ascription REDUCED to TWO DOLLARS Per Annum in Advance. TMM ®@HSESlf DEVOTED TO ^gvmtltmt, %wtu\t\t\m f ami the fjltotafl, f^Mlumfc m\A fmwftolrti §Vrt#. Agriculture is the nursing mother of the Arts. — Xenophon. Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts of the State.— Sully. ! CEI: B. WILLIAMS, WM. L. HILL, Editor and Proprietor, General Agent. New Series. RICHMOND, U, AUGUST, 1868. Vol. IL— No. 8. CONTENTS ; Agricultural Department: page. " v " Wharn-Cliffe, Henderson county, N. C, with a Description of Twelve Other Sunounoing C unities 449 Sheep Husbandry in New Zealand bv Mrs. Win. J Brown 455 Charges in our System of Farming Recommended, Geo. U. Gilmer 457 when t > Turn in Clover 459 x The Whit- House— The Old Custis Family Seat— Illustrated 401) What Shall we Do? No. 4. Sheep Husbandry— concluded fiom page 399— By F. G. Ruffin : .". 462 Nfthaniel P. Atkinson's Lttters, giving Over Filty Years' Experience in Sheep Management 466 The Situation in Texas, by Thomas Affleck > 469 , Rrply to Dr. Atkinson on Corn Planting, by Rev. T. S. W. Mott 471 ^ Proposed Physical Survey by Washington College 474 ^ Physical Sid vey o' Virginia by Virginia Military Institute 478 Washington County, Va.- Description of 4X1 Distemper in Ca tie— R-medy and Prevention, by F. G. Ruffin 482 The Sources of our Prosperity 42 The S >ig of the Summer Cloud (poetry), by Rev. T. S. W. Mott 5' 3 Immigration— Resoutions of Burkville Convention 5)4 Book Notices 505 Correspondence of Southern Planter and Farmer— Report of Department of Agriculture, Le ters, <&c 508 Agricultural Exhibitions duiii g Autumn 512 Commercial Report 512 FERGUSON «fc RADY <3\ Printers, 1328 Main Street. ■Ed fcW IffOAH WALKBB & CO. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 1315 Main Street, RICHMOND, VA, Chief Ho u,e-W»sb>ngton Building, 165 and 107, Baltimore St., Bajtimore Md _ THE Southern Planter and Farmer, DEVOTED TO 4s n„l««-e, H.,ti«. K , e - % JJWMT, "— *H -» OH 13 WILLIAMS, Editor and Prop'r. This valuable monthly oontains 04 P,o, o* B™ ll«™. and is fnmishod nt »hp remarkably low price of TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, Payable in Advance. WM. L HILL, Gen'l Agent, P O. Uox 6o3. DAVENPORT & CO. Office No 1104 Main Stkebt, over National Exchange Bank, GENERAL AGENTS IN VIRGINIA, FOR THE FOR Tills mxmm\ mil icnttow ami €foto imam 00. GOLD CAPITAL $16,000,000! Wil I BBi - and SELL STOCKS «*«*»-* ™^ E L ° ANS °° '»" _ " raU _DAVENP0M & C0^ ~ WEST & JOHNSTON '^ J^rLl^c £. a iar, angled atoc. «. , DEPARTMENTS OF As also a well selected stock of 'oreign and. Establishment. fully solicited. BINDING and BLANK BOOKS nwuttd u .order. |@- Subscriptions received tor the ••Piaster and rai ORDEBS promptly attended to. Address^ & JQHUSTONj Booksellers and Stationer,, two doors above P. O. Riohhosb, Va. B 5iriiL''iiii OF L1TER1TURS; DUU1YU ill As als0 Sl weU selected stock of WATT0NEKY of Foreign and. Domestic Manufacture, ■JRSHK2* Bs^hme,, A oa,l from the BobUe . re.eoL mh THE SOUTHERN PLANTER & FARMER, DEVOTED TO Agriculture, Horticulture and the Mining, Mechanic and Household Arts. Agriculture is the nursing mother of the Arts.— Xenopiion. Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts of the State.— Sully. OR- B. WILLIAMS, Editor and Propri ETOR. New Series. RICHMOND, YA,, AUGUST, 1868 Vol. II- -No. 8. Wharne Cliffe, Henderson County, N. C. In the May number of the Planter and Farmer, Mr. Editor, you suggested articles descriptive of those farms and plantations the character of which might be of public interest. As " Wharne Cliffe" is thought by many to possess some very attractive features, I have concluded to give your readers a short description of it, with some account of its present mode of cultivation. Before doing so, however, an introductory word as to the region may not be out of place. This section of North Carolina lies be- tween the Blue Ridge on the east, and the Alleghany mountains on the west, embracing thirteen counties — Ashe, Watauga, Mitchell, Madison, Buncombe, Yancey, Henderson, Transylvania, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Clay and Cherokee. The greater portion is very hilly and mountainous, but Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Transylvania are, for the most part, moderately undulating. The elevation of the whole region above the level of the sea will average three thousand feet — Wharne Cliffe farm being two thousand five hundred. This ascent from the seaboard is gradual until you reach the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, and then the acclivity is abrupt, and rises before you a huge mountain, that can only be ascended by the laborious effort of several miles skyward. From the summit of the Ridge to the base on the western side there is nothing more than the declivity of- an ordinary hill. I am now speaking of the mountain gaps or passes, and not of the massive piles of granite that loom up into the clouds. I am simply trying to show how that VOL. II — 29 450 THE SOUTHERN [August this whole region is a vast table land between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany proper, elevated very high above similar tracts of country lying either to the east or to the west. For it is a fact not generally thought of, that the descent westward is almost as great as that eastward. The French Broad river rises in the southern extremity of the Blue Ridge in Transylvania county, not very far from the head waters of the Saluda and Savannah rivers, which empty their waters into the Atlantic. The French Broad river, however, flows to the northwest, and, after leaving Asheville, it tum- bles over rocks' for fifty miles, making one of the grandest, longest cascades in the world, affording water power enough to turn, if need be, all the spindles in the solar system. The upper waters of the French Broad make an exquisite stream. The river flows calmly and placidly through rich valleys and broad, fertile bottoms. The farms in Transylvania, Henderson and part of Buncombe that lie on this stream are susceptible of a high degree of cultivation and fertility. Where lime is used, the field of corn has averaged, in a crop, seventy-five bushels to the acre. The grasses, rye and oats are grown with equal success. It is at the confluence of Cane creek (quite a large stream) and the French Broad where " Wharne Clifie " is situated — a farm of about seven hundred and fifty acres, four hundred of which is bottom land. The tract fills up the angle formed by the creek and the river — lying, in plainer words, in the fork. The three hundred and fifty acres not bottom are chiefly hills, with crystal rivulets running down between either into creek or river from perennial springs. In these ravines you can multiply ice-ponds, build saw-mills, tanneries and dairies, or wash your flocks of sheep. These rills flow through the broad bottoms, that may be used either for surface irrigation of meadow land, or for washing out and keeping open the ditches of the low lands. The chief productions of "Wharne Cliffe " are the grape, corn and rye. Tobacco and wheat, when well planted and sown, do well. But there can be no country superior to this for fruits. There is never a total failure of apples, and but rarely so of peaches and grapes. All kinds of fruits grow in this region in great perfection, and it is a source of constant grief to the proprietor of " Wharne Cliffe " that so few fruit trees are to be found on the estate. Ex- traordinary native vines burden the forest with their overarching luxuriance, and the vines near the ground are sometimes to be seen as thick in diameter as small trees. Oh the river bottom there is a heavy growth of cane lining the lagoons and the two water courses 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 451 that gives an abundance of green pasture to cattle through^ winter. ° The most remarkable feature of this farm consists in the abund- ance of its own fertilizers. A vein of limestone rock runs through the farm, dipping considerably beneath the surface, but the prox- imity to wood more than counterbalances the dip. The lagoons above mentioned are small bodies of water, covering each not over a half-acre, which are filled by freshets. The freshets carry into and deposit in them the richest elements of fertilization. These la- goons dry up in July, and for several months, or until a freshet refills then,, thousands of cart loads of manure may be removed, and with the hme, what vast and rich beds of compost might be formed ■ or it might be carted, and applied directly to the soil with the most sat- isfactory results. A distinguished agriculturist of the neighboring county applied simply muck, with a very small pronortion of ashes to an acre, mixed the muck thoroughly with the soil, and the yield that year was one hundred and forty-nine bushels of corn— next to the greatest yield ever obtained, on asingle acre, in the United States. A word in regard to the timber. Here is almost every variety that grows in American forests-the walnut, cherry, maple, hickory poplar^ ash, the different kinds of oak, heart-pine, buckeye, &c ' &c. Ihe poplar, oak, hickory, ash and pine grow to great dimen- sions many of them measuring, near the ground, over one hundred and fifty inches m circumference. Were the property located near a city, the timber alone, for building, furniture, &c, would yield a fortune The rail timber is abundant and of excellent quality, and the whole farm is under new and admirable fencing. Cane creek and the French Broad river are replete with fine fish and the depth and placidity of the river would afford the most de- hghtful sailing with little sail boats, or the common skiff and canoe Ihe forests, swamps and the neighboring mountains are filled with r S 7 e ™, The deel "' tUrkey ' Pheasant and the m °™ common game abound. The deer often come down and graze with the sheep ; and droves of wild turkeys become almost tame. On the lagoons every spring wild ducks may be killed with the greatest ease. The little son of the proprietor of « Wharne Cliffe," two months ago, brought down three at one shot. Wolves, however, never venture do^vn from the mountains, and the persistent native hunters keep the foxes well thinned. The stock, in consequence, never suffer from Gitnor. _ The mansion is situated on a cliff, approached by a beautiful car- nage way from the State road, on a level ridge, but overhanging 452 THE SOUTHERN [August the broad bottoms of Cane creek, which stretch out to the south- ward From this point there is one of the finest views of distant mountains and an intervening valley to be found in Western Caro- lina, and perhaps anywhere. The Blue Ridge to the eastward and the Pisgah range to the westward, approaching each other to the southward, make up a circle of mountains grand beyond conception. Here verily is it true " That distance lends enchantment to the view, And rohes the mountains in their azure hue." I cannot close the description of the natural features of this in- teresting spot without referring to the exquisiteness of the climate. Without" doubt or cavil, the climate of Western North Carolina is the finest, both in summer and winter, on the continent. This is a broad assertion, but it is the testimony of all travellers that have spent any time in this region. Southern and English gentlemen of fortune, in former years, selected this country for summer residences, as much for the climate as for the beautiful landscape and magnifi- cent mountain scenery. _ . While the winter climate is by no means as rigorous as in Canada or on the lakes, yet it is as dry, bracing and invigorating as that in the far North. The summer air is simply unequalled. No one can sleep in comfort without the covering of one or two blankets even in August. And there is an exhilaration produced by breathing this pure atmosphere that makes you a stranger to the lasc.tude and depression which ordinarily make the summer a season of dread. Your step is elastic; your spirits never flag; your slumber is per- fumed by sweet and refreshing breezes, and the sunshine never drives you beneath the sultry umbrella for protection ; but sunshine and atmosphere seem each to rival the other in imparting life and iov to him that basks beneath the one or inhales the other. I alluded just now to the settlement in this region of persons ot affluence. Although the war has ruined most of these people in their fortunes, yet they still form a most attractive feature of th* attractive country. They are a noble, generous, unselfish highly educated people, with social culture unsurpassed. Elegant leisure and ample wealth for generations have afforded these peop.e and their ancestry the highest opportunities of intellectual and soma culture, and much travel, foreign and home, adds still more to the interesl which attaches to the persons referred to There is . .small settlement of them on and near Cane creek and the French Broad and a large settlement at Flat Rock, ten m.les distant. A number also settled in Asheville and on some of the neighboring farms. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 453 Asheville, however, is noted for its excellent society, apart from the settlers referred to, ana some of the first families in the State, and the leading men, live in this little town. On the State road, but a short distance from "Wharne Cliffe," is a beautiful gothic brick church, one of the handsomest country churches to be found anywhere, and, until recently, a clergyman officiated regularly. Now a Lay Reader renders the services of the Episcopal Church, and reads a printed sermon. A large Sunday school is kept up, and, with an efficient teacher, an excellent day school, in connection with the parish church, might easily be estab- lished. Taking everything into consideration, I have never seen a place more favorably situated, nor a farm possessing greater natural ad- vantages than " Wharne Cliffe." But I promised some notes respecting the agricultural modus op- erandi which obtains here. When the present proprietor came into possession, there were no good pastures, and the soil merely scratched by a sort of one horse cultivation. After re-fencing the whole farm, cleaning out old ditches and digging new ones, and clearing up nearly forty acres of new land, the next things which engaged his attention were a different system of tillage and the sowing down of fields with the most approved grass seeds. I should have said that these two things engaged his attention from the very first, and formed, to a certain degree, a parallel part of his daily operations. Three-horse ploughs have been followed by two-horse sub-soilers, that have brought new earth in contact with the atmosphere, sun- light, the dews, the rains and the frost. In other words, the new earth has been thrown into a chemical laboratory, in which nature imparts to the fresh earth fresh powers of nutrition. Then, by the application of home-made fertilizers or lagoon deposits, or the plough- ing under of green manures, the soil is gradually deepening and strengthening, and will, ere long, amply repay the extra labor and pains-taking. Seventy-five acres have been sown with clover, orchard-grass and herd's-grass seeds. They were chiefly sown after rye and wheat in the autumn, and either "rolled in" or covered by a common har- row. They both smooth the surface, without materially displacing the grains of wheat or rye. It is found far better to sow grass seed in autumn, and to cover it as described. At all events, the success on " W.harne Cliffe " is complete. The clover stands superbly, and the other grasses are doing well. This coming autumn 'a new mea- 454 THE SOUTHERN [August dow of twenty-five acres is to be set in timothy, orchard-grass and herd's grass — one-half of the timothy to be mixed with an equal quantity of the other two. This will give over one hundred acres of choice grass and meadow land, set in the different grasses. The intention of the proprietor is to fit his place for the dairy, as well as to give pasture to sheep, hogs and horses. But the native pas- tures of the forests afford the best grazing for sheep — certainly as good as that of the cultivated grasses. Here are hundreds of acres lying unenclosed, belonging to others, and several hundred enclosed belonging to the farm, eminently adapted to sheep husbandry, leav- ing the other pastures to other stock, except when necessary to keep down or destroy briers and other noxious growth by the grazing of sheep following that of cattle and mules. I was delighted with Mr. Ruffin's article in the June number. The experience on " Wharne Cliffe " corroborates everything he has said as to the profits of sheep husbandry. Wool brings in barter, in this market, forty cents a pound in the dirt, or fifty cents washed; and without expense of feeding, except when snow lies on the ground, and with but little attention, sheep have been grown, fattened and shorn twice a year with a success worthy of being made public. "Without giving the calculation, it may be simply stated that the profit on money invested in sheep has been 255 per cent, in the past eighteen months. Now the flock bids fair to do even better. An addition of a small flock of fine grade and a few full-blooded South- downs, will enable the proprietor, by selling choice full-blooded or grade Southdown lambs, to augment his profits. Full bred Durhams have also been introduced on the place — a bull and two heifers, from different sires and dams, the immediate progenitors of which were imported by the Hon. E. Molyneux, de- ceased, late English Consul at Savannah, Ga. The intention is to effect a cross with the best native cattle for good milkers and beeves, and, at the same time, through the heifers referred to, to perpetuate the genuine blood of the original Durham. As above intimated, the proprietor is making all his plans, both as to grass and hay and the proper stock for dairying. No country offers better inducements for making cheese. The investments in real estate do not compare with the amount necessary to carry on dairying in New York or New England. There land is one hun- dred dollars and more per acre ; here the best meadow lands are not more than one-fourth that sum, and the mountain pastures may be bought for a mere song. But the chief advantage consists in the climate. The hot nights of summer in New York and Ohio are 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 455 great difficulties in the way of success. Here the nights are always cool, and at no time, day nor night, is the heat oppressive. The Elk Mountain Cheese Factory, near Asheville, thus far is a com- plete success. They are now milking two hundred and twenty-five cows, and turning off about three hundred pounds of cheese daily. I took a piece of this cheese to Kentucky with me, and compared it with the best samples of factory cheeses in the wholesale establish- ments of Louisville, and it was superior to every sample tested, both in color and taste. The demand for cheese, both at home and abroad, is becoming greater every } r ear. Americans eat it more than formerly, and the miners of England and the poor of all Europe eat. it in the place of bacon. The amount of shipments to Europe from America annually are enormous, and increasing constantly. With such a present and prospective demand, there is no agricultural specialty more inviting than cheese-making. The next feature relative to stock-raising on this farm, is a range of seventy-five acres all enclosed, eminently adapted to hogs. It is a vast woodland, bottom land, covered with heavy growth of oaks, which affords plenty of mast, and in this same range is a large district of that sort of swamp land where the hog finds worms in the greatest abundance. Without detailing other advantages for stock, I will simply add that there is no field or range where the purest running water may not be found. * Indeed, the water, like the air of this region, is par excellence. It gushes out of every hill, and flows like purling streams of crystal nectar, refreshing and invigorating plant and beast and man ; and mingling its gurgling music with the song of the winged minstrels of the woods, the choral melody of "early morn or dewy eve" seems sometimes like the abode of a fairy land. Marlow. Shufordsville P. , " George W. Bolling, j Crop Made with a Cow. — There is a man living not far from Danville, who, when the war closed, finding himself without a horse, a mule or even an old steer, hitched up his milch cow and made a good crop. He fed the cow high, and she not only ploughed his land but gave milk for his table. We get our information from a gentleman who has seen the crop of tobacco made by this enterprising gentleman, and he pronounces it very good. We like to record instances of this kind, where men show true moral courage, energy and pluck. If all our people were animated with the same spirit, we should soon see a very different state of things from what we now see. — Danville Times, A well informed " reporter " for the Country G-entleman seems to doubt whether there is a single pure Leicester sheep in this coun- try. It is an undoubted fact that large numbers of sheep called Leicester or Cotswold are a cross of the two. — Lawrence Journal. Look to your compost heaps. Wage resolute war against briers and weeds. Keep your fence rows and fence corners clean, and in- sist upon thriftiness and industry in all departments of farming operations. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 481 Washington County, Va. Mr. Editor, — Did it ever occur to you that this is the firft county in the United States which had the honor of being named after the " Father of his Country ?" Yet, so it is. "Washington county is the most extreme southwest county of Vir- ginia, with a climate unsurpassed for salubriousness, with a soil adapted to the growth of all the cereals, of grasses to an unlimited extent, its bowels strutted with mineral matter, and possessing ad- vantages in water facilities which few sections can boast of. Yet with these great, immense advantages, our county does not prosper as it should do, and the reason seems obvious to us why it is so — the exorbitant prices demanded for lands. We need labor in this county, intelligent, reliable labor ; the same cry comes up as from every portion of Virginia. Our farms are too large, and should be subdivided and disposed of on fair terms to substantial settlers. Our county paper has been for some time, until recently, appro- priating a column to advertisements of lands for sale in the hands of our enterprising Land Agency firm ; and notwithstanding they have been in the field for several months, and spent effort and means fully to make their business known, and notwithstanding numbers of persons have visited them for the purpose of purchasing, they have succeeded in effecting only one sale. Those who have visited our county have expressed themselves as well pleased with what they saw, but when the prices were marked $25 and $40 and $50 per acre, for property but little improved, and much " out of fix," the result has been to drive them off. Our people, I am sorry to observe, through the State generally, have not seemed to realize that their chief reliance for resuscitation is in the strength of purpose on the part of our land-owners and our own native born white men who are at present non-landholders, to sell to, and buy of each other, as much of the surplus land of the State as thus can be absorbed. It is needless to enlarge upon this topic; it has been thoroughly discussed, yet we do not learn. God has blessed us with truly a noble heritage, but as yet we are incapable of improving or employ- ing it. May the day soon come when we shall become a practical, sagacious people ; then will we realize a genuine, solid, material prosperity. Virginia. Be not too hasty to outbid another. Policy often effects what force cannot. VOL II — 31 482 THE SOUTHERN [August Distemper in Cattle— Remedy and Preventive. Having heard that many milch cows are dying in and around Richmond of Distemper, (properly speaking Red Water or really bilious fever,) I think it proper to give you, for publication, a remedy I have successfully used, and a preventive I have employed to my perfect satisfaction for the last twelve years. The remedy is sugar or molasses, either you choose ; the sugar as a bolus, the molasses as a drench — a pint of sugar or a gallon of molasses, and the dose repeated at intervals until the animal is re- lieved or dies. After she is relieved, a tea-spoonful of calomel may be used. During the war I cured a case with a gallon of sorghum molasses. No one need fear to try the remedy ; for at the very worst it can only kill the cow, and she might as well die of molasses as of Red Water. The preventive is more important. I got it twelve years ago from my friend, Dr. R. F. Taylor, of Amelia county. Before that, I had sustained serious losses ; since, I have never had a case, except when I carelessly neglected to prevent it. Take a mixture of the following proportions : Salt, - - - - - 1 gallon, Flour Sulphur, - - - - J pint, Saltpetre, - - - - - J pint, Copperas, - - - - - 1 gill. Pulverize thoroughly and mix, and keep it where -the cow can get to it daily. I have now on my farm a healthy Devon milch cow that I bought in August, 1866, from Orange, and three more that I bought from Powhatan in the fall of the same year. In July, 1866, I bought four cattle from Fluvanna for beef, and sold them in good order the following winter. In July or August of last year, I bought six beeves from out of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and sold them at Christmas in good order. I frequently keep cattle for the Richmond dealers from two to four weeks on my pastures in the summer, and have never sent them back a diseased animal. My stock were out all day and night, and have shelter only when they choose to seek the shade. It cost me three hundred dollars' worth of cows and three hun- dred dollars' worth of Devon bulls to find out that there was no preventive efficacy in shade. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 483 I believe my farm is as much subject to Red Water as any place near Richmond, and I ascribe the immunity it now enjoys to the mixture I use. It is kept constantly in the field from the mid- dle of May to the first of November, placed in troughs, each made of two planks mitred, and the cattle get it when they want it. It costs me about two and a half to three sacks of salt the season for cattle, horses and colts, and a large flock of sheep, and as many cattle as may be sent to be grazed. Of course I no more guarantee a cure or preventive in all cases, from the remedy or the preventive, than a physician would do with his prescriptions. Frank G. Ruffin. Summer Hill, Chesterfield, July 23c?, 1868. The Sources of our Prosperity. The minds of our business men are seriously directed to our ma- terial affairs. To nothing could they be directed with more profit to themselves and to the community at large. The two great ele- ments of wealth are production and transportation, and when we use the term production we intend it in its largest sense — the pro- duction of all human industries. But for the ability to sell and exchange products, industry would stop at the point at which enough is produced to supply the wants of the producer. Transpor- tation is the agency by which sale and interchange are effected. In one word, production and transportation are commerce. Internal commerce is carried on by means of our railroads, rivers and canals, foreign commerce by means of ocean navigation. That community or country which has a complete system of internal improvements by which all its products, great and small, its staple crops, and its truck, garden, dairy and orchard products, its mines and minerals, its timber, its cattle and stock, its manufactures, indeed, all of the productions of nature and art can be conveyed to market, and by which all of its supplies can be brought to the very doors of its peo- ple, is in the highest sense prosperous. There is but one other point to be aimed at, and that is so to adjust these lines of trans- portation as to give them an ocean outlet. Any region that is rich and productive, and can, after supplying the domestic demand, carry its surplus products to a first-class seaport by a cheap, safe and convenient avenue, is in a situation to command direct trade, and direct foreign trade means immediate and unrestricted access 484 THE SOUTHERN [August to the markets of the world. It enables the producer and the man- ufacturer to go into the open markets of the world to sell his pro- ducts or fabrics at the highest prices, and to purchase his supplies at the lowest, without having to bear the taxes, charges and com- missions of a number of middle men, and without being subject to their frauds and breaches of faith. Richmond, in common with all the other leading Virginia cities, and Virginia, in common with all the other neighboring Southern States, have perceived the importance of controlling our internal improvements in the interests of direct trade, and the imposing convention recently held at Bristol was but the practical expression of that idea. For years past there has been a vague, undefined feeling in favor of direct trade, and there have been many meetings in which its advantages were discussed, but until the present time there has been no real, earnest working energy thrown into the matter. It is interesting to glance at the progress made in it. General Mahone had control of the Norfolk and Petersburg rail- road. He saw the immense value of Norfolk as a seaport. He studied the map, and there traced out the region'most interested in direct trade. He saw the advantages of consolidation as an aux- iliary, and by a persistent industry that nothing could tire, and by a skilful strategy that no arts could baffle, he succeeded in effecting the consolidation under his own presidential management of two other roads with his own road. Having achieved this, he extended his lines, enlarged the scope of his operations, and struck for points further South. The Bristol Convention was a part of the machinery employed, and in that convention we saw the leading interests and industries of four great States represented by men of intellect, energy and influene. This great enterprise thus auspiciously begun and rapidly pushed, will not stop with these four States. There is besides these and other Southern States, a vast country for which Norfolk is the natural and necessary ocean outlet. The States of the West and Northwest will yet be brought to our Virginia Sea- board. There are various avenues through Virginia by which they will be brought hither. Richmond cannot fail to be benefitted by this trade. Much of it will stop here to enrich us, and such as passes through will leave us profitable tolls. We will have all the benefits of direct trade, and all the opportunities we could desire to prosecute the great business of manufacturing, for which we have unrivalled advantages. In view of all these considerations, we say that it is wise in our business men and in our commercial boards to join in all the move- 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 485 merits that are going on. Let them continue to manifest an active interest in our internal improvement companies, in consolidation and in direct trade. It is from these sources that our prosperity 13 to be derived. — Richmond Whig. Phosphatic Beds Neap Charleston. As everything which gives promise of restoring prosperity to the South, must be of interest to the readers of your journal, I will, with your permission, call their attention to the discovery of phos- phates near Charleston. During a recent visit to Charleston, I spent a day in examining their grounds and watching their ope- rations. Location. The works of the company are on Ashley river, about ten miles above the city. The wharf is on a bluff about eight or ten feet above high tide. Any vessel which can cross the bar or approach the city can ascend the river to this point, thus affording the company the most ample facilities for transportation. The land approach to this point is by the old Dorchester road. The Phosphates. These are found in a stratum, lying from one to three feet below the surface, as I was informed, and ranging in thickness from one to five feet. The area over which the stratum extends is not known accurately, but is certainly large, the company having already secured perhaps as much as thirty square miles. These lands lie on the Ashley river, and between that and the Cooper, and extend towards the city. Much of this is covered by dense primeval for- ests, which it will require labor and capital to work. Where they are at present at work, is an immense open field, once under culti- vation, but now a waste. The lands were difficult to cultivate, and the excess of the phosphates, which were found in the forms of fos- sils or petrifactions, varying in size from the bigness of a pea to that of a man's hand, were gathered into heaps as men gather stones off the cultivated fields to get them out of the way of the plough and hoe ! The way they get them. The first step is to dig a trench a foot or two wide, cutting through the stratum containing the phosphates, and shoveling every thing out of the trench. The laborer then stands in the trench, and with a shovel uncovers the surface clay or sand, laying bare 486 THE SOUTHERN [August the stratum. Then, with a few blows of the pick, the stratum is loos- ened, and the phosphates picked out with the hand and thrown into heaps. The process is, for all the world, like digging potatoes, and the labor did not appear much more severe. The heaps of phosphates are then taken up in carts by other parties and drawn to the train-road, along which it is drawn in cars to the washers, where it is drawn by machinery up an inclined plane, and dumped into the washers. The Washers. There are two of these. They consist of troughs twenty or thirty feet long, perhaps six feet wide, and three or four feet deep, made water-tight. These are placed at an angle of a few degrees, and within them revolve two horizontal shafts, furnished with pad- dles, on the principle of a screw propeller. The phosphates are thrown into the troughs at the lower end. A strong stream of water is then turned into them, by means of a forcing pump at the upper end, and the shafts revolving stir and lift the mass gradually from the lower end of the trough to the upper, where it escapes through a vent, freed from sand and clay, and ready to be shipped to the manufacturer It is expected that these washers will each turn out one hundred tons daily. This is sold on the spot, and shipped to Philadelphia as fast as vessels can be procured to trans- port it. It is much to be regretted that it is found necessary to ship the raw material to a distant city, there to be manufactured and sold to the consumer with so heavy a per cent, added. The Discovery of this Treasure. This is not the least interesting circumstance connected with its history. The presence of this deposit had been long known, and its value, in a scientific point of view, appreciated. Nearly twenty years ago, I heard Professor Agassiz, in a public lecture in Charles- ton, pronounce it perhaps the richest deposit of fossil fish in the world ; and that accomplished gentleman and enthusiastic lover of science, Professor Holmes, of Charleston, who is president of the company, had repeatedly brought to the notice of the scientific world the points of interest thus developed. It was also suspected that it contained, in addition to these things, more or less of fertili- zing properties, but its great value in this respect was unknown until within the last year. The grounds had been explored by sci- entific men for scientific purposes ; the wheels of the carriage and the hoofs of the horse had been grinding to powder those stones on the public highway for above a hundred years ; the share of the 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 487 ploughman had loosened them from their resting place and thrown them up only to obstruct the cultivation of the soil ; the planters of Carolina had been paying high prices for fertilizers brought from abroad, never suspecting that a superabundant supply of the best in the world was lying at their very doors, and actually, in its pres- ent form, encumbering the ground. Perhaps it was a fortunate thing for us that its value was not sooner known. It would proba- bly have been seized by greedy and unscrupulous hands, and we deprived of its advantages. The country is indebted for its know- ledge of this invaluable treasure to Dr. N. A. Pratt, Jr., a native of Georgia, a young man of enterprise and indomitable energy, and one of the most skillful and accurate of living chemists. Analysis had been made before, if I am not misinformed, but without satis- factory results. But, after careful examination, Dr. Pratt became convinced of its great value, announced the result of his investiga- tions to those who were capable of appreciating them, and they together set to work at once to develop the mine of untold wealth. All honor and success attend them ! It is impossible to estimate the value of this discovery to the South. The supply would seem to be equal to any possible demand. Its value as a fertilizer, as compared with others in market, I am not competent to state ; but is, I am informed, little if at all infe- rior to the very best. Could you not prevail upon Professor Holmes or Dr. Pratt to give your readers the information desired ? I cannot close without expressing the earnest hope that the com- pany will take the necessary steps at an early day to manufacture the fertilizer on their own grounds — not doubting that the best interests of the company and of the country will be greatly pro- moted thereby. — "Viator," in the Southern Cultivator, Carrots for Horses. — Wash the roots clean, and feed about four quarts at once, in addition to oats, or cut feed and hay. There is no danger of feeding a horse too much of either turnips or car- rots, provided he receives a good feeding of oats and hay also. The tendency of carrots is to keep the bowels loose. If a horse was required to subsist almost entirely on carrots, his strength would fail, and a large quantity of such green feed might give him the scours. Carrots should be fed in connection with dry feed. — American Stock Journal. Poultry. — Garlic fed once or twice a week is excellent for colds. 488 THE SOUTHERN [August Sorticultural department The Virginia Horticultural and Pomological Society. Richmond, Va., July 13th, 1868. To the Editor Southern Planter and Farmer : The Executive Committee, at its meeting this evening, made fur- ther progress in their arrangements for the Annual Exhibition com- mencing 22d September next. Messrs. John M. Allan, F. Davis, John J. Werth, J. H. Claiborne and C. B. Williams were appointed a committee to prepare the Premium Catalogue, with instructions to report to the next stated meeting of the Executive Committee. I have the honor to enclose the address of Col. John J. Werth, delivered this evening, on " Hints to new beginners in Grape Cul- ture, and reflections upon the policy and economy of the general cultivation of Fruits as an element of subsistence for our jieople." In transmitting this valuable contribution to native Horticultural literature for publication in jour valuable journal, I avail myself of the occasion to say that it was listened to by us with the profound- est attention and interest, and cannot fail to entertain and instruct your readers. Very respectfully, your obd't serv't, J. C. Shields, Recording Secretary. HINTS TO NEW BEGINNERS IN GRAPE CULTURE IN VIRGINIA, AND REFLECTIONS UPON THE POLICY AND ECONOMY OF THE GENERAL OUR PEOPLE. Availing myself of the latitude, kindly conceded to me, to select my own subjects for the consideration of the Society this evening, I have concluded that I could not better appropriate the opportu- 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 489 nity, than by submitting a few remarks under the caption just announced. The signs of the times seem to forecast a period of £ r eat pro- gress in the culture of the grape in our State, for conversion into ■wine ; and there are not wanting high considerations — social and political — to prompt us all not only to hope for, but to contribute what we may, every one in his sphere, towards its eminent success. Correct and generally diffused information is an indispensable condition of this success ; for although our people have planted grape vines, on a smaller or larger scale, ever since the settlement of the country, there has been, in our section at least, very little progress — none worthy of note — in organized practical grape cultture. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to presume a very gen- eral want of and desire for such instruction and advice as new begin- ners need. Postponing to a future occasion the practical details of Grape Cul- ture, I propose to offer this evening, for what they are worth, a few general observations, in the way of advice and of encouragement, to those who are entering upon this new and interesting field of operations. First of all, then, I would impress it upon those who propose to prosecute the culture of the grape for profit, whether by conversion into wine, or by the sale of the fruit, that it is indispensable that the operation should be (so far as its necessary requisitions for cap- ital, attention and labor are involved,) the paramount interest of the operator. Whatever it is expedient to do in its prosecution, must be faithfully and thoroughly done, and promptly at the proper time. If the vineyard is considered a secondary interest, and its re- quirements are held subordinate to seeding wheat, or planting corn, or harvesting either, or to any other engagement whatever, the pro- prietor must not expect, for he certainly will not secure, even toler- able success. I do not mean to say that grapes cannot be successfully raised by farmers or gardeners, nor in connection with any other occupation. But I do mean to say, emphatically, (if the business is established with a view to a reasonable profit from its pursuit,) that its require- ments must be, at all times, acknowledged as imperative ; and the capital, and the watchful attention, and intelligent superintendence, which are indispensable, must be freely and promptly appropriated to meet the demand. It may not be amiss, also, to caution those who propose, without previous experience, to enter into the business, against the general tendency to underrate both the outlay in money 490 THE SOUTHERN [August and the information which are essential to success. There can be no timely success — so early as to meet the even reasonable estimate of the beginfter, if he is stinted in the means commensurate with his scale of operations. If he is tempted to purchase second or third rate vines, because they are less costly (not cheaper), and his means seem to forbid a more liberal outlay — if, instead of providing intel- ligent superintendence, he commits the planting and cultivation of his vineyard, even under the most precise and judicious directions, to stupid negroes, who, however well inclined, are insensible of their ignorance, and not comprehending the why and the wherefore of their employee's instructions, will not carry them out a moment longer than they are closely watched — if he denies himself books and horticultural papers, through the pages of which he may avail himself of the experience of others — if he cannot spare the time, or is unwilling to give the necessary attention, to make himself ac_ quainted with all of the details of vineyard management, so that, if he does not directly superintend his operations, he can judge of the qualifications and fidelity of his subordinates — if these obstructions to success are probable contingencies, he must not hope for its achievement until they are provided against. * Another caution which I feel no hesitation in urging upon begin- ners in the business, is against involving themselves at the start in extensive operations. Most men who have courage to engage exten- sively in any new and expensive operation, are apt to have and to follow their own theories, without as much regard for the experience of others as would be in many cases prudent ; and self-instruction, through our own experience, unlike other commodities, is more cheaply purchased at retail than wholesale — on a moderate than on an extensive scale. Moreover, there is as yet no sufficient satisfac- tory experience to guide us in the selection of varieties for wine- making in Virginia on an extensive scale, and at a low cost of pro- duction. Our present unmistakable policy is to be found in the establishment of small, well-managed vineyards, in every section of the State — a portion of each vineyard to be appropriated to the culture, on probation, of such varieties as have yielded the best re- sults in fruit and wine anywhere, in however few cases, in a les s congenial climate. We may thus prove that some varieties that possess fine wine-producing capacity, but fail in most localities, North and West, to develop and mature their fruit in sufficient quantity and with sufficient certainty, will find in many localities in our State the requisite conditions for the full development of their best characteristics. There is a sufficient list of such varieties of 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 491 native and hybrid grapes now established, to furnish an abundant field for interesting and hopeful experiment ; and in view of the very valuable qualities of some of the varieties, which are neTertheless very fastidious in their requirements of soil, and climate, and par- ticular location, it will devolve on each vineyardist to experiment on his own grounds, with his own selection of varieties from this list ; and prove, for himself, which of them encourage extended cultiva- tion on his particular location. We must not reject the Herbemont, and Delaware, and Iona, and Catawba, which have each, in their chosen locations, produced highly satisfactory results, both in fruit and in wine, because they have each more frequently failed in locali- ties in which they were not at home. We must rather endeavor to find homes for them, even should it be only on gravelly slopes or disintegrated rocks. Nor will it be wise, on the other hand, to per- mit too much of our space to be appropriated to varieties which are attractive merely from the certainty and abundance of their crops, but which have as yet not established their capacity to produce wine that will meet the public taste. The Concord and Clinton and Hartford Prolific represent this class. And now, as my purpose is merely to caution, and not to dis- courage new adventurers in grape culture, I will say in that behalf that I consider it a field in which all, who labor intelligently and advisedly and industriously, may surely harvest full sheaves. We have our own invaluable Norton " to the manor born," with an established reputation of forty years, of almost invariable produc- tion of fair crops of fruit, capable of being converted into wine that will find a ready market wherever wine is drunk. This, for a fixed base of operations, places us on vantage ground not to be under- rated. In seeking ground for extended operations, our attention is natu- rally attracted by a grape which stands at present unrivalled in the regularity and profuseness of its crops of beautiful and luscious grapes, without the least fastidiousness as to location or season, defying rot and mildew, and all other diseases which the grape is heir to, and exhibiting a development under our Southern sun which renders it scarcely recognizable as the Concord of the Northern States. May we not hope, either that our climate, or the judicious admixture of some more saccharine grape in the press, will enable this variety, so valuable in other characteristics, to establish with us an unquestioned reputation (which, unfortunately, it does not seem to enjoy elsewhere,) as a wine-making grape also. The Ives, another hardy, healthy, and free-bearing variety, seems to be getting the 492 THE SOUTHERN [August better of the unfavorable prognostics against the character of its wine ; and a specimen sent out by Longworth's wine-house, in Cincin- nati, certainly commends the grape to a fair trial by all. We have also a numerous list of grapes which have proved their capacity for the production of wine of various grades — all marketable, some very fine — some of them healthy everywhere, and all of which will doubtless prove so in very many localities in our more favored region. The Alvey, Clinton, Cynthiana, Creveling, Delaware, Cun- ningham (a native of our State), Iona, Mottled (a new and highly promising seedling of the Catawba), Herbemont, Scuppernong, Maxataung, Rogers' Hybrids Nos. 1 and 4, occur to me as belong- ing to this list. Perhaps the Catawba (now generally discarded on account of its great tendency to mildew,) may find a congenial home along the slopes of the Blue Ridge. With such a list to com- mence with— our protracted season for the perfect ripening of the later varieties, such as the Norton, and our more genial climate for the perfect development of all — the endless diversity of soil which the various sections of our State present, and the abundance and comparative cheapness of timber in most sections, for enclosures and trellises, offer great inducements to our people to adopt the cul- ture of the grape as a highly profitable, if not the most profitable appropriation of land, capital and labor within the reach of moder- ate means. But while it is indispensable, under our present discouragements, to offer directly profitable results, in money actually received, to Stimulate the zealous pursuit of any enterprise whatever requiring money, yet we would not be at a loss to find important encourage- ment for the cultivation of all fruits, small and large, for home con. sumption, by almost all classes who till the soil, if their value could be rightly appreciated as an economical and healthful, and may I not venture to add, an elevating element of subsistence.. There is good reason to believe that if our Southern people could be induced to limit their consumption of animal food, and proportionately in- crease their consumption of fruit, there would be a general preva- lence of better health and more elastic temperament. It can scaccly have escaped the observation of those who have mingled with other nations of the earth, at their own homes (or where they were congregated in sufficient proportions on other soils to encourage the indulgence of their native tastes), that those communities of mankind who habitually subsist, to a large proportion of their diet, on animal food, are strikingly deficient in that activity and buoy- ancy and elasticity which mark the character of the vegetable and 1888.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 493 fruit-consuming classes. The difference is not all, nor nearly all, due to climate, as is generally supposed. The Spaniard and the Frenchman, occupying very similar climates, are very different in their temperaments. The former is the grosser feeder, and lacks the activity and elasticity of the latter. The Irish consume less meat than the English ; and here again we find the vim and buoy- ancy of character largely predominant in the vegetarian class. The Mexican and Central American have lived on beef until they are a mass of immobility, and have not the energy to pay the slight tribute of labor which their teeming soil demands for the abundant production of fruit and vegetables. And so on, through the various nations of the earth, I have no doubt that careful en- quiry would establish the rule, that energy and activity and elas- ticity of temper, and, consequently, a higher grade of rational enjoyment, are marked characteristics of those who subsist mostly on the lighter diet of fruit and vegetables. But beyond this, there is an urgent appeal, just now, arising from our peculiar condition and surroundings. We are not raising any- thing like meat enough, within the present arbitrary restriction of our State lines, to subsist our population ; and until something hap- pens to enable the white men of the South to check the universal spirit of plunder which pervades the negro population, it is vain to hope that we shall increase our domestic production of animal food. Here, then, we find a market at every man's door for fruit and vegetables, to substitute the enormous consumption of meat, pur- chased from beyond our borders. And what more certain, more economical, more healthful elements of subsistence are to be found than are furnished under the various modes of preparation, which secure to us throughout the year all the large and small fruits of our climate, and which it is within the reach of all who have a few acres of land to cultivate and preserve. An eminent horticulturist of Massachusetts has practically found that pears, by carefully selecting a rotation of kinds as to their period of maturity, may be placed on the table every day in the year, in their naturally ripened condition. But this extreme suc- cess is not necessary. It is only important to preserve, in some form, the fruits of the summer and fall, until they are succeeded by the productions of the returning spring. October finds us gather- ing grapes and apples and peaches and pears from the branch ; and May renews the rotation with the strawberry crop. And as far as the small fruits, and the preservation of all kinds is concerned, we find an additional inducement to their culture in 494 THE SOUTHERN [August the adaptation of women and children to fill most of the employ- ments involved in the pursuit. There seems to me, therefore, no sufficient reason why the small cottager should not in Virginia, as well as in France, surround himself with these healthy and delight- ful products of our soil ; and high considerations of patriotism sug- gest that every inducement of precept and example, encouraged by the gratuitous distribution of plants and vines and cuttings, in a small way, should be held out to this class of our people, to incite them to this branch of horticulture. If there is anything in these considerations, they present encour- agement to us to devote a share of our time and attention and labor to the culture everywhere, and by all, of some varieties of fruit, with- out stopping to enquire whether they will pay as an article of trade, if we can economically consume them at home. I commend this view of horticulture to the earnest consideration of our Society; and trust that while we are active in seeking out and distributing infor- mation to encourage the vigneron and fruit-grower for market, we shall not forget by "line upon line and precept upon precept," to enforce upon our people of all conditions and everywhere, to plant and carefully cultivate the fruits best adapted to their wants and appliances. John J. Werth. Editorial Correspondence. Editor Southern Planter and Farmer,— To be in New York is truly to be in the centre of the continent, so far as trade, finance and commerce are concerned. Here everything is gathered together from all parts of our own country, and a vast deal from other quar- ters of the globe. If you want to buy land in Texas, or bear-skins in Alaska, it can be done in New York, and profitably done, pro- vided you are fortified against all kinds of tricks and humbugs ; if you are not guarded, however, the chances are against you. Not that honest dealers here are rare, but because dishonest ones are so numerous, that it is necessary to be watchful and discerning. Notwithstanding there is much to condemn in this great city, still there is so much to admire and emulate, that were I to moralize, your magazine would hardly contain the impressions of a week's sojourn. Leaving all else to other correspondents, let me give you a glimpse of Horticulture and Pomology, as represented and devel- oped here and in the suburbs. The first place visited was Central Park. Magnificent in its proportions, and beautiful in design, it is worthy of the metropolis ; but in driving around, a thought sug- 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 495 gested itself, which, if acted upon, would probably add both to the use and beauty of the grounds. It is this : in the absence of a Botan- ical garden, might not the Park be made a receptacle for handsome new evergreens and deciduous trees ? and might not the Gothamites soon have a collection of the rarer trees and plants, which would equal, if not surpass, some of the European pleasure-grounds? So far, little attention has seemingly been paid to this. The grounds are well planted, but with common plants, and one finds nothing here but may be seen in any nursery or lawn. Leaving the Park, let us run over to Flushing, and look at Par- son's Rhododendrons and Azaleas, just now in full bloom. A thous- and specimens of each, loaded with flowers of every color, tint and variegation, is a truly gorgeous spectacle, and well compensates for the two hours' ride in the rain encountered upon the return. Messrs. Parsons & Co. are cultivating largely these two plants, and are most successful. I have never seen a finer show of a bloom than theirs ; and notwithstanding the superior adaptability of our climate to the production of these flowers, I doubt whether we can excel them. Back to New York, across the city and Hudson river, and we are at South Bergen, rambling through Peter Henderson's green-house (pits, as Mr. Buist styles them), luxuriating in a mass of young flowering plants, which for quantity remind you of an old Virginia tobacco field ; but in Mr. Henderson's opinion, they are not enough to supply the demand, for he is now busy building a new green- house, to be of the very modest length of one hundred and fifty feet. So much for flowers. About fruit, little can be said ; it is too early for strawberries, and although the markets are filled with them, they all come from the sunny South. At a strawberry exhibition held at Whitlock's, 245 Broadway, on Thursday, June 18th, not a ripe berry was ex- hibited. Several plates of Wilson's Albany, Jucunda, Napoleon III., and Downer's Seedling, partially ripe, were on the tables, and al- though the exhibition was not a success, owing to the lateness of the season and backward condition of vegetation, the discussion of the Fruit-growers' Association, which succeeded it, was very inter- esting. One point of interest developed by the discussion was, that in the opinion of the majority of the fruit-growers present, some of them large Jersey producers, it was more profitable not to cultivate strawberry beds than to cultivate. Their theory was that it requires' extravagantly high culture to secure more than one or two good crops from a strawberry bed, and they reasoned that it 496 THE SOUTHERN [August was cheaper to grow new beds than to cultivate thus highly the old ones. The plan which many are adopting is to plant the bed in the spring, keep it clear of weeds the first summer, and then let it run to weeds the next season, taking off a crop the second and third summer, the latter taken from among the weeds. Then plough the vines under, and by planting every spring a. new bed, a constant succession is maintained. It was the experience of by far the larger portion of those present, including Dr. Hexamer and Mr. A. S. Fuller, that this was the most profitable. This opinion seems very plausible, and we are now testing both methods of cultivating. Returning from New York, Baltimore must not be passed without a visit to Messrs. Corse, at Clairmont nurseries, who always have a fine assortment of well grown stock. From there over to Green- mount Cemetery is but a short drive, which is well repaid. The artistic decorations are splendid ; but neither this nor Laurel Hill, at Philadelphia, nor Greenwood, at New York, compare with our Hollywood in natural beauties. Without time to take a glance at Druid Hill Park, Baltimore is left and Richmond, is reached, and at the same time the termination of a busy trip, which afforded little time for general observation. M. The Theory of the Editor of " The Gardener's Monthly," that Evaporation is Excessive in Cold Weather, &c, Controverted. Among the editorials of the Gardener s Monthly, there appears an article which discusses the mode and manner cold acts in killing plants exposed to its influence. The talented Editor of that excel" lent horticultural magazine controverts the long received opinion, that frost, in freezing the sap, bursts the cells, ruptures the sap- vessels, and consequently kills the plants. He contends that the theory of cell-bursting is fallacious, and that the fact of plants being killed by cold is exclusively owing to the destruction of the equilibrium, which must necessarily exist between the roots and the vascular system of the stem and branches to supply an adequate quantity of moisture; or, in other words, that "evaporation," which it is pretended " is excessive in cold weather," causes the liquid materials which sustain the vitality of the plant " to go out faster than they come in." We shall endeavor, in as few words as possible, to criticise the critic; and if, in recurring to first principles, we shall succeed in overturning the argument of the gentleman, we hope he will not 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 49T consider us as intruding upon his peculiar province, where his au- thority is deservedly held in high repute. Locke very properly says, that in order to discuss a met- aphysical question with clearness and precision, the first thing that is necessary is to define terms. What is true in metaphysical discussions, applies with no less force to every other kind of argument. Let us understand, then, what is meant by evaporation, a word the gentleman uses to give form and substance to his theory. It is well known that evap- oration means the conversion of water or other liquids into vapor by the expansive power of heat ; the particles thus expanded being made lighter than air, are separated from the mass of which they form a part, and ascending, they remain suspended in the upper regions of rarefied air in the form of clouds. If this statement is correct, and no one can controvert it, it conclusively follows that evaporation, instead of being excessive during winter or cold weather, when rains or snows are abundant, and heat is wanting to produce the rarefaction of evaporating liquids, is, on the contrary, far more excessive during summer or hot weather, when plants are frequently suffering from want of rain, and the heat of the sun rap- idly evaporates the liquid materials by which plants are nourished. Steam is really nothing more than the visible vapor of water ; and .who was ever so silly as to attempt to supply an engine with steam by the excessive evaporating process brought about by the applica- tion of cold. The facts, then, as they exist in nature, and which must be recognized even by the most observing, are in direct con- tradiction with the gentleman's theory, that plants are killed by cold, because "evaporation is excessive in cold weather." And ac- cording to him, it necessarily follows from the excessive cold-weather evaporation, that " there is not enough moisture to fill the cells " — "when it goes out faster than it comes in — they die." While we confess that the gentleman's conclusion is correct, his premises are not only false, but absurd ; and consequently his reasoning, like a house of cards, falls to the ground at the slightest touch. But the gentleman, in support of his opinion, adduces the fact, that last winter the temperature of the atmosphere was not very low, but the winds were very high, " and yet," he says, "plants never suffered so." Unfortunately, the prop of the gentleman's argument is too weak to support it, for it is well known that in our climate, when during the winter months the temperature of the atmosphere is not low, the air is filled with moisture, which is not unfreqnently fol- lowed by rain and snow ; and in that state of the weather the winds vol. n—32 498 THE SOUTHERN [August are hardly ever high ; while, on the other hand, when the winds are high, the atmosphere is dry and cold ; and from this it inevitably follows that a moderate temperature of the air precludes high winds, and high winds are the correctives of a moderate temperature. They are like fire and water — they cannot exist together. Upon this showing we are compelled to use the gentleman's evidence against himself. As we have alreadv stated, during the winter sea- son, in moderate temperatures, the atmosphere, as well as the ground, is moist, and plants get an abundant supply of moisture, not only from the root, but by external absorption ; and when in this state high winds suddenly supervene, and the atmosphere is rapidly cooled below the freezing point, the particles of the circulating fluid of plants, which require the utmost tenuity for their equal and con- tinuous distribution, is measurably interrupted or impeded, and the plant dies, partly from want of nourishment, and partly by the sud- den abstraction of heat, which is increased by the dessicating action of the wind. The main cause why plants are killed by cold is the sudden ab- straction of heat. Heat is as much an element of vitality of plants? as it is of man and animals. Some plants require a greater supply of heat to sustain their vital functions and to advance their growth and development than others. The palm and the banyan tree could not flourish where the spruce pine attains its utmost perfection. The organization of certain plants, like that of some animals, enables them to resist the external influence of cold better than others not endowed by nature with the power of resistance. But that all spe- cies of plants require a certain quantity of vital heat to sustain their individuality, admits of no doubt; and if a plant is not sup- plied with heat by t.he atmosphere, but on the contrary, if excessive cold abstracts its own vital heat, until it is exhausted of one of its most important elements of vitality, it naturally dies, like a man or an animal exposed to similar atmospheric influences. While we do not fully agree with the theory that cold bursts the cells and the sap vessels, and by this means causes the death of plants, we do believe that the circulation going on in the vascular system is obstructed by cold, by depriving the circulating fluid of its tenuity, and by partially solidifying it by means of its contract- ing power. If the gentleman had only substituted "the going out of heat, 7 ' for the word " evaporation," and made use of the word "heat" wherever the word "moisture" occurs, he would have hit the nail upon its head, and his article would have been a capital one, well deserving the attention of the farmer and the agriculturist. A. Featherman. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 499 Cresylic Soap— A Specific fop Destroying Predacious Insects, and a Valuable Deodorizer and Disinfectant. Mr, Editor, — I observe in jour April number that a correspond- ent complains of bugs amongst his melons, and that jou recommend a kerosene soap. We are finding in cresylic soap an infinitely more active, effective and enduring remedy. In fact, the wonder seems to be how we ever before got along without it ! Kerosene is only useful in its effect upon insects in proportion to the quantity of cresylic or carbolic acid or creosote it contains. In every case in which cresylic soaps have been used here, to prevent or destroy insects or destructive fungi, as the rust or smut in wheat, &c, although in these and in grape mildew but partially tried — in scab and foot-rot in sheep, &c, &c, and generally as antiseptics, disinfectants and deodorizers, they have proven invalu- able. As I have spoken of them several times, permit me to quote recent editorials from two of our leading papers— not to puff these soaps, but to put others in the way of benefiting by what has been so useful to us. The Houston Telegraph of 20th inst. says : " We believe the cotton worm can be destroyed, if a general and faithful effort is made. The destroying agent is undoubtedly the newly-discovered cresylic soap, which has proved fatal to all insect life, so far as we have been able to try it or to hear of its being tried." " We men- tion this cresylic soap so often because it has proved of so much ad- vantage to us. We have not the slightest interest otherwise in it." The Galveston News of same date says, after recommending its use generally : " Private individuals should use the solution of this soap, by sprinkling water-closets and all offensive places, and forth- with all disagreeable odors will be removed." Thomas Affleck. Gclenblythe, Washington county, Texas, June, 1868. They do things out West on a somewhat magnificent scale. A prairie farmer in Illinois advertises for contractors to break up four thousand acres prairie land for three dollars an acre — houses and lumber for stables furnished. This is farming on a scale hardly ap- preciated in this section of the country. The advertiser, however, is the owner of a forty thousand acre farm. By doing nothing we learn to do ill. 500 THE SOUTHERN [August irastjjofo §qjctrfnmtt Domestic Receipts. Tomato Wine. — Take ripe tomatoes, cook them just enough to set the juice to flowing freely. To every gallon of juice add one gallon of water. To every gallon of the above mixture put three pounds of sugar (white or brown, as preferred). Set it by to fer- ment. After the lees sink to the bottom of the vessel, rack off, and add a little more sugar, if necessary. Clarify after the second fer- mentation, w T ith isinglas or white of eggs, as you may prefer. The above is a copy of a recipe given me by a lady of Lynch- burg — now no more — who took great interest in everything of the kind. At the same time she gave me recipes for blackberry, cur- rent and grape wine, in making of all which she excelled. I have partaken of three of these, and must say, that whilst I do not pro- fess to be a judge of wines, they were, in my humble opinion, the best ever made in this State. That of the tomato was exquisite both as to color and taste. It is proper to add, that with scarcely any variation, she made the blackberry, current and tomato wine by the same recipe. That of the grape was different. I have made this note that you may see how good I think the above recipe, and make such comments as you may deem proper. I shall try it this year, if nothing happens to prevent. To Make Good Bread. — Take one pint of flour; pour on boil- ing water enough to make a paste ; beat till nearly cold, then add one even spoonful pulverized alum, and one heaping teaspoonful brown sugar ; keep covered till it rises ; then add corn meal enough to enable you to roll it out ; then cut into cakes rather larger than a Mexican dollar (if any one remembers how large that is), dry in the shade and keep from flics. They will keep an indefinite time without souring. When wanted for use, for every quart of flour dis- solve one cake of the leaven, and mix with the flour in the usual manner, using cold water. When mixed, place your loaves in a pan to be baked, and set them by to rise, which will soon be done ; then bake in the usual manner ; and sweeter bread I never saw. This has been tried in my family many, many times, and without a failure. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 501 No Name. — The yolks of five eggs, and one cup of sugar mixed a little; add one and a half cups of sugar, one cup of butter or lard, one cup of milk, two teaspoons of yeast powder. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and put in last; flavor with lemon ; flour as thick as pound cake. Cocoanut Cake. — One bowl of sugar, one bowl of flour, one cup of butter, six eggs, one teaspoon of soda, two of cream tartar, one grated cocoanut. Lemon Pies. — Two large lemons, five eggs, one pound of sugar, one pint of milk or water, two table-spoons of corn starch — this makes two pies — baked in a rich under crust without any upper. Soaping Cloth for Sewing. — We often wish to make garments of new bleached muslin before washing the fabric, and the starch contained in it makes it difficult to do so. To obviate the difficulty, take a bit of hard soap and shave it down to an edge, and run it along the edge of the cloth you wish to sew, and you will find it will have a magical effect. It is equally efficacious if you are to use a machine. To Purify a Sink. — In hot weather it is almost impossible to prevent sinks becoming foul, unless some chemical preparation is used. One pound of copperas dissolved in four gallons of water, poured over a sink three or four times, will completely destroy the offensive odor. As a disinfecting agent, to scatter around premises affected with any unpleasant odor, nothing is better than a mixture of four parts dry ground plaster of Paris to one part of fine char- coal by weight. All sorts of glass vessels and other utensils may be effectually purified from offensive smells by rinsing them with, charcoal powder, after the grosser impurities have been scoured off with sand and soap. — Grer. Tel. Cure for Chapped Hands. — Take 3 drachms of gum camphor } 3 drachms white beeswax, 3 drachms spermicetti, and 2 ounces olive oil. Put them together in a cup on the stove, where they will melt slowly and form a white ointment in a few minutes. If the hands be affected, anoint them on going to bed, and put on a pair of gloves. A day or two will suffice to heal them. Pickling Plums.. — Best vinegar 1 pint ; sugar 4 pounds ; plums 8 pounds ; spices to taste. Boil them in the mixture till soft ; then take out the plums, and boil the syrup until quite thick, and pour it over them again. THE SOUTHERN PLANTER AND FARMER. RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, AUGUST, 1868. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISING. Subscription One Year, $2.00 ADVERTISING. 1 square, 10 lines or less, one insertion, $ 1 00 % page, one year, $ 35 00 1 square of 10 lines for six months, 6 00 x /i page, six months, 35 00 1 square of 10 lines for one year, 10 00 Y z page, one year, 60 00 1 page, single insertion 15 00 1 page six mouths, 60 00 % page, six months, 20 00 1 page, one year 100 00 PAYMENTS. Subscriptions— in advance. Advertising— annual— quarterly in advance. All others in advance Our Club Arrangements. We furnish the following Journals at club rates: The Richmond Christian Advocate (weekly), and So. P. & F., for $4 50 a year The American Farmer, Baltimore, (monthly), and So. P. & F., for 3 50 a year The Land We Love (monthly), and So. P. & F., for . . 4 35 a year Moore's Rural New Yorker (weekly), and S. P. & F., for . 3 75 a year The Cultivator and Country Gentleman (weekly), and So. P. & F., for 3 75 a year Time or Planting Strawberries, page 429. — The reader will please read "March," instead oi "May," as erroneously printed. The Survey Board at Washington College has appointed Major Jed Hotchkiss Topographical Engineer, and immediate steps will be taken to pre- pare and publish a series of maps of the several counties and districts of the State of Virginia. There is ample material already in hand for the inaugura- tion of this work. By order of the Board. R. E. Lee, President. Address Major Jed. Hotchkiss, Staunton, Va. Notice to Correspondents. Anxious to bring out our paper punctually on the first of the month, we ask it as a favor of our generous correspondents to furnish us with their valuable communications as early as they can in the month preceding their intended publication in the succeeding issue of the Southern Planter and Farmer. Quantity of Seed Sown Per Acre, Broadcast. Lawn Grass, . 2 to 3 bushels Timothy, . . 7 to 12 pounds Herds' Grass or Red Top, . . 12 to 16 pounds Red Clover, . 8 to 10 pounds White Clover, . 5 to 6 pounds Blue Grass, . 12 to 25 pounds Orchard Grass, . 15 to 20 poundc Rye Grass, . 12 to 15 pounds 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 503 The Song of the Summer Cloud. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY POETIZED AND MORALIZED. BY REV. T. S. W. MOTT. I come, I come, from my mountain home, I come from the vale and the glen, With stores caught up as along I roam, To scatter them downward again. I go abroad on my wayward road, In search of the nauseous and sweet; And waft them over the earth abroad, To lay them where'er it is meet. I imbibe the dew from the floret's cup, I gather from all as I go — From pois'nous blooms with the bee I sup, And I drink of the river's flow ; I take from pools and the stagnant fen, And the brine and scum of the sea, From baneful weeds and the stenchy pen, And the mould'ring trunk of the tree; And mingling, I mis them all in one, The pure with the noxious and vile, And send them down in a wizard boon, To cover the earth with a smile ; For in my course as along I rush, And dribble all down on their face, The rose's blush takes a brighter flush, Ami the lilly a sweeter grace ; And the dahlia rears her queenly head More gracefully still as I flow, And loftiest trees and the humblest weed More beautiful flourish and grow. I touch the sod, and its grass grows green, And corn swells more full in the ear ; And brighter leaves on the oak are seen, That late was so drooping and sere. And more and more as my store supplies The parched and thirsty land, New beauties rise to the gazer's eyes, As at touch of some magic wand. I launch my bolts as along I lower Over fields and the forests wide — I rend the pine in my fearful power, And shatter the oak in its pride; 501 THE SOUTHERN [August But where the stroke in my wrath descends, And blighting and ruin are seen, Some richer blessing in time attends, In lieu of the loss that has been. HeDce, mortals ! learn in your faithless mood, These beautiful truths, if you will : There's ever some trace of ill in good, And some mixture of good in ill. Some sweetness from bitter may be press'd ; Some foul in the fairest may lie : As poison lurks in the Jasmine's breast, Though winning her smile to the eye ; And the richest boons that ever fall In the pathway by mortals trod, Are sickness, pain, and the tears of gall, That lead them through trials to God. Garden Farm, Catawba county, N. C, July 4, 1868. Immigration— Burksville Convention. We copy from the Richmond Whig the following resolutions unanimously adopted by the above named Convention, which we earnestly recommend to the careful consideration and prompt action of those for whom they are intended : 1. Resolved, That it is manifestly the duty and interest of the people of Vir- ginia and their neighbors of North Carolina to promote by all means in their power the immigration of farmers, manufacturers, merchants and laborers, and to that end we appeal to our fellow-citizeds to sell or lease, at reasonable prices, and on easy terms, and at the earliest practicable period, such lands as they can not now profitably cultivate themselves, to all who may be inclined to pur- chase or lease and settle amongst us. 2. Resolved, That to encourage the immigration of foreigners who may not speak our language, or for other reasons may wish to settle in colonies, it will be wise policy for the land owners of the different counties, as far as practica- ble, to offer for sals or lease, on reasonable terms to immigrants, as large and compact bodies of lands as can be secured together. 3. Resolved, That we appeal to the landholders of Virginia and North Caro- lina not to forget the claims of their own native sons, but offer to all such every practicable means to encourage them to habits of industry and usefulness. 4. Resolved, That we would also embrace with delight the returning sons of Virginia and North Carolina, who may have become dissatisfied with the ex- isting condition of the more Southern States. 5. Resolved, That we, representing a large constituency of Virginia and North Carolina, with unaffected sincerity and cordiality, invite immigrants from the people of the other States of the United States and of Europe to settle in our midst and to co operate with us in restoring Virginia and North Carolina to prosperity and happiness, and in securing continued progress and advance- ment; and we make this our emphatic declaration that citizens from other States can find homes in Virginia and North Carolina where all proper regard will be rendered to their feelings and their opinious and to the comfort of their families, and the assertion that individuals of the Northern States cannot re- side here in safety and comfort is a slander upon our people. _ 6. Resolved, That the formation of county or local land companies under, similar charters will greatly facilitate the sale or lease of lands and promote immigration ; and we earnestly recommend the immediate organization of such companies, and suggest the form of charter (that can be granted by the circuit courts while in session or by the judges in vacation,) as embodying all the es- 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER 505 sential features of such a scheme, both as regards the operations of the sepa- rate companies and their combination and co-operation, and we urge upon all the counties here represented and such others as may unite in the movement the adoption of measures to organize their respective companies without delay ; ard to facilitate this object, delegates to this convention are hereby appointed committees in their respective counties to carry out ihis resolution. 7. Resolved, That the railroad companies of this State and North Carolina are earnestly appealed to, to extend every facility in their power, hut especially by reduced rates of fare, to encourage travel in our midst of all persons who desire to examine lands with a view of purchasing, or leasing, and to give the benefit of such reduction to their families when removing to occupy binds pur- chased or leased. And in the removal of colonies when they come in a body to settle on the line of any railroad in the State, we commend the example of the R. & D R. Co., to forward such colonies in such special immigrant trains free of charges to their destination. Believing that in this practical age of enterprise and activity, the opening of railroad lines where they do not exist in our State would prove to be one of the most efficient auxiliary means of promoting immigration that could possibly be created, therefore, Resolved, That the construction of a sufficient number of railroads to insure speedy and cheap transportation to and from market is a sure means of inducing intelligent and energetic men to settle in our States. Resolved, That the construction of the Norfolk and Great Western, the Chesapeake and Ohio, and Air Line railroads would be of incalculable advan- tage to our agricultural, mineral, manufacturing and commercial enterprise, and would make Virginia and North Carolina the most desirable field for men of energy and enterprise in every departm >nt of industry. Book Notices. Agriculture of Massachusetts. By C. L. Flint. We are indebted to the kindness of Mr. E. B. Welch, of Cambridge, Mass., for a copy of this valuable book. It is "the fifteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachu- setts Board of Agriculture, together with Reports of Committees appointed to visit the County Societies," &c. It contains an amount of information rarely met with in the same number of pages. The discussions before the Board of Agriculture, couducted by such men as Prof. Agassiz, Col. Wilder, and others of known ability, and the essays read during the session of the Board, are of the highest interest. The amount of practical information to be gained by such discussions cannot be over-estimated. Let our people bestir themselves, and organize County Societies auxiliary to our State Society as the first step in a forward movement in agriculture. The Percheron Horse. This is the title of a neat little volume translated from the French of Charles Du Huys, from the enterprising publishing house of Messrs. Orange Judd & Co., 245 Broadway, New York. As a history of the origin and propagation of this remarkable race of horses, H possesses much interest, especially as their recent introduction into Mary- land and Virginia renders an acquaintance with their adaptation to the varied uses of our people desirable. We have recently seen some fine specimens of pure bloods, and crosses with the better class of our country mares, at " Bell- mont," the stock-farm of our friend, Slaughter W. Ficklen, Esq., near Char- lottesville, Va., and we are convinced that the Percheron is the work-horse for our people. We could but observe how remarkably the type of the sire was preserved in his progeny by the country mares. The Land We Love. The August number is rich in interest, and we again 506 THE SOUTHERN [August commend it to the liberal patronage of our friends. We club with this journal, as will be seen by reference to our notice under our editorial head. The American Farmers' Magazine, published by Charles S. Burnett, Esq., Cincinnati, Ohio, is the title of a new journal just aeceived, and which we cheerfully give a place amongst our exchanges. The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, New York. We acknowledge the reception of Blackwood for July, and the latest North British Review, both up to the standard, and most welcome visitors. We call attention to the publish- ers' liberal terms : For any one of the Reviews, For any two of the Reviews, For any three of the Reviews, For all four of the Reviews, For Blackwood's Magazine, For Blackwood and one Review, For Blackwood and any two of the Reviews, For Blackwood and three of the Reviews, For Blackwood and the four Reviews, $4 00 per annum 7 00 per annum 10 00 per annum 12 00 per annum 4 00 per annum 7 00 per annum 10 00 per annum 13 00 per annum 15 00 per annum The Mothers' Magazine, edited by Rev. D. Mead, No. 5 Beekman street, New York, is received, and placed on our exchange list. The Sorgo Journal and Farm, Machinist, is' the title of a quarterly published by Messrs. Blymyer, Norton & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, and devoted especially to the sugar interest and progressive husbandry. The National Agriculturist, and Pennsylvania Farm Journal formerly con" ducted separately, were combined on the 1st of January last, and will in future be known under one title, by uniting the two names. We wish the combina- tion great success. The Household, is a monthly paper published by Messrs. Milliken & Crowe 1 !, Brattleboro', Vt., and we take pleasure in pronouncing it one among the best of our exchanges. Public Ledger. — We acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the Public Led ger, published by Geo. W. Childs, Esq., Philadelphia, containing an account of his " Fourth of July dinner to the newsboys," and an interesting account of the origin of the London Times. " College Courant," Yale. — The weekly issue of this paper for July 1st is before us. It is handsomely gotten up, and although a specialty in the interest of Yale College, the editors promise that a glimpse, at least, at other colleges and institutions of learning shall be found in their pages. They report a list of talented contributors. The Holmesburg Gazette comes to us this week in an entire new dress. As a rural paper, it is among the best printed that we have seen. Its advertis. ing columns give evidence of liberal patronage, while its reading matter ex- hibits talent worthy of commendation. Published by William F. Knott, Holmesburg, Pa,, at $2 50 per aunum. Send for a sample copy. The Monthly Report of the Department of Agriculture for May and June has been received, and contains much interesting matter. The Wisconsin State Agricultural Society has sent us a copy of their Regula- tions and Premium List for their annual exhibition to be held at Madison, Wis- 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 507 consin, commencing Monday, September 28th, and continuing five days. They offer $10,000 in premiums. The Indiana State Fair. — We are indebted to the kindness and courtesy of A. J. Holmes, Esq., Secretary of the Society, for a complimentary invitation to be present at their exhibition to be held at the State Fair Grounds, at Indian- apolis, commencing Monday, September 28th, and continuing until Saturday, October 3d, 1868. It would give us great pleasure to attend on this occasion, did not our engagements prevent our doing so. The New York State Agriculture Society have furnished us their Regulations and Premium List for their twenty-eighth Annual Fair, to be held at Rochester' N. Y., commencing September 29th, and continuing until October 2d. Chemistry Applied to the Arts, is the title of a Lecture by Prof. J. W. Mallet, delivered before the University of Virginia May 30th, 1868, and for a copy of which we are indebted to the kindness of a friend. This Lecture is one of great interest and value, and we shall not be satisfied with simply acknowledging its reception, but promise at an early day to draw upon it for the benefit of our readers. We gratefully acknowledge the reception of an invitation to dine with our friends, the members of the " Crow-hunt," at Spring Hill Church, Lunenburg county, Va., on August 1st. We regret our inability to attend and enjoy their good company, as well as the feast, but thank Wm. M. Bagby, Esq., and other members of the committee, for remembering us. Hermitage Nurseries.— A Catalogue of this well known and valuable estab" lishment is before us, and we commend it to our people as in every way worthy of their patronage. A Catalogue of the Due West Female College, Abbeville, S. C, has been received. Messrs. Darnell & Co., proprietors of the Warm Springs, Bath county, Va.> send us their circular, setting forth the value of the waters, and the other at" tractions of this well known resort. Cresylic Soaps, &c. — We have received from our friend, Thomas Affleck' Esq., of Brenham, Texas, the Circular of Messrs. James Buckhan & Co., 190 Elizabeth street, New York, who are the agents for Cresylic Soaps and other compounds of known value as deodorizers and disinfectants. Farmers 7 Gazette and Industrial Index, devoted to Agriculture, Mechanic Arts and Industrial Interests of the South, pp. 32 octavo. S. Bassett FrenGh, editor and proprietor. Office 1006 Main street, Richmond. The initial number of this new competitor for public favor, which we noticed as forthcoming in our March number, was issued in advance of the 1st of July. Its contour is neat and imposing; its contents diversified and inviting. The August number has also been received. We shall sit with docility and meekness at the feet of our contemporary, who shall be our Gamaliel, to teach us the superior art of simplifying simplicity, so that we may not only be able to "meet the wants of the farmer who has had the blessed privilege of high education," but also "to make the columns of the" Southern Planter and Farmer " available to the farmer and mecahnic of the humblest attainments ;" for we think we do not transcend the scope of our mis- sion when we acknowledge ourself to be " debtor both to the wise and to the unwise." A New Agricultural Journal. — Mr. Wm. H. Bernard, of Wilmington, N. C.» has issueda Prospectus for the publication of an Agricultural monthly to be entitled the North Carolina Farmer. He possesses facilities and talent which must ensure success under his auspices. 508 THE SOUTHERN [August Correspondence of Southern Planter and Farmer. We have been furnished by the obliging Commissioner of Agriculture with the following intelligence in advance of the publication of his monthly report on the CONDITION OF THE CROPS IN JULY. The following is an abstract from " Condition of the Crops " in the Monthly Report of Agriculture for July : Corn. — The most remarkable fact in connection with the corn crop of the present year is the great increase of its acreage in the South, the difference in number of acres between the present and the preceding year being more than two millions and a half. A slight decrease is apparent in the eastern seaboard States, resulting from the unpropitious character of the recent cold, wet and backward spring, which sadly interfered with planting. A careful estimate of the acreage shows a decrease of 49,609 acres in eight States, and an increase of 3,108,215 acres in the remaining States, as follows : DECREASE. Acres. Maine 3,300 New Hampshire 3,184 Massachusetts 1,985 Rhode Island- 1,719 Acres. Connecticut 9,511 New York 12,888 New Jersey 8,818 Maryland 8,204 INCREASE. Acres. I Acres. Vermont 1,679 | Tennessee 127,215 Pennsylvania 57.106 I West Virginia 13,131 Delaware 6,697 | Kentucky °07,307 Virginia 70,775 Missouri , 407,942 North Carolina 216,927 | Nebraska 16,145 South Carolina 89,764 I Kansas 63.411 Georgia 255,987 | Iowa 236 683 Florida 48,728 | Minnesota 25,500 Alabama.. 43,827 | Wisconsin 32,^61 Mississippi 313,108 Michigan 48,146 Louisiana 397,291 | Ohio 178.397 Texas 132,229 I Indiana 100,626 Arkansas 376,772 | Illinois ....366,692 The figures show an increase of over 3,000,000 of acres in corn, making about 36,000,000 in the United States, an advance of nine per cent. The per- centage of Louisiana reaches 65, that of Arkansas 47, that of Kansas 30, Mis- sissippi 25, Nebraska 25, Missouri 22, Texas 18, Minnesota 17, Iowa 15, Illinois and Ohio 8, Indiana 4. The drought in the South has retarded somewhat the growth of corn, but its condition in that section is generally good. In the West the average is high, with the exception of Ohio and Indiana, where the weather has been somewhat unpropitious, and storms destructive. In the East, on the last of June, the growth was small, but the hot weather of July had brought a large portion of the crop into splendid condition. Wheat. — The condition of wheat, as shown in the July returns, is above the average for last year in all the States except Vermont, Connecticut, the Caro- linas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Nebraska. The sea" son has been peculiarly favorable to the growth and ripening of this great bread crop in all except the Southern States. 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 509 The favorable reports are so numerous, in the Western States especially, that it is unnecessary to give them in detail. The general tenor of reports is that " winter wheat bids fair to be the largest crop we have had for many years ;" " the yield will be immense ;" " the prospect was never better for a large crop ;" " the weather has been remarkably seasonable •" " the universal opinion is that the crop will be the largest ever grown in the country ;" "crops all over the country were never in a more flourishing condition." Our Lafayette, Wis- consin, correspondent says he has never seen, in a residence of forty years, a finer prospect for wheat, as well as all other crops, and that the same might be said of several adjoining counties. In Highland county, Ohio, the acreage of winter wheat is estimated at three times that of last year, and in Monroe county, Missouri, the acreage of wheat is thought to be three-fold that of 1867. In Kalamazoo county, Michigan, an unusual yield is reported, the best fields being estimated at forty bushels per acre ; and in Bourbon county, Kansas, it is claimed that many farmers will show a similar yield. Exceptions to this showing are frequent in the South, where rust was more or less prevalent. Some loss from the same cause resulted in Maryland and in the similar latitudes in the West. In a few localities loss from lodging is re- ported. Unusual exemption from winter killing is manifest, reports of damage from freezing coming only from northern Vermont, some portions of the Ohio valley, and a still more southern belt. Very few accounts of destruction by the midge are received. In Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, this insect is charged with taking one-third of the crop. In Clinton, Indiana, some loss is also sus- tained from insects. In Queen Anne county, Maryland, the extreme heat shriveled the grain in ripening, leaving it light and poor. In the Miami valley thousands of acres of wheat just ripening have been destroyed by floods, and other crops suffered from the same cause. Other sec- tions of the State were visited by destructive rains at the same time, and much injury resulted to wheat, corn, and other crops. With a successful harvesting of the spring wheat it may safely be declared, in summing up the local re- ports, that a larger number of bushels of wheat, by many thousands, will be grown in the United States in 1868 than in any previous season. Cotton. — Keturns from the cotton districts indicate everywhere a reduction of the acreage in that crop with the exception of Texas, which shows an in- crease of 33 per cent, over last year, and Alabama, where there appears to be no material change in the figures. The falling off in Mississippi appears to be 18 per cent, 24 in Louisiana, 12 in Georgia, 13 in Arkansas, 18 in South Car- olina, 20 in Tennessee, and 32 in North Carolina. The average reduction in acreage is about 10 per cent. With this diminished breadth there is cleaner and better culture and a more general use of fertilizers, so that the yield may be quite equal to last year, the season being equally favorable, with a like ex- perience as to insects and other causes of injury. It is yet too early to predict the result, but the present status of the crop is fairly shown in this state- ment. One county in* Arkansas (De3ha,) reports less than a third of the acreage of last year, while the area in corn is three times as large. Such indications are hopeful. The correspondent, as might be expected, declares that the crops are all in splendid condition, and if not injured by a drought the finest yield for many years will be the result. A want of rain has been apparent in the Gulf States, and a severe drought has afflicted western Tennessee, but few com- 510 THE SOUTHERN [August plaints of its effects upon cotton are made. So far the plant enjoys a very general exemption from casualties and injuries. Rye, oats and barley promise abundant crops ; no serious drawbacks are re" ported, and few complaints of bad condition are received. Potatoes, so exceptionably unproductive last year, are in unusually fine con- dition, and the average is increased in every State except Rhode Island — the natural result of extremely high prices of last year's crop. Fruit is variable ; apples and peaches less promising than usual. Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, make a worse record than other States as to apples. Peaches will be less abundant than apples ; New Jersey, Mary- land and Delaware promising but half a crop, and Illinois and Michigan show- ing a considerable reduction. A fair promise of grapes is indicated. Tobacco covers as large an area as usual in Virginia, Kentucky, and Con- necticut; somewhat less in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Its condition is good in Kentucky and Michigan ; elsewhere a little below an average. Sorghum is generally doing well in the West ; not so well as usual in the middle belt of southern States. We extract the following interesting paragraphs from a private letter : * * " Last week I was on the State Agricultural Farm at Ashland — Mr. Clay's place at Lexington, It so far transcends anything I ever saw for such an enterprise, that it seems to me success would crown any well-directed ef. fort. Ashland is too rich, too grand a farm to be used for teaching agricul- ture. There no manures are made — none are needed ; no ditches dug, nor tiles made nor laid — none are needed. And there, too, what most farmers need to know cannot be learned, especially the youths who are to resuscitate the South. " I went also to Warfield's farms. There I saw the noblest cattle ever bred — a two-year old heifer larger than any cow 1 ever saw. The owner refused $1,400 for her, cash. I saw a calf five months old, altogether inferior to others in his stalls, which, for the sake of a change, he had bought of a neighbor for $600. And so on, and so on. No wonder stock-raisers are rich. Cotton and tobacco are slow coaches in comparison ! " Very sincerely, Louisville, Kentucky, July 24, 1868. We present the following extract from a letter of an esteemed correspondent at Harris's station, N. & D. R. R., Ala., under date of the 9th of July, in rela- tion to the crops in that region : * * " Upon the subject of crop prospects in this neighborhood I can per- haps enlighten you. Of wheat first. That is all saved, and a good proportion threshed. I think five bushels per acre a liberal estimate. I know of several crops that fall as low as three bushels, and of no one that goes as high as six bushels per acre. With us, the usual way of planting wheat is about this: wait till the cotton crop is gathered, say about 1st December, then sow down wheat upon the unbroken surface, plough it in with bull tongues, and let the cattle graze and trample it during winter. This mode of putting in late, and cold spring late rains causing rust, and storms beating off the blooms, account for this small yield. To show that the country will bring wheat, on two acres 1868.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 511 better prepared and sowed, I gathered thirty bushels of prime wheat; but the balance, some twenty acres, only yielded four bushels 15-G0ths per acre. Our cot- ton and corn are both suffering from long-continued drouth. Rain fell on the 16th May, and the next was during this present week — on me to-day, but par- tial rains have been in sight every day this week. To what extent the damage to those crops may reach it is too early now to tell, cotton especially depending greatly upon the date of the first killing frost. " No crops are cultivated in this section other than corn and cotton. Every body plants a little wheat for family use, and that is all. This year a few per- sons have tried experiments with broom corn, ground peas, castor bean, &c, &c, but I cannot say with what prospect of success. Many announce their determination to sow wheat more largely the coming fall, and I think I will do so. Now if you would publish a practical treatise upon wheat growing, I think it would be useful to a good number of neophites like ourself, and might add to your circulation. In such a treatise, however, take nothing for granted. Like Mrs. Glass's receipt for cooking a hare, begin with the catching. Tell when and how to fallow, or otherwise prepare the lands, how and when to sow, what drill, if any, &c, &o. — " ab ovo usque ad mala" — for we know nothing. "Wishing that I were worthy of a place on your list of regular contributors, and to you and your co laborers God-speed in your efforts, I am, my dear sir, " Very truly your friend, James Benagh." Mr. Editbr, — I cannot longer defer the inclination to express to you the pleasure I have in perusing the Planter. I do not wish to make an invidious comparison, when I say it is the best paper of the kind we have had in Virgi- nia, in my estimation. I commend the authors of such articles as friend Ruffin on sheep husbandry, Mr. Mott and others, for doing good service to the cause of agriculture in our present crippled condition. The private corres- pondence or editorial department is an exceedingly interesting feature in the Planter. If more of the sterling and respected agriculturists of the State and the South, such as my venerable friends Willoughby Newton, Esq., Dr. Atkin- son and Dr. Preston, will keep up a correspondence with you, it will add much to the interest of the Planter. 'Tis not their views especially about farming, but an expression of opinion on other subjects deeply interesting to us in our anomalous condition, to which I refer. A remark made by Mr. Newton, in his communication of the 17th June, no doubt met a response in the bosom of every right-thinking man in the South : " Let the people cease to harass and worry each other with petty litigation — with motions for interest, the costs of which often exceed the sums recovered — let them avoid the folly of mariners in a shipwreck, who fight over the straws and drown each other in contending for the last plank." How well would it have been had our Legislature acted upon this idea, and closed by sensible legislation the food gates of litigation, instead of opening them as they did, and encouraged to a course which is rapidly bankrupting the Commonwealth. I have been struck with the strong common sense of one of the judges of the State, who remarked of the action of this Legislature, " that had they imposed a writ-tax of five hundred dollars upon any one instituting a suit until we are again entitled to all our rights," it would have been emi- nently proper. Our courts ought to have been closed, in his estimation, ex- cept for probate and some other purposes. 512 THE SOUTHERN [August In regard to crop prospects, much is said by the press of -the country calcu lated to mislead, and affect prices injudiciously. I am satisfied, from all the information I am able to gather of the wheat crop in Virginia, that it will be far smaller in quantity than was generally hoped in June. In Augusta and Rockbridge the wheat comes near an ordinary crop — better in the last named than in this county. Rockingham will have little, if any surplus. One of the best farmers on Linville creek sowed 200 bushels, and at the commencement of harvest was willing to compromise for his seed. The promise of corn now is pretty good through this part of the Valley. The oat crop is an average one, but much of it will be injured by wet weather. The grape is infested with a new enemy this year, in a small light green catterpillar, that collects around the edge of the leaf in rows, and grow in a few days from a size as small as a gnat to an inch or more in length. They are torpid and sluggish, but increase rapidly. The vine disappears before you are conscious of their presence. I sent some specimens to the Agricultural Bureau at Washington, but have not heard from them. This season has been a good one for a stand of grass. The hay crop is unusually heavy. Fears were entertained about a scarcity of hands in harvest, but I have never known one to be taken off with less complaint on this score. The negroes be- haved well generally. Yours truly, J. M. McCue. ML Solon, Va., July 28, 1868. Agricultural Exhibitions. We are obliged to defer, for want of space, a notice we had intended to give in this number, of the several Agricultural Exhibitions proposed to beheld during the coming autumn. They will be noticed in our September number. Meanwhile, we would mention,,: The Border Agricultural Society will hold its second Annual Fair at Danville, commencing on the 20th of October next. The Augusta County Fair will be held at the grounds of the Society near Staunton, to commence on Tuesday, the 27th of October. The Central Agri- cultural Society of North Carolina will hold its tenth Annual Fair at Hender- son, on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th of October. COMMERCIAL REPORT.— Owing to the large amount of original matter contributed by our friends in the last and present months, our Commercial Report is not so full as we will endeavor to have it in future. From the difficulty we experience in getting statistics of the inspections of Tobacco from the dif- ferent points of this State in time for publication the following monrh, we have determined to publish the inspections of each month in our Commercial Report the second month following ; and therefore, give inspections for the month of June, and also from September 30ch, 1867, to that date, as follows: Richmond, Petersburg, Farmville, Lvnchburg, Total hhds., . 8 : 660 31,439 2,163 7,311 Inspections in Richmond between 30th Septernbar, 1867, and 1st July, 1868, 19,397 hhds., against, 14,395 hhds. to same date last year. Inspections during mouth of June, 5,560 hhds., against 5,318 hhds. during same month last year June Insp. since Stock ON Hand. Inspec's. Sep. 30, 1807. For Ins. Insp'd. 5,560 19.397 1,437 5 449 1,577 7,448 451 1,511 74 235 58 1,449 4,359 217 351