembering, however, 
to close all tight before lighting the fire, for the 
least air entering that way, would effectually 
mar all proceedings. The brick-work around 
the boilers need only be four and a half inches ; 
the sides of the ash-pit will be stronger if nine 
inches, but very little impression will be made 
upon the sides or bottom by the fire, the rush of 
air from above, keeping all comparatively cool. 
The chimney need not be higher than customa- 
ry, nor is there any art required in the construc- 
tion of any part of the apparatus. 
I am, dear sir, very trulj 7 jour's, 

James Pedder. 

P. S. — It would oblige me if you could, by 
the hand of some friend visiting Philadelphia, j 
obtain a copy of my little book, " The Farmer's 
Land Measurer," which is left at the office to ! 
your address. Pray accept it, wiih the best : 
wishes for your health, and the success of your 
highly valuable work. 



RICHMOND MANUFACTURE. 

We have been presented by the author with 
a copy of a work, entitled Bolton on Stra- 
bismus, which, we are informed was written, 
printed, illustrated, and bound in this city, and 
which certainly does great credit to our artificers. 
We understand it to be a dissertation upon the 
defect of squinting, and although we are not 
qualified to speak of the scientific merits of the 
work, if we might be permitted to form an opi- 
nion from the talents, industry, and success of 
the youthful author, we should expect it to form 
a valuable acquisition to the medical profession. 

We wonder if the operation and remedies pro- 
posed would be applicable to the obliquity of 
vision that distinguishes some of our public cha- 
racters. If the Doctor will guarantee that all 
who are brought to him shall be made to see 
straight, we think we could pick him out a lot 
of patients, upon whom he might operate at the 
public expense. 



For the Southern Planter. 

STOCK. 

Albemarle, April 10, 1842. 

I am well pleased, Mr. Editor, at the inde- 
pendence you exhibit in the discussion of the 
merit3 of different kinds of stock. We are often 



egregiously imposed on in the purchase of crack 
animals, puffed in newspapers. A systematic 
plan is adopted, I believe, to defraud southern 
men, and I rejoice to find that some one dares to 
speak out upon what has long been a private 
grievance. With respect to this very "Cream 
Pot" cattle, referred to in your last, I am credibly 
informed, that a gentleman of this State, who 
had read a great deal about this stock in the 
northern papers, applied to Col. Jaques, to know 
for what sum he could obtain two yearlings of 
his stock ; the answer was, that, as he, Colonel 
Jaques, was anxious to extend the merits of his 
stock amongst the Southern people, and as the! 
applicant was understood to be a good farmer,; 
who would pay them all proper attention, &c. 
&c. &c. why, as a great favor, he might have 
the pair for the sum of $1,000. That, mark, 
you, was the Southern price; when subjected to* 
the hammer of the Northern auctioneer, theyi 
bring $32 per head. 

My advice to the farmers of the South would I 
be, in the first place reform your system of keep-, 
ing stock, then select and cross judiciously with, 
the best individuals of your neighborhood, ana 
never purchase an animal, unless you can havej 
an opportunity of seeing him yourself, or can: 
have him selected by some one, on whose judg- 
ment and integrity you can rely. 

A Sufferer. 

We are amused at the skill displa} T ed by our 
correspondent ; he lauds us for coming forward 
to expose impositions, whilst he backs us. him- 
self, under a mask. We do not believe that any 
concert for cheating Southern men exists at the 
North; impositions have been practised both 
there and here, we doubt not, to a considerable 
extent ; but as honest men as breathe are, we 
know, engaged, both here and there, in the use^ 
ful and honotable occupation of raising stock 
for market. We will not knowingly lend our- 
selves to subserve the interest of any individual 
by saying more of his stock than it deserves^ 
but any direct charge of imposition, or a state- 
ment of facts calculated to deteriorate the value? 
of a popular stock, must always be accompa- 
nied by the name of the author, to find its way 
into the columns of the planter. The statement 
made by "A Sufferer," with respect to the price 
required for a pair of his cattle by Col. Jaques, 
we know to be true, from a responsible source, 
and although it seems strange that he should 
so over-estimate his stock, still, the difference 
between the price asked by him and that at 
which they were sold, may be accounted for in 
a hundred different ways, without tarnishing 
the honor of that gentleman, who, we believe, 



•ai 

Gene 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



113 



stands much higher than his cattle in the esti- 
mation of his neighbors. 

The advice of "A Sufferer" we think good, 



F"or the Southern Planter. 

In the last (April) number of the Southern 
Planter is a communication, signed William H. 
Richardson, in which the writer undertakes to 
define " the best farm hog of the several breeds, 
with which he is acquainted." This communi- 
cation, it appears (page 82,) "was written in 
consequence of a request on the part" of the 
Editor; and is so much in accordance with the 
Editor's sentiments, that he seems disposed to 
endorse every word of it. The Editor also 
seems to anticipate a "rating from some deeply 
interested in Berkshire stock for seeking the pub- 
lication of any article to their disparagement." 

This communication, with the approving re- 
marks of the Editor, I think, requires some 
comment. At the same time, I do hereby dis- 
tinctly state, that I am not deeply interested in 
this or any other stock of hogs ; and even if I 
were, I have not the slightest disposition to give 
the Editor a " rating" on this or any other score. 
But the Editor will allow me to say, that in my 
opinion he has somewhat departed from his usual 
prudence, in making the admission, that he 
sought an article to the disparagement of any 
stock whatever. We were not precisely pre- 
pared to expect, that that same Editor, who has 
for a year or more, devoted his time, his talents, 
and his whole energies to the improvement of 
the various branches of agriculture, should now 
undertake to disparage an important appendage 
to the same. But if the Editor must have a 
" rating" for this, J will not give it to him. I 
will let this rating come from another quarter — 
from the Southern Planter number for March, 
1842, page 56— in which I find this strong lan- 
guage — " We have seen some Berkshires cer- 
tainly superior to any other hogs we ever saw." 
Now, there is no name signed to the above, but 
judging from the editorial word " we" which 
occurs twice, and from other characteristic cir- 
cumstances, I strongly suspect it was written by 
the Editor himself. If, however, this should not 
be " rating" enough, I refer him again to number 
for May, 1841, page 70, where, in a note ap- 
pended to Mr Shelton's communication, he will 
find all the " rating" that I have it in my heart 
to give him. 

With these few remarks, I will — for the pre- 
ent at least — take ray leave of the worthy 
Editor. But the communication must not be 
passed over in quite so summary a way. 

And here, if it be necessary to tell him so, I 
will state that I have the highest respect for 
general Richardson, and for Mr. Dicken, whose 
logs he seems so anxious to recommend. Both 



these gentlemen are my near neighbors, and my 
intercourse with them, has uniformly been so 
pleasant, that I wish they were still nearer to 
me. But notwithstanding my great respect, and 
even partiality for these neighbors, I cannot suf- 
fer some things in the General's communication 
to pass unnoticed. 

I beg leave, also, to make another remark — 
that in the comments which I am about to sub- 
mit, I shall have no special allusion to Mr. Dick- 
en's or any other breed of hogs. My object is 
not to disparage any man's hogs, but simply to 
vindicate a breed which, at the request of the 
Editor, has already suffered "disparagement." 
My object is not, therefore, to attack, but simply 
defend. Indeed I am very sorry that Mr. Dick- 
en's name appears at all in the communication. 
This circumstance hampers me no little. Mr. 
Dicken, I am sure, will believe me, when I say 
that I do not wish to decry his hogs, or to pre- 
vent the sale of his pigs. I care not how much 
his hogs are praised ; but I do care when I see 
a better hog disparaged. 

The points of difference between the General 
and myself, I am happy to say, are very few. 
If, for instance, he had contented himself to state 
that there are a great many inferior hogs among 
the reputed Berkshires, so much so, that many 
of Mr. Dicken's white hogs — or the white or 
black or any other colored hogs of many other 
persons — are superior to them, he would have 
had my hearty concurrence. But when he 
seeks to make the impression that the white hog 
is in fact the best^ and that when mixed wilh 
the Berkshire, a deterioration takes place, and 
that this deterioration is in proportion to the 
amount of admixture ; then I am constrained to 
join issue with him. Now, that this is the Gen- 
eral's meaning, I think I cannot be mistaken. 
Witness what he says about his own sow, page 
81 — and of her two litters of pigs. The first 
time she had seven pigs — "four white like her- 
self—the other three tawny or reddish color, 
spotted with black" — which it seems " was the 
distinctive color of the Berkshires thirty-five 
years ago." One he sold to the writer of this. 
" That purchased by Mr. Turner though a very 
fine, is not near so large a hog as the white 
ones have proved to be, and both the spotted 
ones that I kept, turned out small hogs." Here 
it is distinctly slated that the four white ones 
which resembled the sow, were much larger 
than the three spotted ones which showed the 
Berkshire cross. But, as if not satisfied with 
the above, the General continues in a still more 
decisive strain. "The same sow has now a 
litter of ten pigs by another Berkshire boar, of 
which seven are white like herself, and three 
spotted, as before described. The white are de- 
cidedly the finest pigs." Thus, it seems, that 
this sow, breeding from two Berkshire boars, 
produced pigs which in both instances were fine 



114 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



and promising in proportion as they resembled 
her, and that they weie small and inferior in 
proportion as they resembled the boar. 

Now, I do not call in question one iota of the 
General's statement; and it would constitute so 
knotty a case, that 1 know not how I could dis- 
pose of it, were it not that the General has dis- 
posed of it himself — the little, inferior tawny pig 
brought twenty dollars — whilst it took the four 
large superior pigs to bring thirty dollars? The 
Berkshires are then the fellows to fill the pocket 
after all. If the General succeed in disposing 
of the present litter as he did of the former, the 
three Utile Berkshires will produce more money, 
than the seven fine white pigs ; and this, in my 
opinion, is just about the relative value of the 
different breeds — three good Berkshires against 
seven of any other breed. 

But the General or Editor — it does not appear 
which— says that "Mr. Wrn. Miller, Mr. Wm. 
Hill, Mr. W. W. Guy, Mr. William D. Sims, 
and Dr. Hopkins have all tried and prefer these 
(white) hogs." Now here would be another 
tough case to solve, were it not for some stub- 
born facts, which again come in to my relief. 
These gentlemen have tried the white hog, it 
seems, and most of them have manifested their 
preference for him, by sending their sows to my 
Berkshire boar, and this they did when their 
favorite hog was more convenient, than the in- 
ferior Berkshire. 

Mr. Sims, also, though in possession of the 
white hog, has also manifested his preference, 
by buying the half Berkshires ; and this he did, 
when he could have got the preferred white hog, 
for one-founh of the money. How Mr. Guy 
and the Doctor manage their crosses, 1 am not 
informed, but presume that they stick to the su- 
perior hog. All the others, with Mr. Dicken 
himself, are backing out. 

But the General continues — "You remember, 
no doubt, the white boar exhibited by him (Mr. 
Dicken) at our first fair, last May, which was 
purchased by Dr. Lewis, of Lawrenceville. If 
I am correctly informed, the Committee on Swine 
had no little difficulty in deciding the premium 
between him and the boar President." Now I 
am sorry that my friend the General penned the 
above sentence. As it stands, 1 must notice it; 
but I would greatly prefer that it had never seen 
the light. A compliment is here evidently in- 
tended somewhere — if to the boar, (and I sup- 
pose this must be the case,) then it must be at 
the expense of the Committee. The truth is, 
I never intended that my boar President should 
be put in competition with that white boar or 
any other white boar. I intended that the con- 
flict should be confined between him and other 
fine hogs. If he obtained the victory, I intended 
it should be under circumstances that would do 
him some credit. But to get the premium over 
the hog alluded to, I never considered as any 



victory at all. But what were the facts in the 
case? The Committee on Hogs consisted of 
three persons — Mr. C. T. Botts, Mr. Sims, and 
Mr. Corbin Warwick. The arrangement was 
for the Committee to meet at nine o'clock, so as 
to make up their decision and hand in their re- 
port at eleven o'clock, at which time the exhibi- 
tion was to commence. At the appointed hour, 
the two first named gentlemen were present, 
but Mr. Warwick was absent. After waiting 
for him until they could wait no longer, it was 
determined to appoint another in his place; and 
as Mr. W. B. Sydnor happened to make his 
appearance at the time, he was appointed to fill 
the place of the absent member. The Com- 
mittee then went to work, and as J loas informed, 
two of them — Mr. Botts and Mr. Sydnor — had 
no difficulty at all in making up their decision. 
The only difficulty was with Mr. Sims, the third 
member. Mr. Warwick made his appearance 
before the business was concluded, and as I was 
again informed, had no difficulty in concurring 
with the majority of the Committee. 1 tell this 
thing just as it was told to me. If I am incor- 
rect, I call on the above gentlemen to slate 
wherein I am wrong, and then I will most cheer- 
fully correct it. This is all, that at present I 
choose to say about this transaction — if urged 
to it, I will state more. 

One other thing, in the General's communica- 
tion, I feel it my duty to notice. He says, (page 
82) " it is but just to say of his (Mr. Turner's) 
stock, that it cannot be surpassed by all New 
York and New England together." I certainly 
thank the General for the commendation he has 
thus given to my hogs ; but at the same time, 
must in candor say, that in my opinion, they do 
not merit it in the unqualified terms he is pleased 
to employ. If his remark is intended to be con- 
fined to my sow Virginia and her progeny, then 
I can with the same candor say, that I believe 
he is correct. But I have other hogs called 
Berkshires, and I believe they are Berkshires, 
but compared with Virginia, I consider them as 
almost worthless. If Messrs. Allen & Bement, 
from whom I bought them, will give me one- 
half the money, that they cost me, they may 
have them and my hearty thanks to boot,— 
Whilst, therefore, I cannot take, and never have 
taken, even when I might have done it, ten dol- 
lars for the pigs of the latter, it requires no 
stretch of conscience whatever to receive ten 
dollars for all of Virginia's pigs that I can spare. 
I consider them as good and profitable stock 
even at this high price. 

From the above, it will be seen, that I heartily 
agree with the General when he says — "there 
are superior and inferior of ibis as of all other 
breeds." And I think I have traced out ihe line 
of demarcation with considerable accuracy. — 
Some few years ago, Mr. John Lossing, of Al- 
bany, imported a very fine Berkshire boar from 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



115 



Reading in England, to which he gave the 
name of the town from which he procured him. 
A Mr. Beach, of Ohio, was so pleased with this 
hog, that he gave two hundred dollars for him, 
and carried him to the West. There, also, he 
was regarded as so fine an animal, that a hun- 
dred and two sows were stinted to him, during 
(the first year, at ten dollars a piece. I never 
saw this hog, it is true, but I have seen several 
of his descendants, and all of them without ex- 
ception, are really superior animals. My fine 
sow Virginia is one of his pigs. Dr. Harrison, 
of Prince George, also owned one of his pigs — 
a fine boar called De Wit Clinton. This hog, to- 
gether with some two or three of his pigs were 
at the general meeting of our Society last fall, 
and fine animals they were. Mr. Charles B. 
Williams also owns two fine young boars of the 
same breed, which fully sustain the high repu- 
tation of their sire. There may be others of 
the same breed in the State, or even in the neigh- 
borhood, for ought 1 know, but these are all I 
have seen, and I can truly say, that they are 
all superior animals. In fact, this hog Reading, 
seems to have arrested the rapid decline of the 
Berkshires, and to have restored them to their 
former superiority. 

One more remark, and I shall, for the present 
at least, be done with the General and his com- 
munication. He states that his white sow, 
breeding from two Berkshire boars, produced at 
each litter a certain number of pigs, some of 
which strikingly resembled the sow, whilst others 
as strikingly resembled the boar, and that those 
which were like the sow, were in both instances, 
the best pigs; from which, he draws the con- 
clusion, that the sow is the best breed of hogs. 
The case is a strong one, I will admit. But I 
really think there is a stonger case existing at 
my piggery at this very time, from which I 
draw directly the contrary conclusion. On the 
5th day of March last, my sow Virginia pro- 
duced ten pigs. Now all who have read my 
hog essays, or are at all acquainted with my 
hog management, know that I am not in favor 
| of over-breeding my sows with their own broods, 
and that when I can do no better, I kill the ex- 
cess until the number to a fully grown sow, is 
reduced to seven. But this constituted a hard 
case. My theory or my fine pigs must one or 
the other be sacrificed, and I was exceedingly 
unwilling to give up either. From this dis- 
tressing dilemma I was happity relieved on the 
second daj' ; for on that day, another sow (nearly 
but not quite white) also produced ten pigs. It 
then occurred to me that by killing four of the 
latter, I could provide for two of the former, and 
then each sow would have eight ; and as both 
sows were at the time in good plight, and espe- 
cially as I promised to each good treatment, I 
finally compounded the matter as stated above. 
I will also mention, that the sire of each litter 



was the same hog. Here then is a case in 
which two full blooded Berkshires are placed 
with six half bloods, and these, half-brothers, to 
be nursed and reared by the same sow. For 
two or three weeks, I could perceive but little, if 
any difference between them. All were thrifty 
and grew apace. But after that time, the strong 
and distinctive points of the Berkshire began 
to develope themselves in the two strangers in 
the most striking manner. The six were as 
tall, and perhaps taller, but it was merely their 
long legs which made them appear so. The 
Berkshires had a firmness of hair, and a breadth 
on the back, a roundness and symmetry of body, 
to which the others, receiving their nourishment 
from the same source, were utter strangers. 

I would not state this case with so much con- 
fidence, were it not that I have tested it by the 
strictest scrutiny. Among other expedients to 
which I have resorted, this is one. When vi- 
sited by a number of my acquaintances (I will 
give their names if desired) I have conducted 
them to the pen, and merely told them that there 
were two full blooded Berkshires among the 
pigs, and asked them if they could point them 
out. In no instance did they fail to do so, and 
generally without any hesitation. Another fact 
I think still more striking. Two butchers came 
to buy some roasters. The}' were also taken to 
this pen, but not informed of the difference, and 
after surveying the pigs with the eye of a 
butcher, they offered me a dollar for ihe Berk- 
shires, but would give only seventy-five cents 
for the others. Thus, in the judgment of the 
butcher, who buys merely to kill and sell, a full 
Berkshire pig is worth thirty-three and a third 
per cent, more than a half Berkshire. I need 
scarcely say that the butcher and I could make 
no bargain, for one of the pigs was already en- 
gaged at ten dollars, and the other I intended to 
keep for my own use. J. H. Turner. 

We said w 7 e expected a "rating;" although 
we could hardly divine the objection that could 
be made to the part we took in Gen. Richard- 
son's attack upon Berkshires. To tell the truth, 
we felt, afterwards, that we deserved one for 
saying so, because w T e had no right to presume 
that any one would do us the injustice of find- 
ing fault with us for a manifest discharge of 
duty ; but we founded our calculations upon the 
blindness of prejudice, even in the best of man- 
kind, and the source of this attack proves that 
we did not err in our calculations, 

We believe not only that error is powerless, 
when truth is left free to combat it, but that 
truth itself emerges from obscurity into light in 
the conflict. It is for this reason, that we invite 
free and liberal discussion. Our desire, our dutv. 



116 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER, 



is, to get up a conflict and then act the part of 
an impartial conductor between the combatants. 
We afford the arena, our correspondents conduct 
the game, and the public keeps the score. We 
thought some verbal remarks of Gen. Richard- 
son's would lead to a conflict that would redound 
to the benefit and amusement of the spectators ; 
we persuaded him to enter the arena, and when 
we brought him on the stage, we introduced 
him with a few flourishes. Although, under 
such circumstances, we should have been justi- 
fied by all the rules of courtesy, if we had in- 
dulged in a little hyperbole with respect to the 
debutante, yet, in this instance it was unnecessa- 
ry, and we have not said a word in our editorial 
about the General that either is, or can be, de- 
nied. Indeed Mr. Turner endorses, pretty much, 
our remarks, but objects that we have on other 
occasions expressed the most favorable opinions 
of the Berkshire stock. Suppose we entertain 
them still; what then? should we, when a 
gentleman, who had even better opportunities of 
knowing than we had, expressed an opposite 
opinion, refuse to publish it, because it differed 
from our own, or should we even hesitate to in- 
vite the expression of opinions, because we have 
expressed others to the contrary ; or should we 
withhold from such a correspondent the poor boon 
of stating what we know to be true with respect 
to the circumstances under which he writes % 

Yet this is all we did, and what we have 
done with respect to other subjects, over and over 
again ; what we are bound to do in every case, 
The fullest and freest discussion is guaranteed, 
limited only by our opinion of the choice and 
taste of our readers. We will occasionally ex- 
press opinions of our own, but we do not think 
it necessary to reiterate them every time we give 
room to a correspondent, who differs with us. 
We have expressed opinions highly favorable 
to Berkshires; those opinions may have been 
changed by Gen. Richardson's statements, or 
they may be still entertained, or they may be 
held in abeyance awaiting the issue of this con- 
troversy. Nobody has a right to know, until 
we choose to inform them, and no owner of 
Berkshires has a right to require us, because we 
have once expressed an opinion in their favor, 
either to maintain that opinion, in spite of rea- 
son, or to express it on every occasion that the 
subject is mentioned. 

The opinions of Messrs. Miller, Hill, &c. was 
contained in a postscript to General Richardson's 



communication, and was published just as it 
was written. 

Having dodged the blow that was aimed at 
us, we leave these knightly combatants to con- 
duct their own contest ; they are well matched, 
and thoroughly versed in the courtly laws of 
arms ; a rich treat may be expected from the 
encounter. 



For the Southern Planter. 

It is astonishing how much may be made by 
applying odds and ends of time to collecting and 
spreading manure. Whenever a spare hour can 
be gained, independent of stated seasons, resort 
should be had to the woods ; leaves and trash 
should be raked into piles, and a little earth 
thrown on the top. As soon as it is partially 
decomposed, or rendered fit to answer as a co- 
vering to the land, that is, as soon as it is in a 
state not liable to be carried off by the wind, it 
should be hauled, at any time or season, upon 
land designed for the next year's crop. This 
deposit will operate as a cover to the land, shield- 
ing it from the summer suns and the winter 
frosts, afford food for the growing plants, and 
greatly improve the land. 

From the time that horses are stabled and the 
cows pounded or stalled in the fall, they should 
be provided with a plentiful supply of litter. 
The stables should be cleaned out twice a week, 
loading }'our cart from the stable-door, and car- 
rying it out at once upon the field designed for 
corn in the spring. Thus, the manure can be 
spread in half the time, and more equally than 
it could be, if suffered to lie in a pile all the 
winter. Besides it will be twice as effective. 
The product of the stable and barn } 7 ard during 
the spring and summer months should be depo- 
sited in a convenient reservoir, properly prepared, 
and intermixed with straw and trash. In the 
month of August, haul it out upon the field in- 
tended for wheat, and spread it before the plough, 
turning it under to a moderate depth. This 
process is to be preferred to surface manuring, 
after the plough ; because, when the land is 
stirred in seeding, the manure will be incorpo- 
rated with the soil, will preserve the moisture, 
and greatly invigorate the plant. Whereas, the 
surface dressing, at such a season, exposes the 
manure to great loss by evaporation. 

To prepare land for wheat, if the soil is deep 
and loamy, where }-ou have no manure to plough 
in, plough very deep, mixing a portion of clay, 
if possible, with the surface mould ; harrow ]eve], 
then, with a single shovel score or furrow it off 
at distances of ten inches from centre to centre. 
The wheat when sown will roll, principally, into 
the furrows ; harrow in the wheat the same way, 
that is, with the furrows. The harrow, if the 
soil is light, should be light also, that the teeth 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



117 



may not reach the grain, and throw it out of the 
furrows. The wheat will, of course, come up 
in drills, it will be better protected in winter, will 
grow off better in the spring, and will make a 
more productive crop. 

Yours, respectfully, S. Davis. 

Frederick, Virginia. 



We have received another communication 
from Mr. Davis, in which he states that he has 
been a farmer, man and boy, for fifty years, and 
offers us the benefit of his experience on several 
subjects. We shall always be pleased to hear 
from such a veteran in agriculture. 



DRILL-BARROW 




The engraving is intended to afford a per- 
spective view of a drill-barrow, claimed as the 
invention of Dr. Horton, of Maryland, and given 
to the world through the columns of the Ameri- 
can Farmer. It is cheap, simple, and we be- 
lieve well calculated for drilling beet and turnip 
seed. Any man who can handle a saw and 
hatchet may make one for himself. The frame 
work speaks for itself. The side pieces may 
be made four feet long, two by three. The 
wheels may be cut out of oak plank one and a 
half inches thick, and made ten or twelve inches 
in diameter. They do not revolve upon the axle, 
but the axle revolves in the journals which sup- 
port it. To this axle is secured a seed-tight 
cylinder, made of tin or copper, larger in the 
centre, and tapering a little to either end. The 
centre is perforated with holes, two inches apart, 
large enough to pass a beet seed freely. The 
seed are introduced through a hole in the cylin- 
der, to which a cork is fitted. A narrow copper 
hoop with small holes, large enough to pass 
turnip seed, two inches apart, can, at pleasure, 
be passed up to the centre of the cylinder and 
placed so that the holes in the hoop may either 
be, or not be, over the holes in the cylinder. In 
the one case, the holes will be entirely stopped, 
and the seeds prevented from escaping when the 
implement is moved from place to place. In 



! the other, the holes in the cylinder will be re- 
duced to the size for turnips. Rake-teeth may 
be inserted, as represented in the engraving, for 
breaking or removing clods and stones, and the 
seed may be covered by paddles behind, made 
to shift to any required angle. The roller is 
very useful in pressing the earth closely to the 
seeds. 

Our engraver is a long-armed, short-legged 
fellow, who has placed the handles to suit him- 
self, rather than the generality of mankind ; but 
these of course may be altered to suit the parti- 
cular form of the operator. 

We have known the principle of this machine, 
as exemplified in the cylinder, used in this neigh- 
borhood for some years, with great satisfaction 
to the owner, and have intended to give a de- 
scription of it. The copper hoop is new and 
ingenious; it saves the necessity of having dif- 
ferent cylinders for different kinds of seed. The 
implement we have seen, was divested of the 
teeth, paddles, and roller ; the side pieces in this, 
constituting the handles of that, which was in- 
tended to be rolled forward by a man, for the 
purpose of dropping the seeds in a drill already 
made, to be covered by an after process. The 
Doctor has certainly added to the convenience, 
although a little, to the expense of the imple- 
ment. 



118 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



From the Maine Farmer. 

PREVENTION OF SMUT BETTER THAN CURE. 

Mr. Holmes, — I observed in a late number of 
the Kennebec Journal an advertisement of a 
smut machine, by Messrs. Pratt & Co. (if I right- 
ly recollect the name,) and recommendation of it 
by Mr. Gardiner, of the town of Gardiner. — 
From the high respectability of that gentleman, 
I have no hesitation in giving full credit to his 
statement. But 1 would respectfully suggest 
to him and all others interested in the subject, 
"whether it would not be preferable to prevent 
smut from growing among our wheat to devising 
methods for I he removal of that foul substance 
from it. I have for the sixteen years last past, 
with complete success practised the following 
method, viz : — Washed the seed wheat, and ' 
drained off the imbibed water through a com- 
mon basket. In this moist condition put it into 
a tight tub, long box, or trough, and for every 



which goes to prove the correctness of a doctrine 
advanced in 1838-9, by Edwin Quekett, F. L. 
S. published in the same journal for those years, 
"that ergot," a species of fungus to which rye 
is peculiaily obnoxious, "was caused by the in- 
troduction of the sporules of a peculiar fungus 
into the circulation of the affected grains, and 
their final deposition in the seed." If you think 
the publication of them calculated to do gocd, 
the}' are at your service. 

"Twelve grains of rye, of wheat and of bar- 
ley, all grown in the neighboring fields of Sur- 
ry, were selected, and placed in a plate which 
contained a little water — some ergots of wheat 
were then immersed in the water of the plate, 
and with a camel's hair pencil brush the spori- 
dta of the fungus adhering lo the exterior were 
detached in numbers, as the microscope proved, 
and the ergots were then removed. 

"A similar experiment was performed with 
the same number and variety of grains, but with 



bushel so prepared, dissolved two ounces of blue | lne f un cr US obtained from the exterior of an ergot 



vitriol in warm water, turned it into the wheat, 
and with a shovel stirred it so that the liquid 
shall penetrate the w T hole mass. This may be 
ascertained by the color. The w T heat will as- 
sume a greenish cast where the liquor has come 
in contact with it. 



of a large grass — Elymus Labulosus ; a glass 
shade covered each set of grains thus prepared. 
"In a few days germination commenced and 
was allowed to progress until the grains were 
beginning to appear wrinkled, from the appro- 
priation of the albumen ; and by this Time those 



This method of preparing our seed has be- lnat had perfectly germinated possessed green 
come almost universal in this neighborhood, and ' i eaves f mm two t0 { nree inches in lenglh. In 
we hear nothing of smut except from a distance. | lnis sta te the whole of the young plants were 
Our most extensive manufacturer of flour, after ta jj en j nt0 lne C0U ntry and planted close to- 
gether, in the third week of March last. 

"The greater number of grains of both expe- 
riments, failed in becoming perfect plants, so that 
at the present time,, when they are matured, 
there are but four of rye, (one infested from the 
fungus from the elymus and ihtee from the 
wheat,) three of barley, and four of wheat. On 
every plant of the rye, there are some plants 
possessing ergots, (nine having been obtained 
from the four plants,) some containing one spe- 
cimen, others as many as six ; but in the bailey 
is only one imperfect ergot, and in the wheat not 
any have been detected. 

"It was remarked that, in the rye ihere was 
only one ear that possessed a few health}' grains 
and no ergot ; in the others some had ergots 
without any healthy grains, and the rest pos- 
sessed neither ergots nor grains of any kind, 
showing how the fungus probably influences 
the formation of health}- grains in this plant, 
whereas, in the wheat and barley ihe sound con- 
dition did not appear to have been departed from. 
"If the cause of ergots, in this instance, had 
an external origin, it is singular that, as the 
plants grow intermixed and in a very small 
space, the bar-ley and the wheat should have es- 
caped, under the circumstances ; but the reason, 
I imagine, that the latter two possessed no er- 
gots, though treated as the rye, is that they are 
not so susceptible of infection ; for it is well 



having satisfactorily tried the experiment, was 
at the expense and trouble of circulating hand- 
bills through the whole region of his customers, 
three or four or five years since, and he informs 
us that in consequence of the use of this pre- 
vention he is not called upon to grind smutty 
wheat except in some raie instance, and in none 
where the above method has been practised. I 
published the foregoing in substance, in an agri- 
cultural paper printed in Bangor a number of 
years ago, and subsequently (if I rightly recol- 
lect) in the Maine Farmer, and have seen it no- 
ticed in the New England Farmer. Still I am 
so fully convinced of its importance that I ven- 
ture to reiterate it. Oliver Crosbv. 

In connexion with the above, we publish the 
following communication from a very scientific 
gentleman, whom we hope to recognise as an 
established correspondent of the Planter : 

For the Southern Planter. 

In a former communication I addressed some 
inquiries to our farmers, for the purpose of in- 
ducing them to institute experiments to ascertain 
the cause and nature of the smut in wheat, as 
upon this information alone can an efficient re- 
medy against the evil be based. Since then I 
have met with the following, published in the 
London Medical Gazette for October 8, 1841, 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



119 



known that rye is particularly liable to this dis- 
ease — more so peihaps than any other grass ; 
and that it becomes so, arises either from consti- 
tutional properties or its anatomical peculiarities. 

" I conceive, from these experiments that the 
production of ergot from the absorption of the 
sporules of the previously described fungus, by 
the fibres of ihe roots of the germinating grains, 
will be found to be the true cause of this singu- 
lar production; and that when they arrive at 
the grains, the}' convert it. into the body, known 
as ergot ; for it appears to me too much to ad- 
mit, in these experiments, that the many eigots 
on every plant could be the result of accidental 
circumstances, when it is well known that their 
presence is very rare in this country on the same 
grass." 

It would seem from these experiments that 
rye is more under the influence of the particular 
cause which produces the ergot ; but may not 
wheat be more liable to be acted on by the spo- 
rules of the particular fungus which constitutes 
smut? Should Mr. Gluekitt's views of the ori- 
gin of these maladies in grain be correct, the 
great importance, of the agitation of seed wheat 
in alkaline solutions, in preventing these dis- 
eases, could at at once be satisfactorily explained. 
These solutions possess powerful solvent proper- 
ties and would more effectually remove, by pro- 
per agitation, the sporules of the fungus which 
might adhere to the seed, than any that could 
be employed. B. 



11 In consequence of the delay which the Corn 
Bill receives in Parliament, prices of grain and 
flour have advanced. 

Yours, respectfully, 

Evans & Trokes." 



TOBACCO AND COTTON. 

We are indebted to the kindness of our friends, 
Messrs. Cowardin & Davis, for a perusal of a 
letter, from which we make the following ex- 
tracts. The house of Evans & Trokes is well 
known in this city, and their reports command 
the entire confidence of our merchants. 

u Liverpool, April 1, 1842. 

" The stock of tobacco in the country, and 
generally in Europe, is too considerable to allow 
of other than moderate prices ; but when to this 
circumstance is to be added the still more dis- 
couraging fact of an uncommon large crop to 
come forward from the western country, with a 
full, though inferior, crop from Virginia, there 
can be but one opinion as to the prospects for 
the article, as far as its future prices are consi- 
dered. In strips it is now ascertained that little 
can be disposed of which does not possess that 
absorbing substance adapted to the new mode 
of manufacturing. 

11 Our cotton market is in the most dismal 
state. It is most difficult to dispose of short 
staple, of ordinary and middling quality ; and 
for the better descriptions there is no very lively 
demand. 



SILK. 



Mr. John Gill established a silk manufactory 
at Mount Pleasant, in Ohio, during the year 
1838. He now employs twenty hands, and 
pays them exactly the English prices, at which, 
the women and girls, who are principally em- 
ployed in the establishment, make good wages. 
Last year he manufactured upwards of nine 
thousand dollars worth of goods, and, although 
he sells them at less than the price of the foreign 
article, he managed to realize, under all the dis- 
advantages of a new undertaking, ten per cent, 
upon his capital. His fabrics are said to be all 
excellent, and some of them uncommonly beau- 
tiful. He exhibited a piece of lustring, which, 
by good judges, is pronounced to be superior to 
the best imported. 



DISTEMPER. 

We find Mr. J. O. Nicholson, in the " Plough- 
boy," describing exactly the disease to which 
foreign cattle are subjected with us, and con- 
firming, from trial, the efficacy of the remedy 
recommended by Col. Hampton, viz : sawing off 
the horns near the head. The bleeding, which 
was copious, says Mr. Nicholson, relieved the 
dulness about the eyes, and were the means of 
curing my cow. He advises after the bleeding 
is stopped, to bind cloths, plastered with tar, 
around the stump as a protection against the 
flies. 

The season is approaching when many of our 
readers will have an opportunity of trying this 
remedy. We should be pleased to hear the 
result. 



STEAM BOILER. 

The Editor of the American Farmer speaka 
in the highest terms of "Pickard's Convoluted 
Steam Boiler," and seems to give it the prefer- 
ence over that of Mott, that has heretofore borne 
away the palm. The price is not mentioned. 
The farmer now-a-days is almost afraid to buy 
a new article, no matter how good, lest a few 
days should produce another infinitely better. 



120 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



Richmond Markets, April 21, 1842. 



Butter — Mountain butter, wholesale 12£ a 16 
cents for firkin ; 20 cents for roll. 

Cotton — 8 a 9 cents per lb. 

Cotton Yarns — Richmond and Manchester, 
(factory prices,) Nos. 4, 5 and 6, 19c; 7, 8 
and 9, 20c; 10, 11 and 12, 21c; 13 and 14, 
23c; 15 and 16, 24c; 17,25c; 18,26c; 19, 
28; and 20, 28 cents. 

Cattle — For cattle on the hoof, from $4 to 
$5 50, are the general prices. Mutton — 
There is great variation in the quality ; indif- 
ferent sheep bring only from $1 to $2, while 
the finer qualities bring from that to $5 per 
head. 

Cheese — 8^ a 9 cents per lb. — none in market. 

Feathers — 38 a 40 cents per lb. for live geese. 

Fish— Mackerel, No. 3, $6. Herrings — No. 1, 



North Carolina, 
mac cut, $3 25. 



50 ; No. 2, $3 ; Poto- 
Shad, $7a$7 50 per bbl. 



Flour — Demand limited ; sales at $5 75 — 

held at $5 87£. 
Grain — Wheat $1 a $1 10, are prices now paid 

for good red and white. Corn, 55 to 60 cts. 

per bushel. Oats, 40 a 45 cents. Very little 

grain coming into market. 
Hides — Green 5 cts. per lb.; Spanish 13 a 16. 
Iron — Pig, $25 to $35 ; Swedes, $100 per ton. 

English, $85 to $90; Tredegar, (Richmond 

manufactory,) $90 ; Up Country bar, $75 a 

$S0 per ton. 
Lumber — Clear white pine $36 ; refuse clear 

32b. merchantable $22 ; refuse last sale at 

$14; flooring $15 a $20 per M. 
Lime — Thomaston 95 cents. 
Meal — 70 cents per bushel. 
Provisions — Bacon — Smithfield $5 50 a 6 50; 

Western 4£ a 5c — sales slow. Lard 5 a 7c 
Plaster — On the Basin bank $5 50 ; at the 

wharf $3 62£. 
Salt — $1 75 from the wharf. 
Steel — American blistered $135 to $140 per 

ton. 
Shot — 6 cents wholesale. 
Tobacco — Receipts continue light. Prices stea- 
dy. Lugs $2 25 a $2 50 a $2 75. Leaf 

$3 a $4 50, general sales — better kinds $5 

a $7 75. Fine manufacturing $6 50 a $9 

75. 

FREIGHTS. 

New York — Flour, per bbl. 25 cts. — very little 
going. Coal, 8 a 8| cents per bushel. To- 
bacco, $2 50 per hhd.; boxes 20 cts.; kegs 
25 cents. 

Philadelphia — Flour, none going. Tobacco, 
$2 50 per hhd.; 20 cts. for boxes ; 25 cts. for 
kegs, none going. Coal, 7 cents per bushel, 
Richmond measure. 

On the Canal — To Lynchburg and interme- 
diate places, 10 cents per 100 lbs. 



EXCHANGE. 
Foreign — On London 13 a 13£ per cent, pre- 
mium. 
Domestic — New York Checks, 7| a8 prem. 

Philadelphia, 7| a 8 premium. 

Baltimore, 7| a 8 premium. 

North Carolina Bank Notes, par. 

South Carolina, 5 premium. 

Savannah, 2 premium. 

Augusta, 2 premium. 

Alabama, 23 a 25 discount. 

Tennessee, 15 discount. 

Specie, 6J a 7 premium. 



CONTENTS OF NO. V. 

Sugar — From corn-stalks, p. 97. 

Draining and Manuring — Essay on, p. 98. 

Manufactures — Capability of the South to manu- 
facture for herself, p. 99. 

Corn — Collonus' method of cultivating, with a 
cut of his "Side Wiper," p. 100. 

Mange — To cure in dogs, p. 101. 

Piggery — Description of Mr. Kellogg's, p. 101. 

Deep Ploughing — Advantages of, p. 102. 

Milk — Reduced to a powder, p. 102. 

Manure — Making, preserving and applying, p. 
102. 

Breeding — Of swine, p. 103. 

Potatoes — Mr. Curtis' experiments, p. 104. 

Butter — Importance of the quality of the salt 
used in making, p. 104. 

Choked Cattle — To relieve, p. 104. 

Lucerne — On the cultivation of, p. 104. 

Profits of high cultivation, p. 105. 

Butter — Mr. Bement's experiments in making, 
p. 107. 

Ashes — When and where beneficial, p. 107. 

Woodland — Proper management of. p. 107. 

Tobacco Prize — Dr. Nelson's, with a cut, p. 109. 

Propagation of Trees — Chinese method, p. 110. 

Cattle — Rule for determining their weight by 
measurement, p. 110. 

Bone Dust — A failure, p. 110. 



Hogs — Should be salted, 



110. 



Bone Dust — Advantageous mode of applying, 
p. 110. 

Scare-Crows — How to make them, p. 111. 

Boilers — Letter from Mr. Pedder in explanation 
of his, p. 111. 

Stock — Complaint of deceptions in, p. 112. 

Berkshires — Defended by J. H. Turner, 113. 

Manure — How to be collected and disposed, 116. 

Wheat — Proper method of sowing, p. 116. 

Drill-Barrow — Dr. Horlon's, with a cut, p. 117. 

Smut — Prevention, p. 118. 

Tobacco and Cotton — Prospects of English mar- 
ket, p. 119. 

Silk — Success of Ohio manufactory, p. 119. 

Remedy — Value of Colonel Hampton's remedy 
confirmed, p. 119. 

Boiler — Pickard's, recommended, p. 119.