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heat that comes out of them. The bats being so loose and spongy, make the comforter a nonconductor of heat. So it confines the heat to our bodies, and keeps them warm. No blankets have been on our beds for ten years, and nobody sleeps cold in our house.

JVIince-pies, it is thought, can't be made toothsome without wine or brandy in them. It is not so. No pies of mine have had a drop of any intoxicating liquor for three years, yet the best judges have said, and behind my back, too, that my mince-pies were equal to any they had ever tasted. Besides, Mr. Printer, I have the comfort of knowing, that in these three years, no reformed drunkard has ever tasted relapse and ruin at my table, though several have eaten of my pies, and that no child or servant of ours is ever seen coming from the liquor-shop with a jug or bottle—no liquor-seller can say " the Dumplings are customers" of his.

This is my

RECEIPT FOR MINCEPIES WITHOUT WINE OR SPIRIT.

Take 4 pounds of plums—1 pound of currants—2 of cherries—3 of beef suet—4 of sugar—a fresh beefs tongue— \ a pound of citron—1 ounce of mace— \ an ounce of cloves— 1 nutmeg—the juice of 2 lemons—vinegar to your taste. Make mincemeat of these materials, and put it by for use. When you make pies, add syrup, or juice, of slewed apples to make the mincemeat liquid, and some fresh apples chopped fine.

In place of citron, marmalade, or preserves will do.

Dorothy Dumpling.

Louisa, January, 1844.

DECAY OF PEACH TREES, A singular fact and one worthy of being recorded, was mentioned to us a few days since by Mr. Alexander Duke, of Albemarle. He stated, that whilst on a visit to a neighbor, his attention was called to a large peach orchard, every tree in which had been totally destroyed by the ravages of the worm, with the exception of three; and these three were probably the most thrifty and flourishing peach trees he ever saw. The only cause of their superiority known to his host, was an experiment made in consequence of observing that those parts of worm-eaten timber into which nails had been driven, were generally sound. When his trees were about a year old he had selected three of them and driven a tenpenny nail through the body as near the ground as possible : whilst the balance of his orchard had gradually failed and

finally yielded entirely to the ravages of the worms, these three trees, selected at random, treated precisely in the same manner, with the-exception of the nailing, had always been vigorous and healthy, furnishing him at that very period with the greatest profusion of the most luscious fruit. It is supposed that the salt of iron afforded by the nail is offensive to the worm, whilst it is harmless, or perhaps even beneficial, to the tree.

THE MEASURING CROSS. A very intelligent and practical correspondent, who is by no means satisfied with the " measuring cross," extracted from the " Cultivator," offers as a substitute for it the following simple and convenient mode of measuring heights with a square :

" The " iron square," or " two-foot rule," is in the hand of every timber getter. Let a stick of convenient length be sharp at one end for sticking in the ground, and split at the other end to receive and clamp the rule or square, with one side of the square horizontal, ranging to the root of the tree, and the other side ranging upward, and toward the tree. At the twelve inch mark, on the long shank of the square, tie a string, or make some distinguishing mark; then recede from, or approach the tree or object to be measured, till you find the position from which the extremity of the short shank of the square and the twelve inch mark on the long shank, range with the top of the object, while the horizontal shank ranges with the foot of the object. Now, the distance to the foot, is the height of the object.

BEANS FOR SHEEP.

If you have any beans on hand which are unfit for culinary purposes, in consequence of being mouldy or rancid, wash them carefully and give them to your sheep. There is nothing, perhaps, that sheep more admire at this season, and a gill a day will be of more benefit to them than a pint of corn. It is frequently the case that beans are injured by the wet before the harvest, or by being stowed away damp, become mouldy and unfit for use. In this condition, they are often sold for one-half their value, which we consider equal to the best corn in any state. The vines and pods of beans are also excellent feed for sheep, and should be as carefulty husbanded by the farmer, as his corn and hay.

JVIaine Cultivator,

The Cultivator tells but half the story. Why is a gill of beans better for a sheep than a pint of corn ? This is an important problem in sheep

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husbandry; and one that not one flock-master in a thousand can answer.

If the object be to form fat in sheep, then the remark that beans are worth more than corn is not true. For corn contains more of the fat forming elements than beans. But if the object be to form muscle and wool then the remark is true. Beans contain more of the elements of wool, than any other cultivated plant. Hence nature, ever true to herself, has endowed the sheep with a taste for this plant which is denied to the-pig.

Peas, oats, barley and wheat also abound in the elements of wool; but in a less proportion.

The liquid excretions of all animals furnish the largest, as well as the cheapest' supply of the elements of cheese, wool, wheat, beans, &c; and yet in consequence of our profound ignorance of the science of organic chemistry, the indispensable elements of our food and raiment are wastefully thrown away. Through inexcusable ignorance, our cultivators of the soil break the laws of nature, and that harmonious circle of cause and effect—composition and decomposition—which enables us "to reap our daily bread from human mould" as Young so truthfully expresses our dependent condition. Buffalo Commercial Advertiser,

LACTOMETER.

A very common, but a very fallacious test of a milch cow, is the quantity of milk she gives. Our own experience teaches us that the most valuable cows are by no means the largest milkers, and by the bye, the best milkers are not those that give the greatest quantity at a particular time. The greatest quantity we ever obtained in a year was from a cow that gave about twelve quarts a day, although we have had those that gave a great deal more for a short time. Therefore, when quantity is spoken of, we should always like to know, not how many quarts a cow has given at a milking, but how much she has given between calf and calf. But this is not all: in our estimate, we should like to ascertain the quality of the milk; a quart of rich, yellow, creamy milk, not only for dairy purposes but for table use, would, in our estimation, oulmeasure a bushel of the thin blue stuff that some cows have the assurance to palm upon us for milk. In judging of these differences, taste will do something, and although we are not exactly like the man who could not

tell whether he was hot or cold without looking at the thermometer, we confess ourselves very much pleased with the description of a little implement intended to assist the taste in comparing the milk of different cows. This instrument is represented above. It consists of a mahogany frame, 10 inches long, 4 wide, and 8 high, in which stand six glass tubes, in a manner resembling candle-moulds. These tubes are about 11 inches long, and half an inch in diameter inside. Just 10 inches from the bottom, a fi ne line is marked round the tubes with the point of a diamond, and from this mark three inches downwards is graduated into inches and tenths of inches. At milking, these tubes are filled exactly to the upper line, (one from each cow,) and after standing twelve hours, the quantity of cream which has risen to the surface is shown by the degrees of the scale ; each degree representing one per cent, of the whole. Thus, if there should appear one inch and two-tenths, it would be twelve degrees; or the milk would give twelve per cent, of cream.

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

For the Southern Planter.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL AND OF THE MIND.

The late excellent Judge Buel has left us much information upon the " improvement of the soil and of the mind." If I forget not, he generally had an essay on the improvement of the mind, for the benefit of the rising generation, both male and female. It is evident to every observing man, that the improvement of the soil and the mind must go together. Their influence acts reciprocally on each other. The wisest of men, Solomon, says, " I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth ; and thy want as an armed man," (a sentinel, I suppose, who dare not leave his post until relieved.) See Book of Proverbs xxiv. 30-34.

Again he says, " Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

All nature is progressive, and man, the lord of this lower world, by Divine appointment, is commanded to grow in favor and knowledge of his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is done, by the works of creation, and revelation, understood and obeyed. The Author of all nature has given a constitution for the physical universe, for his creature man, and for Christ's Church. These are as immutable as his throne and admit of no improvement or amendments. Progressiveness is an essential attribute of all beings except the Deity—its absence implies either a state of absolute perfection, or an insusceptibility to any improvement. The first state is applicable to the Divine Being alone, and the second applies not to man, physically, politically, intellectually, or religiously considered. Progressive improvement—constant, uninterrupted and perpetual, entered into the design of God, in the formation of all organized bodies, whether animate or inanimate, physical or mental. The vegetable, animal, and intellectual world, when uninterrupted by the perversions of art, afford constant, sensible demonstrations of the universality of this principle. The infant plant, in its regular and rapid advances to a state of maturity—the infant man passing gradually and regularly from the cradle upwards, through the gradations of boyhood, and manhood, to maturity of stature and texture; the infant mind, which is first limited in its capacities to the direct objects of sense, but soon acquires the art of reasoning and reflection, and continues to ad-

vance to the stature of a powerful genius, all tend to demonstrate this undeniable truth. The arts, sciences, politics, and religion, have had their infancy, and the various stages of their progress and improvement make up their whole history.

How incompatible with the design of God, are those authoritative and proscriptive creeds, political and religious, which trammel the human mind, and set those narrow bounds to investigation and research! What would be the result, should some misguided cultivator attempt to set physical bounds to his stalks of corn, before they arrive to maturity ? or should some capricious or fanciful parent invent some physical contrivance to prevent the further development of his son's physical system and apply it at the age of ten years, what would be the result? Equally absurd is it to collect the agricultural, political or religious sentiments of any man or set of men of any age, and out of them constitute a proscriptive creed for the prevention of all further advances of light and truth: such a course would be disastrous to the peace and prosperity of society—and has been the cause of much political and religious faction, and is now rending and tearing the world to pieces. This is the fruit of bigotry and intolerance produced by the demon of party spirit.

Demosthenes, when asked the first requisite to eloquence, replied, " action"—when asked the second, he replied, " action"—and the third, he still replied, " action." Industry bears the same relation to agriculture that action did to eloquence in the estimation of the Athenian orator. With industry the farmer may accomplish every thing, and without it, he can do nothing. Let him study the value of time. Time is his great capital, and should be well invested. The wealth of the world, its high civilization, and its magnificent improvements, have been created and finished by the labor and industry of man. The poorest soil and most unfavorable climate are scarce impediments to an industrious and energetic people. Look at Holland, reclaimed from the ocean, fenced in by her embankments and mud walls, literally a smiling garden, where once there were nothing but bogs and ocean's wave. Look at Switzerland, where an industrious and hardy people, contending against the avalanches of snow and ice, and the embankment of mountain masses of rocks, falling and crushing for miles square everything before them, have cut the hills and mountains in terraces and planted them with vines ; according to the account of travellers, lands which before were worse than nothing, by this improvement sell for ten thousand francs per acre.

If there is one who may eat his bread at peace with God and man, it is that individual who has brought that bread out of the earth by his own industry—it is cankered by no fraud—it is

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stained by no blood—it is wet by no tear, but the sweat of his own brow.

I will conclude by giving you the true test of fame. The truest seeker after fame is the man who labors to make his children useful and honorable in their generation. In this way editions of his works may go on multiplying, instead of, perhaps, sinking into oblivion with his own time.

If acceptable, I may furnish extracts of in-' terest, to your readers occasionally, upon the various duties of this life.

King & Q,ueen.

From the American Fanner. DUTCH BUTTER.

We are indebted to the Nashville "Agriculturist" for the following account of the management of the dairy and the method of making butter in Holland; Dr. Frost one of'the editors of the Agriculturist is, we believe, a native of that country, and, therefore, may be presumed to speak advisedly upon the subject, and from our knowledge of his character we will add may be implicitly relied on.

" I have never seen or eaten strong butter in Holland. I have eaten butter which formed part of the provision of an East Indiaman—it went from Holland to Batavia, and part of it returned again to Holland, and the butter was yet good.

" Holland has long been celebrated for its fine dairies, and the Highland Society of Scotland, considering that the Scotch dairies might derive some advantages from an acquaintance with the management of those of Holland, offered a premium for the best report upon that subject, founded upon personal observation. The premium was, in 1833, awarded to John Mitchell, whose report, filled with interesting facts and details, is published in the Transactions of the Highland Society for that year. In the quotations from the London Journal, the superior qualities and higher market value of Dutch butter was referred to. Some idea of the dairy produce of Holland may be gained by considering that, in addition to the home consumption of a populous country, and the vast quantities sent to other parts of the world, England imported in 1830 no less than 116,233 cwt. of Dutch butter, and 167,917 cwt. of Dutch cheese.

"The pastures in Holland, as is generally known, have been reclaimed from the ocean, the waters of which are kept off by artificial embankments. The lands, of course, lie very low and flat, and as the water in the numerous canals is always near the top, the soil must be moist. The ground is seldom broken up with the plough, but is kept in good condition by top dressings, consisting chiefly of the solid and especially the liquid manures collected in the

cow-houses, mixed with the scrapings of the small canals. The first year after such dressing the land is generally mown for hay.

" The Hollanders make careful selections of their cows for their dairy, the price of good ones being usually from $40 to $45—they are generally fattened and turned off to the butcher at eight years old, and the bulls at four or five.— The cows are turned to pasture in March or April, and are at first covered with a very thick cloth of tow, covering the upper half of the body from the shoulders to the tail, to prevent-disease from cold. They are pastured about thirty weeks. Hay is their common food in winter, though rape-cake and brewer's grains are sometimes added. The byers or cow-houses are generally lofty, airy, paved with large square bricks, and kept perfectly clean. The roof is about ten feet high. There are no racks oi mangers, but the food placed in gutters, always clean, near their heads. Gutters in the rear serve to carry off the urine and dung, and these gutters are also kept clean.

" The cows are always milked by the men, and the butter and cheese made by the women, generally of the family. Ninety cows are managed by nine men and two women. There is generally one man required to ten cows; while two women are considered enough for any dairy ; the farmer reckons that he can make one hundred guilders, about forty dollars per annum, by each cow.

" There are three distinct kinds of butter made in Holland : grass butter, made when the cows are at grass; ivhey butter, from the whey of sweet milk cheese; and hay butter, made in winter.

" Grass Butter. —The cows being carefully milked to the last drop, the pitchers containing the milk are put into the Kalbok, or coolers.— When the cream has been gathered and is soured, and if there is a sufficient quantity from the number of cows, they churn every twenly-four hours, the churn being half filled with the soured cream. A little boiled warm water is added in winter to give the whole a proper degree of heat, and in very warm weather the milk is first cooled in the Krelbok. In small dairies the milk is sometimes churned, when soured, without separating the cream. The butter, immediately after being taken out of the churn, is put into a shallow tub. called a vloot, and carefully washed with pure cold water. It is then worked with a slight sprinkling of fine salt, whether for immediate use or the barrel.— When the cows have been three weeks at grass, the butter is delicious, is made in fanciful shapes of lambs, stuck with flowers of the polyanthus, etc., and sell as high as 44 stivers, 70 to 80 cents, the 17^ oz. or Dutch pound. If intended for barrelling, the butter is worked up twice or thrice a day, with soft, fine salt, for three days

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in a flat tub, there being about two pouuds of this salt allowed for fotrteen pounds of butter; the butter is then hard packed, by thin layers into casks, which casks are previously seasoned and cleaned. They are alwa} T s of oak, well smoothed inside. Before being used they are allowed to stand three or four days, filled with sour whey, and thereafter carefully washed out and dried. Each cow, after being sometime at grass, yield about one Dutch pound (17^ oz ) of butter per day.

" We beg our dairy-women to mark two points in the preceding process. No salt is used but what is incorporated with and dissolved in the butter, and which is necessary to give it flavor; and 2d. The butter intended for keeping is worked from six to ten times, to incorporate the salt, and to seperate from it every particle of liquid, which if left in it, would induce rancidity.

" Hay Butter, undergoes a like process.

" Whey Butter. —The whey is allowed to stand three days or a week, after being separated from the curd, when the cream is skimmed off, or the whey itself put into the churn, and the butter is formed in about an hour. By this process, in winter one pound of butter is obtained from each cow in a week, and in summer one pound and a half. The relative prices of, are generally—

"Grass butter S| stiver—17 cents.

" Hay butter 7 stiver—13 cents.

" Whey butter 6 stiver—12 cents.

T„ Editor."

For the Southern Planter. POUDRETTE.

Mr. Editor, —In the last number of the Planter, page 12, you remark that "Mr. Minor himself must by this time be convinced that he was grossly imposed upon in the article he sent us." No, sir, he is by no means convinced of any such thing—he is only convinced that from some cause, either from drought or some peculiarity of soil or season, the poudrette did not produce its ordinary effect in Virginia, last year, and he does not hesitate to say that if the ground where it was applied last year is planted with corn this year, and carefully observed, its effects will be seen.

It was a common remark, in July and August, or during the very dry time last summer, by those who had used poudrette, that they were apprehensive it would not answer their expecta- [ tions—yet thus far we have had but a single unfavorable report in this vicinity, and that was on the light dry soil of New Jersey, where the corn did not come up at all —of course it was the "humbug" poudrette, and nothing else, which prevented the corn from growing.

I have called, in the Cultivator and American Agriculturist, upon all who have used it to give

me full reports—the kind of soil, crops, and quantity used, and how applied, in reply to which I have received, and send you the copy of a letter from Hon. R. M. Sherman, of Fairfield, Connecticut, and also a copy of the " Farmers' Cabinet" for January, in which you will find three short letters—the one from Dr. Emerson I never saw until I read it in the Cabinet— and you will oblige me by giving them all, together with this, a place in the next number of the Planter; I desire more to stand fairly before your readers, as an upright business man, than to sell them poudrette. I travelled extensively through Virginia in 1823 and 1824, and became partially known to many persons whose good opinion, though I may not now be recollected by them, I value more highly than any amount of money I can possibly expect to derive from the State by the sale of poudrette, or otherwise, and therefore 1 may make larger calls, from time to time, upon your columns than may be convenient to you—yet / am sure you will give me fair play, and that is all I ask, as I know 1 am right and shall prevail; and I say to you in all confidence that in less than ten years the material of which poudrette is made will be gathered and preserved with as much care, throughout this country, as oats or potatoes, when ready to harvest, and mainly through my instrumentality, as, when in 1837 I undertook the preparation of poudrette and its introduction among the farmers, it was " a by-word and a reproach," and no other man in this vicinity could be induced to undertake it; yet, against prejudice, ridicule, opposition, detraction, and lack of means to work to advantage, I have persevered for six years, yielding for several years other more agreeable pursuits, until the difficulties are mainly overcome; and the demand was last spring, and will be next, greater than the supply, notwithstanding I have commenced the manufacture in Philadelphia also, under much more favorable circumstances than here.

I am, sir, respectfully yours,

D. K. Minor. January 18, 1844.

Nothing but a strict sense of justice to our subscribers, would ever induce us to express an opinion unfavorable to an article, in the value of which the interest or reputation of any particular individual is involved. Not the least of the difficulties arising from such a course, is the loss of the command of our own columns, of which to a certain extent it deprives us. It is very difficult to resist the appeal to our sense of justice with which the above was accompanied; yet we believe a large majority of our readers think we have already devoted more space to the consideration of this subject than it is entitled

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to. In a general point of view, the value of human excrement is an important question, but the discussion of the purity of Mr. Minor's production, although far more interesting to that particular gentleman, is infinitely less so to much the- larger portion of our readers; and as the paper belongs to them and not to us, we are only "obeying instructions,'' in determining to condense into general statements, particulars that may hereafter be furnished. Mr. Minor must also pardon us, if instead of copying the three letters referred to in the " Farmers' Cabinet," we state in general terms, that they contain very flattering testimonials as to the efficacy of this same poudrette applied to corn, wheat, and grass; they are also backed by similar statements, of the highest authority, in the "American Farmer." But as the reports from this region have been so unfavorable, we will insert the following letters of an opposite character from Mr. Lyons and Dr. McCaw. Mr. Lyons' statement will perhaps help considerably in removing the burden of failure from Mr. Minor's shoulders, to the season. Dr. McCaw's letter is a very interesting one, for there is no greater desideratum with the tobacco planter, than an article which would secure him a good stand of plants.

To the Editor of the Southern Planter:

Dear Sir,— As I differ " toio ccelo" from Mr. Taylor, of Union Village, as to the value of the " Planter," I enclose you the subscription for two 3'ears, and charge you nothing "for my trouble ;" I will ask, however, the privilege of making one or two suggestions. The first is, that you will in future put the "month" upon the cover of the Planter. My reason for this suggestion is, that although I read the paper as soon as it comes to rny hands, yet frequently desire to refer to it, and wishing to find the " Planter" of a certain month, I am obliged to open many numbers very often before I find the one desired.— This occasions some trouble and delay, which would be avoided if the month was printed upon the head of the cover*

The next suggestion is, that probably some

* TJ j- lion has been made before, and we

are perfectly aware that it would be a convenience era. But our subscription list varies so much from month to month that we are compelled to strike off a large edition of covers to provide for contingencies : if the month were printed upon the yould be useless to us, whereas can now be used for succeeding months. But i eration should not prevent us from corn-request, if it were not so easy for the ribcr himself to supply the defect, by writing the w.m" of the month on the cover when he rece the paper.—En. i

Vol.. IV.-S

of 3 T our correspondents and contributors have done injustice, unintentionally, to Mr. Minor in relation to his Poudrette. This inference is founded upon a little experiment of my own, which I will state. I purchased of you, as you know, two barrels of poudrette, which you received from Mr. Minor, and I caused them to be applied to a portion of my turnip patch and to a lot of rnangel-wurtzel. Before the manure was applied, I had a conversation with Mr.Wood-fin in relation to the use of poudrette, and especially as to the manner of applying it, and at the close of it he kindly offered me a bushel of his poudrette, for the purpose of being applied in comparison with the poudrette obtained from you, which I of course accepted. I directed my overseer to divide the ground into three parts by an intervening furrow, and to apply to one portion of it the poudrette received from j t ou, to another that received from Mr. Woodfin, and to the third, the common stable manure. The result was, that the beets failed from being planted too late, and a wet and backward spring. The turnips were very luxuriant, and of fine size, but were injured from not being properly thinned, and those manured with poudrette were better than those manured with stable manure, but I could not perceive that there was any difference in growth between those manured with Mr. Minor's poudrette and Mr. Woodfin's.

The foliage of each parcel was very fine, and the turnips were of fine size and flavor. I was struck, however, by the fact that the turnips which w r ere manured with poudrette, fired in a manner which I have not before remarked, so that while the turnip was yet growing, the leaves became perfectly j'ellow and then fell, and in some instances, the turnip itself seemed to be entirely decayed, and I thought, though it may have been imaginary, that the turnips manured with Mr. Minor's poudrette fired more than those manured with Mr. Woodfin's. Both certainly fired very much, while the turnips manured with stable manure fired very little. What caused this firing I pretend not to say. but it seems to have been the effect, in part at least, of the poudrette ; for if it had been occasioned by the season, each parcel of turnips would have fired alike; and my inference, therefore, is, that there is either some ingredient in the poudrette which is too heating, or it was applied in too large quantity. Of course I do not intend to controvert any fact stated by any of your correspondents, nor do I affirm that the barrels of poudrette which I purchased did not contain materials similar to those found in the barrels which some of them opened, for I did not see my own barrels opened, but sent them unopened to my overseer, with directions to apply the manure according to Mr. Woodfin's advice. But I infer that Mr. Minor conld not have intended to practice an imposition, because if he had, I should

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have been as likely to get a barrel of the spurious article as any other person, and I infer that I did not, because every one who knows Mr. Woodfln, knows that he is incapable of practicing a trick, and if capable of it, he would not be silly enough to do it upon a friend, to whom he was making a donation for the purpose of experiment; and if Mr. Minor's article had been spurious, it would have been detected in the comparison with Mr. Woodfin's.

I must say, however, that I am satisfied that poudrette is too expensive, at present prices, for extensive field use, though most probably highly beneficial and profitable in gardening.

Very respectfully, L.

January 2, 1844.

To the Editor of the Southern Planter:

Dear Sir, —I obtained from you last spring a barrel of poudrette, with the view of making an experiment of its action on tobacco plants, and promised to report the result, which 1 have heretofore omitted to do from circumstances beyond my control. I failed to receive the article until the 14th of May.

On the 15th, I applied two-thirds of the barrel broad-cast on a plant bed of about six hundred square yards, never previously manured.— There was a portion of the bed of about twenty-five square yards, where the plants looked better and were on an average about double the size of the others, where the soil was much better, and to which no poudrette was applied. A few hours after the application, there came on a gentle shower, of some hours duration.

Seven days after, I examined the bed, and found that the plants on the spot where the application had not been made, had no advantage in size, whereas the growth on the rest of the bed had every evidence of greater luxuriance, and such was the character of the experiment throughout the planting season. I am so well satisfied with the result of this experiment, that I expect to profit by it on a much larger scale this year.

The rest of the poudrette was applied to a smaller bed, but nothing satisfactory could be ascertained from it, as it had been previously manured and destroyed by grass. Yours, respectfully,

David McCaw.

Powhatan, Jan. 12, 1844.

On the other hand, we are bound to say that we have received a communication from Dr. R. H. Nelson, of Hanover, stating that he had applied, last spring, five barrels of this poudrette to plant beds, corn, and tobacco, according to the printed advice of Mr. Minor, without producing in any instance the least perceivable be-

nefit. He concludes with the following remark : "From the foregoing experiments I am decidedly of opinion, that there never was a greater imposition put upon the farming community."

.SOCIETY OF ARTS—CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE.

A numerous meeting was held yesterday evening, Mr. Hobly, Vice President, in the chair, when Mr. Dicks gave a description of a new furnace for the combustion of fuel without the production of smoke. This subject is now exciting considerable attention on account of the recent select committee of the House of Commons appointed to investigate the cause, and point out means for the prevention of smoke.— The plan proposed by Mr. Dicks is to adopt the same principle to furnaces as the common av-gand lamp, or to diffuse as large a quantity of air from as many orifices as possible upon the burning mass of fuel. In such a case the chemical means necessary for complete combustion, are as perfect as possible, and the result is that the whole of the vaporisable matters which, under ordinary circumstances, are given off either as black or colorless smoke, are made available for the support of combustion. This plan for obtaining complete combustion is already in extensive use in different parts of the metropolis, and with entire success in the total suppression of smoke.— English paper.

For the Southern Planter. HERDSGRASS.

Mr. Editor, —Though not a farmer professionally, my circumstances have been such as to afford me an opportunity of knowing something about herdsgrass. I appreciate the difficulties of your Powhatan subscriber in relation to herdsgrass, respecting which he requests information ; and, although the request is addressed, especially, to your Nottoway correspondent, P. B. W., as it is not confined to him, I may, without indecorum, suggest the following for his consideration. On thin ground, to secure success, the seed should be much thicker sown, than is necessary on good ground. Under the most favorable circumstances, spring sowing is not so likely to succeed as fall sowing. Because in a very tender state, it has to contend with the drought of summer, and the native weeds. But to the point.

1st. " In what proportion should the oats and grass seed be mixed ?" Much will depend on the quantity of oats seeded to the acre. Some would say half a bushel is enough for " thin land;" others, three pecks ; and others, a bushel. Again, much depends on the quality of the seed—whether well cleaned, or a half or three-

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fourths litter, as is often the case. Whatever may be the measure of oats, not less than half a bushel of good grass seed should be put to the acre; they can't be too thick. Of badly cleaned seed, I put a bushel or more to the acre.

2d. " Whether or not will the grass seed bear being got in with small turning ploughs ?" It may be a labor-saving plan ; but, by it, most of the seed will probably be lost. It is a small feeble spire at first. Even if the seed germinate, it cannot make its way through a superincumbent mass of earth from two to four inches thick, especially when run together and hardened by rain, wind and sun. I advise that the grass seed be sown mixed with ashes and plaster of Paris, after the oats have been ploughed in, if they must be so got in. Then brush the land ; or, if you do not brush, the grass seed will stand a better chance on the surface than turned under by the plough.

3d. " Will herdsgrass seed take on wheat land, seeded in winter or spring?" Yes; sow now—sow all winter, and early in spring; and, on good land, you are likely to do well. When the wheat is taken off, the young grass is in danger from the scorching sun, as is especially the case on the oat land, when the oats are cut off. To guard against this calamity, as much as possible, sow the land with plaster soon after harvest. In a dry season, this should not be neglected.

4th. "What preparation," &c. "for a hay meadow?" Answer. Make the best selection you can of land. It should be rich. If not rich, make it so. If so situated that you can water it at pleasure, it is a very valuable consideration. Keep it well cultivated through the spring and summer—if without a crop, the better. In the latter part of August or in September give the land a fresh stirring, make it fine and smooth, and sow it down, while fresh, with about one bushel of good, clean seed to the acre, and in all probability, next August you will be paid for your labor. Seed sown at that period avoids the scorching summer sun, and gains strength to stand the frost of winter. Let ihe first cutting be delayed till the seed is ripe; thus the thin spots, if any, will become thickly set. Fail not to cut over the whole surface, though it appear thin and unprofitable. It must be done to destroy the rising weeds and briers, and give entire ascendency to the herdsgrass. The second year's crop will convince you, that that the process is a good one. I have said more than I expected when I commenced this subject. I did not know how to say less. If it can be of any service to your correspondent, let him have it.

Your?, respectfully,

Cumberland.

January 17, 1844.

AYRSHIRE COWS. We have seen nothing to change the opinion heretofore expressed, that the Ayrshire was the stock best adapted to the short herbage and rough usage to which milch cows are subjected in Virginia. We do not mean that they will give extraordinary quantities of milk, or even live long, on hen's grass, but we are satisfied that they are more hardy and better adapted to our soil and habits than their more lordly and luxuriant rivals, the Durhams. We had no idea, however, that they approximated, as milkers, the quantities with which they are credited in the following report. We are indebted for this paper to the kindness of a friend ; it is the report made by Mr. Randall, as Chairman of the Committee on Ayrshire Stock, to the American Institute last fall, and is now published for the first time:

"Jtfr. President and Gentlemen, —Your Committee have very imperfectly attended to the duty assigned them by you, last evening, and offer as an excuse, that a portion of them have been occupied by a very arduous task among the cattle on the show ground, as judges on stock. They are prepared, however, from the limited knowledge they have of the Ayrshire breed of cattle, and from the best information they have been able to procure, to offer the following as their report :

"The Ayrshire cows are of medium size, their average living weight about eight hundred and ninety pounds. Their peculiarities are as follows:—They are low in the leg, and fine in the bone, with a round and capacious barrel— rather heavy in the hind quarter—straight on the back—the neck and head very light—the neck well set on—no dewlap—horns small, short and clear—the tail very small—a true taper in the barrel from the back rib to shoulders—fore quarters light—the udder an oblong square, rounded off on lower part, and running far forward—their teats small and well spread ; they are a very hard}' race of animals, with good constitutions, and when dry, disposed to take on flesh quickly. Your Committee are of the opinion that the Ayrshire breed of cattle stand unrivalled as a dairy breed, and will give a better return in milk and butter, for the food con» sumed, than any breed of cattle now known.

" It is a fact well established, that the beef of the Ayrshire breed will sell in the Glasgow and Edinborough market for one penny per pound more than that of any other breed.

"Your Committee have, from their own knowledge and from information from such sources as can be relied on, ascertained that the average quantity of milk from common Ayrshire cows

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

of milk, requue to be milked three times in each j "All of which is most respectfully submitted."

MR. GEDDES' HARROW

{Scale, half an inch to the foot's

We are indebted to George Geddes, Esq., of Onondaga county, for the drawing from which the above engraving was made, as well as for the annexed description of the harrow, invented by him some years since, and which has been extensively used in that part of the State, and found superior to any other known there. With the aid of the description and drawing, our readers in any part of the country will be able to get them made for their own use, as there is no patent for it.— Cultivator.

Description.— Timber, three inches square.

The side pieces should enter the centre pieces so that the acute angle will contain thirty-five degrees. Or the bevel may be found by laying a carpenter's square on a board, and measuring on one side of the corner three inches, and on I the other two inches and one-twelfth of 'an inch • ! a line drawn through these points will make a j

triangle, having the smaller angle, that is the angle at the point where the three inches reached,—the angle required.

The tenons should enter the centre pieces only one inch, the mortise and tenon being cut square with the centre pieces, as shown in the engraving. If this joint is well made, the bolt passing through both sticks will keep the timber in place perfectly. ^The side pieces have each three bolts, X, X, X, passing through the middle, to prevent their splitting. The back hinge is made of Swede's iron, bolted at A, B, C, D, E, F, on the timber with half inch bolts. These bolts should be well made, and have large heads on the lower end, as if any thing breaks, it probably will be these bolts.

The forward hinge is made with Swede's iron, and bolted on the top of the timber, with three bolts in each side of the hinge.

/

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61

The hook plays freely in an eye on the end of a rod, made of round iron, five-eighths of an inch in diameter, which runs through both hinges; having a washer, nut and spring kej T , behind the back hinge. The eyes in the hinges should be the thickness of the iron above the timber, consequently the rod running through the eyes will be that much above the timber.

The hinges should be four and one-half feet apart from centre to centre.

The centre pieces are one inch apart.

The side pieces 'should be twelve or thirteen inches apart in the clear, measuring square across.

The four teeth in the centre pieces require to be made straight on one side, instead of having the point in the centre, as their places are near the sides of the timber.

The teeth should be seven-eighths of an inch .square.

This drawing of my harrow, shows all the improvements in its construction that have been made since you published the engraving in 1S36.

I have attempted to show every thing in this drawing, and to give so minute a description that any common mechanic shall be able to construct a harrow without making mistakes.

A harrow having thirty teeth passing within two inches of each other, from centre to centre, is just what is wanted on ground under good cultivation. On land just cleared, the teeth should be further apart, perhaps four inches.

The advantages that my harrow possesses over the hinged square harrow, are very great. It draws easier. One reason for this is, that the line of draft passes through the middle of the harrow, having just as much weight, and just as many teeth, (and they equi-distant therefrom,) on each side; consequently, the harrow on an even surface, moves straight forward, without producing any vibrating of the whiffietrees, as the square harrow does.

Another advantage is, it is easily cleared of foul stuff. The driver, without stopping his , lifts up one side, and the stone or stick falls out.

The teeth track better, and instead of leaving a few large marks on mellow ground, it leaves small marks.

It is sironger, and when broken is easier repaired than any other harrow.

It is cheaper than a well made thirty tooth

re harrow, and the expensive part, (hinges,

rod and bolts.) will last a very long time. The

of one of my harrows, made of the very

best of timber, the teeth all steel pointed, and'

the Wi I iwice, is twelve dolla

*Asitn ome unacqm inted

Mr. t, ribed,

ruction eem

per to State that such is not the in

folic-, the onlysolicitucU ! e 6 •

I request any person that may attempt to construct a harrow from my plate and description, to follow the directions exactly. If it should be supposed that improvements can be made, I beg that first an experiment be made after my directions—-then improve, and if the improvement is not found to be backwards, give it to the public.

I have been using this harrow for eleven years. Since you published the engraving in 1836, which showed the principles involved, I have made great improvements in the manner of putting it together ; but all the attempts to alter it fundamentally, have, so far as I have learned, been failures, and sometimes the experimenter has laid his to somebody besides himself.

My only wish now, in relation to this harrow, is, that it may be made correctly ; that this may be done, I have prepared the drawing. I have no fears but that it will prove to be better than any other in use, if fairly tested.

Geo. Geddes.

Tyler, JV. F., JYov. 30, 1843.

REAPING MACHINES. We have received a letter from Mr. McCor-mick in which he rather complains of our not having done him justice last year in noticing the contest that took place in this vicinity between himself and Mr. Hussey. We are not only desirous to deal out evenhanded justice to each of these gentlemen, but we are anxious to discharge our duty to our subscribers, to whom we are under greater obligations than to either of them. We will, therefore, put them in possession of all the facts touching the premises that have come to our knowledge, and then express the opinion we have formed of the two machines, letting it go for what it is worth.— During the last harvest, these machines were brought together,first, at Mr. Hutchinson's, about four miles above the city : we were not present, but understand, that an informal committee was raised amongst the by-standers, who expressed a preference for Mr. McCormick's machine, but awarded' Hussey great credit for his operation. Mr. Hussey informed us, both before and after this trial, that peculiar circumstances forced him to use a small and indifferent machine, which was by no means a fair representative of his invention. Mr. Roane, who was one of the com-

is that of the inventor; but that should an}-person desire a harrow of tin's construction, by addressing a note to Oren Barton, Tyler P. O., New York, postage p; id, i nclosing twelve dollars, a harrow, made in the i ill be put on the canal, directed and

forwarded to any place required.— Eds. Cultivator.

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER,

mittee and who signed the report favorable to McCormick, told us afterwards, that he did so very reluctantly ; and being anxious to see them both farther tested, invited them to meet at Tree Hill a few days afterwards. We were present at this second trial for a part of the time, (they cut together, we believe, for a whole day,) and were much delighted with the performance of both. In the absence of either, we should have imagined that the other could not have been equalled. Some twelve or fifteen farmers were present, and as far as we could gather the public sentiment, it was very equally divided between them. Mr. Roane instituted this comparison for the purpose of choosing between the two, and his conclusion may be pretty clearly gathered from the following letter, which we find in the American Farmer:

"Tree Hill, January 23, 1844.

" Dear Sir,—I received a few days ago your letter of the 17th instant, on the subject of your reaping machine ; you call my recollection to a trial between it and Mr. McCormick's reaper at Mr. Hutchinson's, in July last, on which occasion I ' was one of a committee which gave the preference to Mr. McCormick's machine;' you also advert to a trial between these rival machines a few days subsequent, at this place, and request to know my impressions after this second trial. I presume from the fact of my having ordered one of your reapers for the ensuing harvest, that it is your purpose to publish this statement. Averse as I am to having my name in print on this, or any other occasion, I cannot with propriety decline a response to your inquiry. I had never seen or formed an idea of a reaping machine until I went to Hutchinson's—j I was surprised and delighted with the performance of each of them, and fully resolved to own one of them by the next harvest, but their per-' formance that day left me in a state of doubt which I should select. The report spoke in ; terms of high praise of each machine, and 1 consented to its award, that on the whole Mr. j McCormick's was preferable, merely because * being the cheapest, and requiring but two horses, it would best suit the majority of our farmers,, who make small crops of wheat on weak land — for I doubted its capacity in heavy grain. After this report was made I heard your complaint that you did not have a fair trial, because being unable to bring into the field your large improved reaper, which was up the river, you were compelled to comply with your engagement for the day, with a small and inferior machine, drawn by an indifferent and untutored team. Mr. Hutchinson's wheat was badly rusted, and therefore light. I had ready for the scythe, a low

ground field of heavy and well matured grain: partly to expedite my harvest work, and partly to renew the trial, that I might solve my doubts as to the merits of these machines, I succeeded in engaging them to be at Tree Hill on a named day—they both came agreeable to appointment, M'"- McCormick bringing the machine he used at Hutchinson's, and you bringing the one you could not on that occasion bring down the river. The day was fine, and both machines did their best, and had a very fair trial. My doubts were fully removed, and my mind convinced that in the heavy wheat we raise, on our river low grounds, rich bottoms, &c, your machine is superior to Mr. McCormick's, of which I still think highly—I accordingly ordered one of 3'ours to be made for the approaching harvest.

" I wish you all possible success in cutting hemp in the ' Great West.' It must be very desirable to cut that valuable plant instead of pulling it up by the roots, and I cannot doubt that your reaper has ample power for the process. Most respectfully, yours, &c.

W. H. Roane.

Mr. Obed Hussev, Baltimore."

For our own part, we consider both of these machines admirable in their construction, but certainly each has advantages over the other. McCormick's is cheaper, lighter, of easier draft, and will, we think, cut better in damp wheat or where there is much undergrowth of weeds and other succulent matter. But above all, the greatest recommendation to this machine, is, that it has stood the test of experience, and we have read and heard the most satisfactory testimonials from some of our best farmers, who have tried it through one or two harvests. On the contrary, as they appeared to us last summer, Hussey's seemed to be stronger, simpler, better made, more compact, and more rapid in execution. The raker, who has a very arduous task with McCormick, has comparatively nothing to do with Hussey. A drawing and more particular description of each machine, may be found respectively, at pages 12 and GS of the third volume of the Planter.

For the Southern Planter.

STRAW CUTTERS.

Mr. Bolts, —My attention has been called to a communication over your name in the 'Albany Cultivator" for January, in which you undertake to correct what you suppose to be a misstatement with respect to the fitness of your knife for cutting cornstalks: you say it may answer for the small stalks of the North, but it

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63

is not suited for such as grow at the South. Now with all due deference I beg leave to differ with you entirely. I flatter myself that I live in a country where cornstalks grow as large as they do almost anywhere. I am in the habit of cutting off my stalks close to the ground, and for the last two or three years that I have been using your cutter I have passed them through it, without the slightest injury to the knife, to the superiority of which in every respect I most cheerfully bear my unqualified testimony. I volunteer this statement, which you will oblige me by inserting in the Planter from a desire of disseminating a knowledge of one of the best and most useful agricultural implements I ever saw*

Your obedient servant,

Peter Hanger. Waynesborough, Augusta, Va., February, 1844.

puts it about his gullies and galls—thus inviting the cattle to frequent such spots and enrich the soil (on which he has scattered herdsgrass seed) by their "deposites."

Junior. December 6, 1843.

We have frequently noticed objections in the northern papers to curing hay with salt, on account of its injurious effects upon the animals to which it was fed, arising from the unnatural excess of salt with which they were thereby drugged. But we had imagined that if a plentiful supply of salt were placed at the disposal of the animal, instinct would direct him as to the quantity required for his system.

For the Southern Planter. SALT—AN INJURY TO STOCK IN WINTER.

In conversation with a very practical farmer, who has been successful in raising stock, (I refer to Dr. Venable, of Mecklenburg,—I know he will excuse the liberty of giving him as au-1 thority, for what follows,) I was a little surprised to hear from him, that if he was requested to give a recipe, for the most effectual method of gradually destroying a good flock of sheep, he would say— "Salt them freely from the 1st of] November or December to the 1st of April." He thinks also, that it is very injurious to cattle, to salt them during the winter months. His rea- j son for this opinion is, that the use of salt creates j an unnatural thirst, and the introduction of cold water into the stomach of the animal (especially of sheep) is followed by many of the " ills that brutes are heir to." I am very sure, Mr. Editor, that the Doctor is very willing and would desire to hear any objections and reasons in opposition to his theory, and I hope you, or some of your correspondents, will give their " notions" on this subject. The theory is supported (the Doctor tells me) by facts —a very satisfactory mode of argument. Those of his neighbors who have made free use of salt in winter have lost their sheep and cattle: he and others of his neighbors have been very successful in rearing them.

The Doctor, however, advocates the free and frequent use of salt for cattle, from 1st April to 1st November. He gives it three times a week. He does not give the salt alone. He makes use of the following recipe, viz :

Mix 4 bushels of clay, 2 bushels of salt, 2 pounds of sulphur, and 2 pounds of saltpetre: he gives the mixture in ample quantities, and sometimes makes up the mixture in cakes, and

* I give it up.—C, T. B.

HORSE SHOEING.

A writer upon the subject of "shoeing," adverting to the frog and the diseases that proceed from its inaction, maintains, that it should be always, as in a state of nature, subjected to pressure. He gives the following directions for shoeing:

The horse's foot being circular, and not oval, the shoe should be made in that form ; or rather the shoe should be measured, and the shoe made exactly to correspond. An oval or elliptic foot is generally, nay, we may say always diseased. It has assumed that shape in consequence of the contraction of the bars, brought on solely by a diseased state of the frog for want of pressure; and in no one instance of oval-formed feet will the frogs be found healthy.— The moment the foot is lifted from the ground, the smell indicates the diseased frog, though perhaps cockney equestrians consider this the natural perfume of the organ when in health.

The shoe should be as light as possible consistently with the labor the animal has to undergo. Before it is put on, the hoof should be pared away toward the heels, in such a manner that without the shoe the horse should stand with the frog close to the ground, as when in a state of nature ; when the shoe is on, it should be filed away towards the heels, being left only sufficiently thick to enable the frog in the natural position of the animal without a rider or burthen, just to clear the ground ; so that when the horse bears its burthen or its rider, the frog of the shoed foot should receive the same pressure from the ground that it would do if the shoes were taken off and the animal turned loose. When a horse is shod according to the present system, besides the various diseases brought on by the want of the frog, the animal walks upon its toes, (the expression cannot be misunderstood,) and the proper muscular action of the foot and leg is perverted. Hence many

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

horses fall dead lame without the farrier being I but thev all prove to be only temporary My able to assign any cause for it, although he will older hogs also suffer more or less with mange talk dogmatically enough on the subject to con- and vermin, and although they can be relieved found those who know no belter than- himself, j by such applications as are recommended, jet

i as in the other case it is only temporary. I

For tlie Southern Planter. ■ HOGS.

Mr. Editor, —Although I am not a very young farmer, yet I have never undertaken to raise hogs in sties till within the last two years. I had observed the success which had attended the efforts of others. I had particularly attended to what my old friend, the Rev. Jesse Turner, had said on the subject, in whose experience and good sense I placed much reliance. I had examined his arrangements for the accommodation of swine, and with great confidence and ardor constructed my sties upon his plan and pursued as rigidly as circumstances would permit his whole system. One of the things which most attracted my attention and with which I was most pleased, was the prospect of raising a large amount of manure, which would compensate me for the expense of the pork. As I before remarked, my sties are constructed after the plan prescribed by Mr. Turner, of the best materials and in the best style—six in number, with an area of 54 by 21 feet in front, in which the hogs are permitted to range occasionally for exercise, particularly the sows and pigs. The sties as well as the yard are kept well supplied with leaves and other litter to be converted into manure, and removed as soon as it is sufficiently worked up by the hogs. They are well furnished with vegetable and other food, according to the season of the year.

I would here remark, that there is no food on which 1 have fed my hogs more profitably in

summer than fresh cut clover. They eat it nure, are incompatible

know with most persons, as it has been with me, the idea of mangy and verminous hogs is associated with bad feeding or want of cleanliness, but such was not the case with mine.— The secret, in my opinion, lies in this. We are too often inattentive to the provisions and economy of nature. He who has attended to the habits of the hog, will see that he delights (in the summer particularly,) in the running stream, to wallow in the mud, and to sleep where he can receive the cool and refreshing showers.— And to my .mind there is nothing so well calculated to disturb and destroy vermin and mange as these things. What is the mange but a hard and scaly eruption of the skin, arising most generally perhaps from the irritation produced by fleas and lice ? Who has not seen that hogs which lie about granaries and straw, have mange—situations most calculated to engender and retain those insects ? But perhaps the remedy will point out the true nature of the disease. In numerous instances I have turned out those which were affected with the above named maladies, into a lot where they could indulge in the water and the mud, and with the same, or perhaps less food, they would very soon recover and get fat.

Now, sir, I believe it is impossible to keep your sties littered in summer, so as to insure you manure worth your trouble, without at the same time generating vermin and disease, to the destruction of your young hogs and the great injury of the old ones. If this be true, then my position is also true, that the successful raising- of hogs in sties, and the raising of ma-

with great avidity and thrive rapidly upon it

The result of my experience and observation in this matter, is this: That the successful raising of hogs and manure are incompatible with each other, to a certain extent, and that the sty system rigidly carried out, as we practice it in this part of Virginia, will not answer. Perhaps on those farms where there are extensive dairies, or some other circumstances which vary the system, it may be attended with different results. My sows bring their pigs about the first of March, and grow off very finely till they are about four or five weeks old, when they are observed to begin to cough and wheeze, and to rub and scratch themselves. From that time they become mangy and lousy, and continue to decline. They are permitted to go out of the enclosure at their pleasure, but of course are most commonly within, with their mothers, and sleep within.

Various remedies have been used to cure thern.

The system which I have chalked out for myself and which has been founded .on the observation and experience of the last two years, is this: As soon as my sows have their pigs, I shall at least in the day, and in mild weather, (for they delight in cool weather to bask in the warm sun,) turn them into a lot provided with water. I shall rear them there, except as the cool weather or their protection may require them to be styed till the time when I shall put them up to fatten. From that time, I shall keep the sties well littered, as I believe at that season of the year vermin are not so easily generated, and the age and constitution of the hogs are better able to resist them.

I would here remark, that I found the sty constructed after Mr. Turner's plan too confined, and I knocked off the front of that part where it was intended for them to sleep, which greatly improved it.

In expressing my views on this subject I have

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65

been frequently met with the argument that negroes generally succeed in raising hogs in small pens, and, therefore, the sty system cannot be in itself objectionable; to which I would reply, that the two systems are very dissimilar, and the results prove the correctness of my views. It will almost invariably be found on examination, that their pens are without litter, and that they are most commonly muddy, (at least some portion of the pen,) which furnishes the hog an opportunity of indulging in his natural propensity, so necessary to his comfort as well as health.

I have previously remarked that my hogs were furnished with food varying according to the season, and that they were not more improved by any, than clover. In order to save myself the trouble of cutting it for them, or of having some one to attend them in the clover field to prevent their ranging beyond proper limits, I purpose next summer to construct a portable fence which can be easily moved, and with which I can enclose a space large enough to graze them two or three days at a time.

The want of water and shade, which are so essential to the well-being of the hog, are objections to the plan, but that can be remedied by only confining them in this enclosure during the cool of morning and evening, and removing them during the heat of the day where they can enjoy those luxuries.

The above remarks and suggestions have been made more to obtain information than lo give it. I am in search of truth. I do not design to call in question the propriety of other men's plans or their success, but 1 wish to profit by their experience. What has been the result of the experience of such of your subscribers as have used the sly ? Will they instruct me in the true art of hog-raising on a farm where they cannot range at large? By the way, what is now thought of the Berkshires ? With us they have grown into some disrepute ; they are thought to be too diminutive. For what can a pair of your best stock (Mr. Turner's, for inslance, or of Chesterfield's progeny,) be bought in these times, when pork sells for four dollars per hundred ? I am not entirely willing to give them up, and yet, from some experience, my estimate of them is considerably lowered. Very respectfully, yours, &c.

W. J. D.

Petersburg-, Dec. 22, 1843.

For the Southern Planter.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

Mr. Editor. —My wife Dorothy has never let

me rest since your compliments to her. Nothing

will do, but I must write for the Planter. You

by my cramp bandj what a mistake she

made in calling me a great scribe. But it's the

Vol. IV—9

way with all good wives. Each thinks her husband a nonesuch. If I must write, it shall be about some kinds of internal improvement, though not exactly the kind that Congress used to squabble about. I wish to give a hit or so to our overseers of roads, and a hint to housekeepers about fire-places.

Roads. —I never ride half a day without seeing a dozen bad places in roads, that might be made good with a hoe and a spade, in less time than it will take me to write this letter. Any man, with half an eye, would be astonished to find how small a ditch would drain off the water from mud holes that are the tenor of all drivers, and formidable even to riders. Very often, places which may now be called impassable, would be made dry and firm, by a ditch five or six feet long and two feet deep, running off right or left from the road. The drain ought always to be a little deeper than the bottom of the mud hole. When the draining alone does not answer, it is then easy to bridge over the place, or to fill it with earth, ridged up and beaten firm. Surveyors of roads show such disregard of their duty in not mending these places that I do not see how the grand juries gel over their duty of enforcing the law made for such cases. I heard our Commonwealth's Attorney, Mr. Greenbag, lately lay down the law, that the surveyor was bound to keep his road smooth and clear of all obstructions, thirty feet wide.

The farmers themselves, if they looked well to their interests, would now and then volunteer a little mending to the roads along their grounds. The time saved by their teams, and the saving of wear and tear to teams, wagons and carts, would be inducement enough. And what if it should benefit their neighbors too? I have read of a Scotch farmer who was seen with his sons and helpers lifting his wagon out of a ravine, where it had fallen by the breaking down of a bridge. He had been driving over it twice a day, and when reminded that he had been warned it would break down soon, he said, " Hoot, mon ! I would na ; trouble mysel' wi' a job that was to benefit all the folk in the glen." Surely our farmers have not so narrow a spirit as this. They will generally find some of their neighbors, at least, ready to do a like service.— And a liberal public spirit in one, begets it in others.

But I have heard a very eminent lawyer say, that whenever a public road is impassable, a wagoner or other wayfarer has a right, by law, to go upon any of the adjoining land—even to pull down fences. If so, farmers must see that the roads by their farms are passable, to prevent their fields from being encroached on.

Fire-places. —The common way of making fireplaces is at war with comfort. The sides run so straight backwards, and the backs are so far back, as to throw out scarcely any heat,

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

while the throat is commonly so large that most of the heat from the fire goes up the chimney. I don't think that one fire-place out of every hundred, in this country, is shaped as it ought to be. And yet the right shape has been known ever since Dr. Franklin's day. Let me give your readers the measure and form of a fireplace, that will always be found to draw best, to throw out most heat, with least wood, and with least smoking.

The front should be three feet wide; the back from twenty inches to two feet. This would splay the sides properly. From the front of each jamb to the back, measuring along the splayed side, down at the hearth, should be fourteen or sixteen inches. The back should rise perpendicularly (straight up) from the hearth, for nine or ten inches, and then lean forward till, upon its jutting as high as the arch or upper face in front, it should be only eight or ten inches from the outer edge of the jamb; making the throat of the chimney only three and a half or four inches deep. This leaning forward of the back at once narrows the throat, thereby preventing the heat from escaping tip the chimney, and making it draw better, and throws the heat forward, where it is most wanted, upon the feet and knees of those who sit by the fire. The splayed sides aid much in casting the heat outwards, instead of upwards. This effect will be increased by whiteivashing the sides every two or three days.

With such a fire-place, whoever will quit the abominable custom of leaving the door open, may count with confidence upon a warm room ; abundantly supplied, too, with fresh air. For the foe's burning, is of itself a sufficient sign of plentiful air, and the very sort of air we breathe. Your friend,

John Dumpling.

Louisa, January, 1844.

P. S.—Road surveyors don't seem to know how useful ploughs are in mending roads. One tivo-Iwrse plough is equal to six hoe-hands. If a scraper was added it would be better still. A scraper is equal to twenty men with hoes. I may say more of this hereafter.

A NEW CHURN.

It having been found by experiment, that the greatest quantity of the finest quality of butter is obtained from cream at a mean temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, Mr. David Ritchie, of Edinburgh, Scotland, has made a churn which seems well calculated to accomplish the object of keeping the temperature of the cream at the desired point. It consists of one cylinder placed concentric within another, so that water either cold or hot as the case ma}' require, may be put into the outer cylinder.

For the Southern Planter.

A CURE FOR CHILLS AND FEVERS AND

"NO MISTAKE."

J\Ir. Editor, —In sending you the enclosed for circulation in Eastern Virginia, you must not suppose that I mean to intimate that that region of country is more than others liable to chills and fevers. Let it rather be attributed to my overweening affection for the people who inhabit it; and after all, what a glorious country it has been ! in its good old days of mint juleps and apple jack, and apple toddy and peach and honey, and fox hunting and driving four in hand, and sleighing parties, and accidental dances to the tune of some grey headed old negro, Calo ! or Titus! or Pompey! or Cccsar ! playing on three strings—a much more enlivening and understandable music than ever came from the bow of Ole Bull !

The gentleman to whom this recipe was addressed after trying in vain to shake off this loathsome enemy for the last six or eight months, was thoroughly cured by one trial. At my instance he allows it to be published for the common benefit of all lowlanders and uplanders !

I. S. S.

Petersburg, Jan. 31, 1S44.

Mr. J. L. Mustean:

Dear Sir,—According to promise, I give you below the recipefor the pills; go to a drug store and have it put up:

24 grains quinine.

20 grains blue mass.

16 drops oil black pepper. Have them made up into twelve pills ; take one every hour for six hours, and the next day take the other half, say six, in the same manner. The next day they must be taken in the absence of fever; if necessary, open the bowels with a dose of calomel and castor oil. You may have confidence in this remedy; I have cured, I may say, a thousand persons, and in no instance has a failure been known to me. All I can say to you is, try it, it can do you no harm, and will only cost you twenty-five cents. Yours, respectfully,

Solomon Davis.

For the Southern Planter. REPORT ON CAPTAIN HASKINS' FARM,

Read at the Meeting of the Upper Hole and Corner Club of Mecklenburg, in November last.

The Committee appointed to examine the farm of Capt. Edward Haskins, have performed that duty, and report:

That Capt. Haskins commenced with a very small farm, to which he has made several additions, and for which he had to involve himself

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

67

in debt to a large amount, for the force which he employs. He has, by economy and diligence as well as skill, managed, from the proceeds of his farm, to extricate himself entirely from debt, and at the same time provide abundantly for his family all the substantial comforts of life. His farm is upland, lies beautifully, and is in the highest degree susceptible of improvement.— Every part of the premises shows skill and good management. Comfortable buildings, good fences and gates, and the fields well laid out in three shifts for com and tobacco. The tobacco lots Were in a very high state of improvement, and the tobacco in his barns not only proved the fertility of the land on which it grew, but the skill and attention of the owner in curing the crop. The corn crop appeared to have been very well worked, and was a good one for the season. The whole farm seemed to have been very well taken care of since it came into his hands, and few men in our vicinit}', all circumstances considered, have made more progress in improvement. He is determined, in future, as he has provided himself with three shifts for tobacco, to commence manuring his corn land, and rely on the aid of clover and plaster, in some measure, to keep up his tobacco land ; and your Committee have no doubt diat with his accustomed skill and diligence, he will be able to realize a rapid advance in improvement.— For your committee believe that after the planter has provided himself with three or four shifts of rich tobacco land, and seeded them in clover, and begins to apply his manures freely to the corn lands, that the resources for making manure and improving the farm increase in such a proportion as would excite the astonishment of any man who had not experienced the desirable effects produced by this system. Capt. Haskins' teams were in good condition, and he seemed to be well fixed in the articles of gear and ploughs for the operation in which he was employed, of preparing the land for the crop of wheat. One of the entire tobacco shifts has been seeded in wheat, which was neatly effected, especially the draining, which was very carefully and efficiently done. Such of the stock as were seen by the Committee looked well. In short, the Committee were very much pleased with the whole exhibit made by Capt. Haskins, and they would urge him to carry out fully his scheme of extending his manured surface, and at no distant period his farm may become one of the most productive, as it is now one of the most beautiful, in our region of country. They would also recommend to him the more extensive cultivation of the artificial grasses, to which his farm is peculiarly adapted, and the putting in meadow the beautiful creek flat which runs through hi3 land, which would greatly increase his material for making manure, and also enable him to raise more cattle, without a well kept stock

of which, your Committee think there cannot be much improvement. Your Committee would not do justice to Capt. Haskins, if the} 7 omitted to mention, that the corn crib was well supplied with old corn, and that he, at least, is in no danger of having to put a stone in the end of his bag when he sends to mill.

A. C. Morton, Rich'd Russell.

SIXTY BUSHELS TO THE ACRE.

We state the following fact to show what may be done by proper management. Henry Workman, Esq., solicitor of this town, planted about an acre and three perches of ground with rather more than a bushel and a half of the red cluster wheat, furnished by Mr. Robert Beman, of Lenchwick, and the produce is twenty bags or sixty bushels to the acre ! The seed was set by the hand, that is, it was dibbled. The land upon which this extraordinary crop was grown is known to be as good for cast as any in the Vale of Evesham.— Worcester {Eng.) Chronicle.

A gentlejnan from the county of Brunswick asked us a few days since why we had no agent in that region of country, saying that several to whom he had shown his paper concluded to subscribe immediately; the work, as he was pleased to say, only wanting to become known to be universally patronised. Similar inquiries have been made from various quarters, and in answer to them, we take this occasion to say, that the price of the paper is so low that out of it we cannot afford to pay an agent enough to make it worth his while to seek subscribers.— We must, therefore, throw ourselves upon the kindness of our friends to disseminate a knowledge of our work. Agricultural societies and farming clubs might probably advance the cause to which they are devoted by extending information of a Southern periodical, published at so cheap a rate. We know that in some counties we have twenty subscribers where an hundred might be obtained, and if the cheap rate at which the paper is afforded, cuts us off from the services of an agent, we may with a better grace ask our subscribers who are benefited by its cheapness, in a measure to fill his place.

A cat of extraordinary intelligence, says a writer in Bentley, was lately seen feeding a kitten with starch, to make it stand upright! This reminds us of the house-maid who drank a pint of yeast, to make her rise early in the morning.

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

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Mr. Gideon Hotchkiss waited on us a fevvi describe on paper the nature of this invention, days since with a model of a new water wheel, [ but the following are the peculiarities and ad-which is represented in the engraving as at-' vantages claimed for it by the proprietor, and tached to a saw mill, which differs also from ' certified to by a long list of names from various the usual mode of construction, especially in the , regions of the United States : feeding apparatus. Mr. Hotchkiss impressed us very favorably with his claims to the character of a scientific millwright, and of a fair

and candid gentleman. He contemplates estab- « 2 They are ag cheaply constructed as the-lishing an agency in this city for the sale and common flutter wheel, and will do double the construction of his mills. It is impossible to' business with the same advantage of water.

"1. The vertical wheel when used for saw mills, requires no gearing to produce from 175 to 300 strokes of the saw per minute.

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER,

69

"3. Backwater is no impediment when there is a head above.

" 4. Ice cannot form on the wheels.

"5. They occupy less space than a flutter wheel mill.

" 6. The increased speed of the saw makes better lumber, cuts the same distance with less resistance, and the saw dust is freely thrown oft, which often returns with the saw, causing it to bind and heat, with slow mills.

" 7. They can be placed on the shaft of a common flutter wheel mill, if in good order, and hung upon the same bearings if sufficiently strong to sustain the power of the wheels.

"8. The wheels being of cast iron, will last an age. They also constitute the requisite fly or balance wheel, securing a uniform motion, in all parts of each revolution.

"9. The introduction of mills is reduced to a plain system, so that if the head of water is known, the result is a mathematical certainty.

"10. Any workman having the- patterns, a model and table of calculations, can adopt mills to any location, with perfect success.

"11. The improved mode of feeding is much approved of by those who have adopted it."

For the Southern Planter.

GOING AHEAD!

Mr. Editor, —Mr. Joseph K. Weisiger, of

Goochland, bought of Dr. Joseph Watkins 12

acres of low grounds at $120 per acre; so much

for the value of Goochland soil.

Yours, respectfully, R. K. P.

February 18, 1844.

P. S.—The above was exchanged for high land at $25 per acre. R. K. P.

If we did not know the value of Goochland highland, we might think this was something like the story of the man, who bragged of having sold his dog for a hundred dollars, but when questioned more closely, he confessed he had taken four puppies in exchange, which he reckoned at twenty-five dollars apiece.

THE BLOOD HORSE. The tenor of our article on this subject in the last number of the Planter, has been much misunderstood by the Editor of the Spirit of the Times ; a misapprehension attributable, without doubt, rather to our want of perspicuity, than to any negligence of his. In the last number of the "Spirit," we find this remark :

"A3 a national benefit, it may be asserted by some—and the Planter would seem to take this ground—that we do not require that breed in

use for the turf, technically termed the blood horse."

Nothing upon earth was farther from our intention than the taking any such ground. We believe that no one circumstance in the history of the brute creation has ministered so much to the convenience and comfort of man as the introduction, and preservation in its purity, of the blood horse. We are aware that very loose and indefinite ideas are frequently affixed to this term, and we shall, therefore, state distinctly our conception of its meaning. The different soils and different climates of the world have given birth to various races of horses, possessing peculiar and distinctive traits. Upon the barren sands and under the torrid zone of Africa and Arabia, is found a peculiar race, possessing in the highest degree those properties, which in a state of domestication are most subservient to the requirements of his lord and master. It is not to be imagined that every horse born within the limits of Africa or Arabia, is possessed of superior merit; but there is a race highly valued by the inhabitants, and carefully preserved, which affords specimens of the greatest perfection of animal construction. They are marked by a fineness of hair, a cleanness of limb, a litheness of form, a nobleness of carriage, and a solidity of bone and muscle unknown to any other race.

It has been long since these qualities were known and appreciated. The English, of all European nations the most remarkable for their devotion to this noble animal, were taught to feel the superiority of the Eastern horse upon the plains of Palestine, and many a Saracen steed found his way to England in the returning train of her noblemen. But it was not probably until about the time of Charles II. that selections from the Eastern race were made with care and judgment. This monarch, whose only redeeming trait was a good eye for a fine horse, introduced a lot of mares direct from Barbary, of a very different character from the indiscriminate importations that preceded them. By means of these the heavy draft horse of Flanders soon yielded to a light active, and nervous race, that placed the English horse where he stands now, at the head of his species in Europe. To them succeeded the celebrated Barb, known as the Godolphin Arabian, the Wellesley Arabian, and the Darley Arabian. The extraordinary properties of these horses and their de-

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER.

scendants, established their claims to a pure descent from the noble house of Kochlani, and constituted them the founders of a new race in England, known as the blood horse. And now, no horse is entitled to the name of " thorough bred," unless he can trace, at least, fifteen-sixteenths of his blood to these fountains, pure and undented.

Tt may be asked if these natural properties, which we have stated to be originally peculiar to the horses of Africa and Arabia, have not declined in the humid atmosphere and on the luxuriant and moist soil of Great Britain. We answer that such undoubtedly would have been the tendency of these influences, if the horse had been subjected to them, but such has been the care of this horse-loving people to preserve the race in all its pristine glory, so much judgment and wisdom have they shown in the selection of individuals and in judicious crossing, in short, the talent of civilized man has so overbalanced the mere inferiority of climate, that the race has not only not deteriorated, but there is much reason for thinking that the English race horse is at this day greatly superior to the best of his foreign ancestors. The greatest incitement to the exercise of this skill and judgment, whereby the English nobleman and the English farmer are supplied with the best horses in the world, is undoubtedly to be found in their system of racing: By this means a practical and unerring test of the comparative merits of different horses has been afforded, and in the reward bestowed upon the conqueror, a mighty inducement has been offered to every breeder to seek after excellence. Oliver Cromwell, puritan and hypocrite as he was, had too much discernment, and was too much of an Englishman, not to appreciate the value in a national point of view of the racing system; he, therefore, kept his racing stud, and to him we are indebted for the importation of the celebrated Eastern horse, called White Turk.

This particular race of horses possesses then, we contend, from natural and artificial causes, a superiority of physical construction, a fineness and density of fibre, their bones are ivory, their muscles are tendons, and a mechanical adaptation of parts, that render them superior to all others in strength, speed, activity, and endurance. This is no fanciful theory nor groundless assumption ; every farmer, every cartman in the South, relies upon his blooded horse, at the " pinch

of the hill." Edwin Porter, one of the most experienced and most judicious of stage proprietors, whom the steam innovations of modern times has driven to the mountain passes, where with his beloved teams he can canter up hill and down hill, and laugh to scorn the idea of a rival rail-road, we have heard him declare a hundred times, that every thing else equal, he would give twenty dollars more, for mere coach purposes, for a well bred than for a cold bred horse. But we must not forget the means by which this excellence has been maintained. An interesting and exciting public test of the valuable qualities of the animal must be instituted, and rewards must be bestowed commensurate with the value of the object to be obtained. In what shall this test consist % what is that best calculated to determine the valuable qualities of the individual? Remember, that the race will be bred up exactly to the standard you erect. Suppose your test be, as it is in this country, the capability of carrying a light weight a long distance ; it may be that this will secure only speed and wind, without strength: if so, it is evident that in the breeder's consideration, strength will be overlooked, and those individuals only kept for the stud, who possess the properties of activity and endurance. For our own part, we are inclined to think that this is the fact, and we think the failure of our system of racing to test the strength of the horse, has produced a light and active race, that has had a great tendency to bring into disrepute the claims of the blood horse to superiority, as a horse of all work. We incline to think that the English rule of a heavy weight for a short distance, begets a degree of stoutness, that is a great desideratum with our farmers, and workers of horses generally. It was this idea, which we ventured to hint in our last number, that misled our respected friend of the " Spirit." Such is our devotion to the thorough bred horse, that we almost feel it as an imputation upon our good taste, to suppose we could have for a moment advocated the superiority of any other race, for any purpose whatsoever. There is no game, but a slow race, at which the blood horse will not come off victorious. Institute what test you will to try his strength, activity, or wind, all or either, even to the pulling of a heavy weight in the collar, and such is our confidence in his bone and sinew, that we would bet, the winner would be found with pure blood coursing through his veins.

THE SOUTHERN PLANTER

71

NURSERY. We would call attention to the advertisement of Messrs. Winter & Co., successors to Prince, the celebrated Long Island nurseryman. Their establishment is probably the most extensive in the United States. The descriptive catalogue, which is furnished gratis, is a neat pamphlet of ninety pages, and contains information worth a hundred times as much as the price at which it is offered.

For the Southern Planter. COMMENTS.

J\Ir. Editor, —As it is a rainy day, I will devote afew hours to reviewing your last number, which, like all that has preceded it, is both interesting and useful to every farmer, and indeed well worth the " pitiful sum of one dollar" to every reader.

"Poudrette." —I am satisfied from the various and contradictory communications, that some plan will have to be adopted for testing the quality of this valuable manure, before it is sold.— For after so many have been deceived, others will be slow to purchase. Your remarks seem to have roused Mr. D. K. Minor's ire, which may have a salutary influence in making him or his agent more particular in future.

"Emigration to Virginia" —The author is certainly right in regard to the relative advantages of the country about Petersburg to the Northern emigrant, over Fairfax. The almost inexhaustible source of marl must make that country very desirable to any one disposed to locate near good markets and good society. It is really strange that a country like that, possessing so many natural advantages, should have been so long overlooked.

" Oxen}' 1 —The only true reason why the Northern ox is quicker than the Southern, is the mode of breaking; teach them to step quick when they are first worked, and never work a young ox with an old broken down one, and my word for it, they will always step quick. If they are to perform hard service in hot weather, they must be fed on some dry food, for no animal, either horse or ox, can stand hard work when fed alone upon green food.

" Preservation of Vines from Worms and Bugs" —The mode suggested is certainly a good one and a cheap one. The boxes once made, will last for years, if taken care of. I lost myself every single vine the last year for the want of just such boxes.

"The Lard Lamp." —This is a good invention, if properly made; but all I have seen have the same defect; which might be easily remedied by making the screw of better quality.*

* We have this lamp for sale, in which the defect complained of is completely remedied.— Ed.

"Moveable Fences." —I have never seen< any moveable fence that would stand our hills in March, or during windy weather. I have used them for lots and cow-pens, for which purposes they answer very well.

"Charcoal." —This is a valuable auxiliary to the soil, no doubt; but I fear (in many places at least) it will be like the " Indians gun, cost more than it will come to." I have made an experiment to ascertain what quantity of coal a given quantity of wood will afford; and find, that it takes about fifteen cords to yield about three hundred bushels. Now, when we estimate the worth of the wood, the hauling, and the time it takes to burn and then prepare it for the soil, which itself is a tedious operation—we will find it rather a slow business. Still, I would advise all who have to burn coal for a shop, (as many farmers keep one,) to use all the refuse coal after the kiln is burned, as there is a great deal of fine coal ready prepared for the soil, that is useless for working.

"Liebig." —I see knowing ones are handling this gentleman's theory of " Vegetable Physiology" with gloves off; lay on Macduff, so we but get at the truth.

"How to Make an Unproductive Fruit Tree Bear" —There is some truth in this: I have seen the whole body of a tree skinned by an old lady for the same purpose, and to my astonishment, the next year the tree had a beautiful smooth bark, and bore ever after finely.

"On Ripe Bread" —This seems rather an odd expression ; but as to the saving, I suspect Mrs. Dorothy is right, and as to its being more healthj', none can doubt, though not quite so palatable.

"Blind Ditches." —An Octogenarian is perfectly correct about how poles are to be put when used for blind ditches; but my own experience is, that stone is the very best material that can be used; I have made a long ditch with very rough stone, and find it answers much better than poles, and when once done, it is done forever. When stone is not to be had, poles answer next best, or two poles and one slab plank.

" Herdsgrass." —" A Subscriber" wishes to know whether it answers to plough in the seed. Any small seed require to be covered very light; ploughing, I think, would put them in too deep. I have generally obtained a good stand by sowing with my wheat in the fall, and harrowing it in with the wheat. If wheat is ploughed in on corn land, I sow after it is ploughed in, and then harrow with a light harrow; and if it should not be thick enough in the spring, 1 sow again upon the surface; and if for a meadow, and still not thick enough, (as sometimes will be the case,) I sow on the stubble early in the fall, and harrow in. The quantity I never measure, but aim to put an abundance, as there is no danger of having it loo thick. About a