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Agriculture is the nursing mother of the Arts. — Xenopiiox. 
Tillage and Pasturage are the two breasts of the State.— Sully. 



Oh. B. Williams, Kd & Pro'r. 
Frank G-. Ruffin, Co-Editor. 



Jno. M. Allan, Hort'l Editor. 
Wm. L Hill, Gen'l Agent. 



New Series. 



RICHMOND, YA., MAY 1869. 



Vol. III.— No. 5. 



PAGE 

257 
2«3 
261 
266 
26S 
269 
270 
27L 
273 



CONTENTS : 
Agricultural Department: 

Tropu al Krubs. Clear Water Harbor, Florida 

Norway Oats 

Description and Illustration of a Good Cheap Gate 

Horses for Farm Work preferable to Oxen 

Breaking Colts— Rarey's Method of Horse Training 

Distemper in Cattle— Preventative 

Condition of our Bottom. Lands 

Resu ; ts of Experiments with Several Fertilizers, by Paul C. Edmunds 

Postage on Weeds, Vines, Grafts. &c 

An Essay on the Social and Material Interests of Virginia, by Hon. Wil- 

lougnby Newton 

Cheap Social Fares and Freights the* True Policy of our Railioads 

Beet Root Sugar in England I 

Illustration of the Relation of the Bony structure of the Horse to his Body.... 

M. Ville's Hook oh High Farming without Manure Reviewed 

Left Hand Plough* — i he use of them recommenced 

A Large and Paying Application of Guano 

Manipulated Fertilizers— Gilliam's, Wilson's, &c— by J. M. McCne 

Practical Working of Mr. Kilmer's Sysem of Farming by G. C. Gilmer 

Thinning and Weeding of Drilled Corn, bv Archibald Thweatt 

Corn- Husking Machine— Inquiries by G. B. Stacy 

Frencu Roofs— A Valuable Suggestion 

South Carolina Negroes— Mortuary Statistics of. 



Horticultural Department: 

Is it True that Nurserymen and Seedsmen Oppose the Spread of Horticultu- 
ral Magazines? 

Virginia Horticultural and Pomological Society— Meeting of the Executive 
« ommittee 

Navy Beans— Inquiries Answered 3 '3. Nut culture 

Hops— Why their Culture will not be Profitable 

Experiments with Potatoes 

Transplanting Raspberries and Blackberries 

Angers Quince 

Tap Roots— Theory of Grape Rot 310. Big Apple Tree 

Editorial Department: 



300 
301 
3J1 



302 



An Example of Rotation of Crops. 
Editorial Notices 



Correspondence Southern Panier and Farmer: Inquiries— Fertilizers— Crop 

Pros eets, &e „ 

Sorghum Sugar— Premiums for New Subscribers 



313 

316 



317 
320 



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And all leading AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY. 

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Agriculture is the nursing mother of the Arts„-X E NOPHON 
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CH: B. WILLIAMS, . . Vnjwn ^ 

FRANK G. KUFFW, . . „' ! ! ! .' ." ; [ *£ZZ ^ 



New Scries. RICIIMOND, M., MAT, 1869. y ). Iir-Ko. f. 



Tropical Fruits. 

CLEAR WATER HARBOR, FLORIDA. 

As much attention is at this time directed to South Florida as 
furnishing the soil and climate suited to the production of tropica! 
fruit, I have thought that a communication through the Planter and 
Parmer would be acceptable to many of its readers. It is generally 
known that on the St. John's river and at several points along the 
Atlantic coast of this State, oranges have been cultivated for many 
years. Until recently no attempt has been made to cultivate them 
extensively in any other part of the State. At some points around 
iampa Bay, and on Manatee river, small groves have been planted 
and have borne well for many years. It is only within the last two 
years that the idea of making the fruits adapted to this soil and 
climate a prominent object has been entertained. The experiments 
that have been made have proved entirely satisfactory, and prepa- 
rations are now making for planting extensively, not only oranges, 
but limes, bananas, guavas, pine-apples, and several other kinds of 
irmt, all of which can be produced successfully;; and now the pros- 
pect is, that as soon as the trees now planting can be gotten into 
bearing, a large business, in this branch of industry, will be done 
In this communication I purpose to give some information concern- 
ing the general character of the soil and climate of this part of the 
VOL. Ill— 17 



260 THE SOUTHERN [May 

—^T^^^n^Tse^r coconut trees were 
growing finely on the writer'* lot, but were eut down by the .nten . 
fold of the last winter. They were, however only retarded a htt e 
n their growth, as they are coming up and look vgorous, and bid 
fair to do well, as the extraordinary eold of the early winter d.d not 

'TrhapTs'o.ue statement concerning the cultivation and profit of 
8 everal of these fruits would be as acceptable as anyth.ng I can write. 

Oranges, Limes and £^»,-When the stocks of the naU 
wild orang can be obtained, it is best to get them and bud int 
XL! When this cannot be done, they must be obtained from the 
seed. The only objection to this is that it requ.res a onger per.od 
get the trees i bearing. When the wild stocks can be ob- 
ined four or five years will be sufficient ; from the seed ,t requ.res 
m s x to eight. Generally at six years old, if the trees_ have 
been well attended to, the ground around the trees well ennched, 
and kept in good tilth, they may be expected to bear, on an aver- 
se 200 oranges to each tree. From this them prouucUon J- 
rl'ses rapidly" At ten they will average 1,500 ; at tweNe ,00^ 
It is not uncommon to have individual trees bearing O.000, and 
IZ have been said to double that number. The trees are plan ed , 
aHhe distance of from twenty to thirty-five feet. I prefer twenty- 
on which will give one hundred to a small fraction over ^an acre. 
S lis will make a grove of convenient size and one ^ and „» 
do all the work of cultivating it after it is planted. Th l3 would 
l e 1 000 trees to the grove. Until the trees come to bear.ng s.ze, 
fhe ground can he planted in any other crop des.red, care bemg 
taken not to injure the trees while young by crowding them w. h 
£ growths. At eight years they may be -- 
fair bearing condition, and will then generally average 10 00 to he 
Lee. Tb« at one cent each sold on the tree, t e pure a *, be.ng 
at all the risk and expense of marketmg, w.l &$**£+ 
and the whole grove will bnng the sum of _| 10,000 p e crop 
very handsome crop and income for the outlay. But these Ion 
light years of cultivating and waiting-what is to be done w.tk 

th XL»«,-AH you have to do to fill up this gap, is to plant the 
same ground which is occupied with your orange grove in tins mo 
deUcious and productive fruit. In its native trop.cal cl.mate it 
fo m a large part of the food of the inhabitants. It .. propagated 
tTucLrs coding up around the root of the parent stem, an g = 
off readily when transplanted, and yields very largely. In plant 



1869.]. PLANTER AND FARMER. 261 



ing oranges it may be set out at the distance of about eight feet 
apart, so as to make two rows of bananas between every two rows 
of oranges. It will come into bearing in two years, and as it is 
well supplied with suckers, it keeps up a succession of bearing 
plants to supply the places of those which, having brought their 
fruit to maturity, cease to bear, and are taken off to give place to 
the young shoots which are coming on. Each stem which bears 
fruit will give about one to succeed it, and three for transplanting. 
If the ground is made very rich it will do more. It grows well on 
on ordinary light pine land enriched with leaves, or rotten wood, or 
dead grass. The rushes growing so abundantly along the beach 
and margins of our ponds, is found to answer the purpose admira- 
bly. By this method, while your orange trees are coming slowly 
and steadily into bearing condition, you have another crop on the 
same ground, which in two years brings you a crop perhaps equally 
or nearly equally as valuable. I say perhaps, only because it has 
not been grown as a market crop in this vicinity. We know that it 
grows well, will bear transportation to market, and sells readily. 
Limes and Lemons. — Limes and Lemons are cultivated and 
planted very much as the orange. They are more susceptible to 
cold. They were killed down to the ground by the severe cold of 
last winter, when the more hardy orange was but slightly injured. 
I forgot to mention while speaking of the propagation of the 
orange, that it has recently been found that it can be readily pro- 
duced from the slip. This will probably be the most common way 
of propagation as soon as it becomes known, as it will shorten the 
period of coming into bearing. 

G-uavas. — This I find a delicious fruit. There are several varie- 
ties ripening at different times, and differing in taste, like the dif- 
ferent varieties of apples. As a fruit for market, it will probably 
be valuable only when made into jelly. In this form it is manufac- 
tured largely in the West Indies, and imported into our Northern 
cities. It is too soft and tender in its natural state to bear trans- 
portation. 

. Mangos.— This is a fruit in shape and appearance something 
like a large pear. It has. a seed somewhat like the peach, but 
larger. Its pulp is a rich yellow, and its flavor strongly resembling 
the pine-apple. It comes from the seed, and comes into bearing in 
four years. It bears very largely, and will bear transportation 
well. I see no reason why it should not become valuable as a mar- 
ket fruit. 

Alligator Pears.— I wish sincerely this noble fruit and tree had a 



262 THE SOUTHERN [May 

more civilized name ; but hy this only is it known. The tree is 
large, and ornamental as a shade tree. The fruit, when ripe, 
resembles that of the purple egg-plant; its shape is like the 
pear, and in taste it is somewhat like a rich muskmellon. It 
is eaten with pepper and salt, and by those who are accustomed to 
it is highly prized. I know no fruit which to my taste is more de- 
licious. The last three fruits mentioned are tender, and though 
they stand ordinary winters well, yet by the unprecedented cold of 
last winter they were killed down to the ground. 

The Pine- Apple. — This fruit has hardly been tried enough to 
speak with confidence concerning it. All the attempts to produce 
it haye succeeded without difficulty. It has been successfully planted 
fifty miles north of this. It is a variety of the cactus family, pro- 
pagates by suckers around the root and on the fruit — is easily 
transplanted, and comes into bearing in two years. It yields 
largely and bears transportation, and I see no reason why it should 
not be a valuable article for market. 

The Sapodilla I have not seen. I have no doubt it will do well. 
It is said to be a delicious fruit. 

These are the principal fruits to be cultivated. Some others of 
less importance it is unnecessary to mention. 

The crops of sweet potatoes and sugar deserve some notice. The 
first of these is planted from slips of vines about eighteen inches 
long. The vines in ordinary seasons remain green through the win- 
ter, and may be planted any month in the year. Ridges are 
thrown up, and the vines cut in sections of proper length ; they are 
then dropped about twelve inches apart, and with a stick having a 
notch cut in the end, are forced down about eight inches into the 
ridge. This is all that is done. The vine takes root readily, and 
grows off rapidly. The potatoes are not usually taken out of the 
ground, except as they are wanted for use. In the months of Au- 
gust or September is planted what is called the stand-over crop. 
This is intended to grow through the winter, and be ready for use 
by the first of May. The severe weather of last winter destroyed 
a large part of the crop, and by killing the vines has caused much 
damage. The potato is used largely for feeding stock, and being 
produced in large quantities and easily kept, answers well. 

The sugar crop is important. The cane comes to high perfec- 
tion, and grows well, with slight fertilizing, on our light lands. A 
gentleman near Tampa, last fall, from one and one-fourth acres, 
made fourteen hundred gallons of good syrup, worth fifty cents per 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 263 

gallon. Half an acre is* amply sufficient for the supply of an ordi- 
nary family. 

FACILITIES FOR MARKETING. 

Fruit loaded on a good sailing vessel can be landed in Mobile in 
three days. In twenty-four hours it can be landed' at Columbus, 
Ky., a few miles below the mouth of the Ohio, and in twenty-four 
hours more in St. Louis or Chicago. From these points it can be 
rapidly distributed through the vast West. Pensacola, Columbus, 
Ga., and Montgomery, Ala., are all easily reached in three days. 
Oranges have been carried from Tampa to New York in five days. 
Our market is almost unbounded. The superior quality of the 
oranges grown in this State, with the freshness with which they can 
be put into market, gives them a character which causes them 
sought after in preference to any others. As soon as the trees now 
growing and to be planted in the next two years are gotten into 
bearing, this coast will annually put into market a crop which will 
fall not far short of $10,000,000. The present price on the trees 
is about one and one-half cents; it will not fall much short of that 
for many years. At one cent each, an orange grove of ten acres is 
an independent fortune. I think our future is bidding fair for high 
prosperity, and our lovely shores will soon be adorned with beauti- 
ful residences, and become the homes of a prosperous and happy 
people. Florida. 



Norway Oats. — We have published articles pro and con with 
reference to these oats. A mislaid letter dated February 10th, has 
just turned up. It is from J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pa., who writes 
us he sent to New York for two quarts thereof.^ To test their 
weight, he measured the "two quarts," and found that there were 
two quarts and three-fourths of one pint. Weighing them, he found 
they weighed exactly one pound and thirteen ounces, sack included. 
Calculating what one bushel would weigh with three-fourths of a 
pint to every two quarts, additional, we would have just twenty-four 
and eleven-nineteenths pounds per bushel instead of thirty-two 
pounds, the standard weight. Mr. Garber adds: "We have just 
been informed by a neighbor, who also invested a dollar, that on 
measuring the quart he had nearly a pint more ; besides, he informs 
us that, on critically examining it, he found seeds of that worst of 
all weeds, the Canada thistle ! The ten dollars a bushel to be paid 
for these oats is a mere trifle compared with the incalculable injury 
that farmers will sustain by the introduction of this pest on their 
farms. Will those who have secured these oats please weigh and 
measure their samples — and see how facts and advertisements 
agree ? — and search closely for the seeds of weeds also ? My 
neighbor says he will commit his sample to the flames, and advises 
me to do the same." — Rural New Yorker. 



264 



THE SOUTHERN 



[May 



Description and Illustration of a Good and Chsap Farm Gate. 




In riding over the country you rarely see good gates on the 
farms. And those Ithat you see, not one in a dozen will shut of it- 
self. Some, in fact, instead of closing, will actually fall open, and 
require some force to close them. Enclosed I send you a rough 
draft of a gate, that I know from experience is not only a good, but 
a cheap one; and any good mechanic can make one or more a day. 
The gate should be made of slats four inches wide by one inch 
thick, of good heart pine, or white oak. I prefer the pine. The 
brace (A) ought to be at least six inches wide, one inch thick, and 
run the whole length of the gate from the bottom of the rear post 
to the top of the gate, resting and shouldered a little on each post, 
and fastened to them with a few wrought nails. The rear post (B) 
should be made of 3x4 inch heart timber, and morticed through the 
wide way of the timber. The front post (C) need not be so heavy, 
but made of 3x3 inch timber. This post ought to be light. The 
short braces (E) may be made of the same stuff as the slats ; and 
there ought to be at least two of them put on the opposite side of 
the gate to the main brace (A), and extending from the top to the 
bottom of the gate. Wherever the braces cross the slats they 
ought to be riveted, having a burr on the side that is rivited. The 
burrs may be very conveniently made by punching suitable holes 
in hoop iron, and then cutting them off with a cold chisel diagonally 
across the iron, so as to make diamond shaped pieces ; now turn the 
sharp points of the burrs at right angles in a vice or the claw of 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 265 

hammer, so that when you put the burr on the rivet it will drive 
into the wood, and serve to hold it in place while riveting. Or you 
may use either large wood screws or wrought nails, clinching 
them; but neither will last like the rivets. The latch (D) ought to 
be made of oak 2x2} inch timber, dressed so as to slide smoothly 
on its bearings, and shouldered so as not to fall more than a certain 
distance, and put on at an angle of 45 degrees. The catch ought 
to be not less than 3 inches wide, made with a long and easy slope 
of six or eight inches, and fitted so as to drive in the post after a 
2 inch augur. If the latch and catch are well made, they will keep 
in order longer than any other I have ever seen ; but if indiffer- 
ently made, will not work well. The gate ought to be from ten to 
twelve feet wide and five feet high. Ten feet is sufficient for a 
common road gate, but it will take a gate not less than twelve feet 
wide for reapers to pass. 

Such a gate as above described may be made for two dollars and 
fifty cents without the hinges, and will keep in order, with but little 
trouble, for ten or fifteen years. The hinges should be made of 
good tough iron, 2 inches wide by some f or } inch thick. The 
bottom hinge should be stout and strong, and is most conveniently 
put on with small screw bolts. The top hinge should stand out 
from the post say two inches, and the bottom one at least two 
inches longer than the top one. 

Now to hang the gate properly your posts must be put in not 
less than three and a half or four feet, and be firmly rammed in 
the ground; for if your posts are not firmly set, you need not ex- 
pect that your gate will keep in order but a few days at a time. 
There should also be a log of wood fitted in between the posts, "and 
let in the ground so as to be out of the way. Your hinges being 
already fastened on the gate as directed, set the gate in position 
against the posts as near level as possible; now mark the places for 
the hooks, and bore the holes for them ; put the hooks in the hinges, 
and drive them a little way up into the holes. The lower hook 
should be longer than the top one, and stand out from the post an 
inch and a half or two inches more than the top one. Do not drive 
at first as far as you intend, but drive the lower hinge nearly as far 
as it ought to go ; say let it stand out from the gate post four 
inches; now drive the top hinge, and regulate the fall of the gate 
by driving it and trying the gate until you get the proper fall. It 
will fall too hard if you drive the top hook up close to the post. 
The gate ought not to have any more fall than will make it catch 
with certainty ; if it falls too hard your gate will knock to pieces. 



266 THE SOUTHERN [May 

Having regulated the fall, you may now bore for the catch, drive it 
in position, and fit the latch so as to bear evenly on the slope ; 
grease the slope, and your gate is finished, and will give satisfac- 
tion if the work has been properly done, and the above directions 
have been followed. In opening your gate, instead of dragging on 
the ground, the outer end of the gate will rise from the ground, and 
after passing a certain point will stand open without propping ; so 
that you will not lose time looking after a stick to hold the gate 
open while your teams are passing through. It will also close with 
certainty. 

If you think the above suggestions are worth anything to the 
public, you are welcome to use them as ycu think proper. 

Yours, &c, A Farmer. 

Orange county, Va. 



Horses for Farm Work. 

One of my neighbors, who formerly did all his work with oxen, 
but who gave up and bought a span of heavy Canadian horses, is 
about to return to the oxen. He says if you get the right kind 
and know how to manage tJiem, they will do nearly or quite as 
much work as horses : they cost less ; do not require so much care ; 
there is no expense for harness ; and they can be turned off to the 
butcher, generally with a profit. 

On a rough farm, where there are stumps and stones, and more 
or less logging to be done in winter, especially on swampy land, a 
yoke of cattle is indispensable. But when the farm is cleared of 
stones and stumps, horses, it seems to me, are more profitable. Our 
seasons are so short, and wages so high, that it is very desirable to 
push forward the work rapidly. There is a great difference in cat- 
tle, just as there is in horses, but, as a rule, horses will get over the 
ground faster than oxen. If two horses cannot walk along with a 
plough or a harrow at a fair rate, put on three. 

The more I read of them, the more I am convinced that the Per- 
cheron horses, say half or three-quarters blood, will prove to be 
just what American farmers need. When I read Mr. Du Hay's 
charmingly written and interesting work, " The Percheron Horse," 
I feared, from his remarks in regard to the climate of Perche (page 
80), that when bred here they might lose some of their energy. 
But I have just read an article in the Journal of the Royal Agri- 
cultural Society of England, which indicates that we need have no 
fear on this point. Our climate is vastly more stimulating than 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 26- 

that of England, and if this breed does not degenerate there it cer- 
tainly will not here. Mr. W. Dickenson, the writer of the article, 
than whose there is no higher authority, says if he had not gone to 
the Paris Exposition in 1855, he "should have continued thinking 
there was no better class of farm horses in the world than the Eng- 
lish." But in the streets of Paris he saw a class of horses that 
"astonished" him. "These horses, walking so nimbly with great 
loads of stones, were not so fat as our own favorites, but they 
seemed to me to be doing twice the work. Although leaner, they 
bore the strictest scrutiny ; the more I saw of them, the more I ad- 
mired them. Meeting Mr. Jonas Webb, I called his attention to 
them. He said he had never seen such before ; he had observed a 
horse taking into the show yard an immense load of provender, that 
astonished him beyond measure ; he had resolved to try to buy him, 
but he lost sight of him that day and never saw him afterwards." 
Mr. D. obtained a stallion which he called "Napoleon," and says : 
" He has been at work on my farm ever since, almost always with 
mares. I have never had so good, quiet, active, and powerful a 
horse before. He is unlike our English cart-horses, for with great 
size (16 J hands high,) and immense substance, he shows a dash of 
blood. He has -an Arabian head, not small, but of fine character, 
well proportioned to his size. The neck is very muscular and well 
turned, the shoulders large, very deep, without lumps on the sides, 
and oblique — such a shape as would not be objected to for a riding 
horse ; the bosom open, the fore legs magnificent and very short, 
with gr«at bone, hard sinews, and little hair upon them. His feet 
are perfect in shape, and perfectly sound' in work, his back short, 
rather dipped, round-shaped ribs, large loins, rather plain, droop- 
ing hind-quarters, very large thighs, low down and tightly joined 
together, with prodigiously powerful, clean hocks, and very short 
hind legs, well under him. We never have had a difficulty with the 
engine or thrasher, or with anything in the mud, that Nap. could 
not extricate us from. His stock are as good and kind as possible. 
It is a saying with the men, that Nap's colts need no breaking. My 
mares are small and active ; the stock are considerably larger than 
the dams, but so cleanly, that as foals they look more like carriage 
horses.-" 

It is very evident that the Percheron stallion is what we want to 
improve our race of farm horses. When grain and hay were cheap 
it did not make so much difference what kind of horses we kept, or 
how many of them. We could, perhaps, aiford to let them lie idle 
half the time. But all this is now changed. Horse feed is expen- 



2C8 THE SOUTHERN [May 

sive, and wages of the teamsters high, and it is very important to 
keep none but the best horses, and to study economy in using them. 
I have seen a farmer draw a load of only 22 bushels of potatoes to 
the city, while another farmer, by having a large, double box, drew 
over 50 bushels. And even this is a small load — only 2,800 lbs. 
for two horses. — Prof. Harris, in American Agriculturist. 



Breaking Colts— Rarey's IVIethod of Horse Training. 

The more high spirited and the more valuable the colt is, the 
more likely is he to be spoiled, by trying to do at three years old 
the work that should have been done before he was one. 

He should be brought into the stable, and visited, and handled 
often, until he is somewhat used to it, then portions of the harness 
tried on ; if he can be accustomed to it without showing fear, lead 
him out into the yard, and make him turn to the right or left at the 
word or the reins. If he refuses to obey, which is quite likely, we 
know of no way but to whip him into subjection. When he does 
obey, caress and reward him. If you succeed in making him obey 
here, fasten him beside a steady horse with a light wagon, and make 
him go, peaceably if he will, forcibly if you must. If after all 
these operations he shies from the harness, tries to run from the 
wagon, or refuses to draw, do not give it up,* but use every exertion 
to bring him to submission, and, finally, to the process known as 
taming. No horse properly gentled and trained according to the 
above directions will need taming, but as the majority of colts are 
never trained, a great many horses will have to be tamed. 

Rarey's method is the best. It consists in fastening up the left 
fore leg, by a strap, buckled tight over the ankle, and the arm near 
the body, and the second strap attached to the right foot, run 
through the circingle to the right hand of the tamer, while the left 
holds the bridle. The horse is now harmless, and should be made 
to hop, when a vigorous pull with the right hand will throw him on 
his knees, where he can be held until he is ready to turn on his 
side, which he should be encouraged to do. These operations will 
take from fifteen minutes to three hours, according to the strength 
and spirit of the horse. When once fairly down, he should be ca- 
ressed, handled, and a saddle or portions of the harness put on him 
until he finds that none of them will do him any harm. This throw- 
ing should be repeated several times, until the horse readily submits 
and allows his master to do whatever he pleases. By this method 
Mr. Rarey has tamed the most vicious of horses. — American Stock 
Journal. 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 269 

Distemper in Cattle— Preventative. 

Messrs. Editors, — Having seen it stated the past year that the 
distemper prevailed amongst the cattle around Richmond, as also 
in some other places, I feel disposed to re-publish the substance of 
a communication of mine in the Southern Planter for 1854, which, 
as a preventative, I have never yet known to fail. 

About the first week in May procure a trough ,to correspond in 
size with the number of cattle; place it where they are penned, and 
bore a hole through the bottom to let off the surplus water after a 
rain. Fill it nearly full of red clay, then put on a liberal quantity 
of salt, and when the cattle are penned at night, they will invaria- 
bly go to the trough and lick to their satisfaction. The first rain 
that falls, the salt will saturate the clay, and the cattle will consume 
the whole of it. This remedy must be continued until the first hard 
frost. 

My father was the first that I know of who adopted this treat- 
ment, he having heard that cattle afflicted with distemper had been 
known to resort to red clay and get well. He, I suppose, recollect- 
ing that nature often performed a cure beyond the powers of art, 
salted his cattle some two or three times a week on a red galled 
spot, and although his neighbors' cattle were dying rapidly around 
him, and that for several years, yet he never had a solitary case 
amongst his stock. For some two or three years he kept them in 
his enclosures, but after this, in consequence of an imperfect fence, 
his cattle would go on an adjoining common, and roam with his 
neighbors' distempered cattle from week to week, yet they entirely 
escaped this infectious disease. These facts speak for themselves, 
and go to prove that my father's remedy is a specific to stay this 
fatal malady. 

An uncle of mine told me years ago, that the distemper being 
among3t his cattle, one of his milch cows was taken with the dis- 
ease, went off, and when found, was in a gully eating red clay, and 
got well. 

One of my sons at one time lost all his cattle except a milch cow, 
and when taken w T ith the disease, she went off, was gone several 
days, and when found, was in a gully eating red clay, and she got 
well. 

Here we have the instincts of nature beautifully exemplified, and 
we may add, the dog, when sick, seeks relief from herbs, and the 
guayakil, when bitten by a serpent, finds an antidote in a certain 
plant. 



270 THE SOUTHERN [May 

In the Southern Planter for '45, *lime-water is recommended as 
a sovereign cure for distemper even in the last stages of this dis- 
ease, and by the way, this is said to be the best known remedy for 
distemper in horses. 

The late Dr. Wm. S. Morton, in a communication to the South- 
ern Planter in '54, on distemper in cattle, said : " I strongly sus- 
pect that what we call distemper, is the bloody murrain of Scotland 
and other parts of Great Britain, and that it was carried to North 
Carolina by Scottish immigrants." The above suggestion I have 
reason to believe is correct, as I once lived in North Carolina, and 
from authentic information, I learned that the first cases of distem- 
per occurred in that State near Fayetteville, which was settled prin- 
cipally by the Scotch. Hence the new name — " Carolina distem- 
per." W. R. Hatchett. 

Keysville, Va. r April, 1869. 



Condition of our Bottom Land. 

Whilst I have pen in hand, I will offer a few remarks relative to 
the present condition of our bottom lands. 

When the streams were in their natural state, every freshet would 
impel the currents to strike the curves in the stream with such force 
that the washings or sand were floated or thrown on the adjoining 
lands ; consequently, the bed of the stream remained stationary. 
This fact every owner of bottom lands has noticed. But since the 
streams have been straightened, do they throw out the same amount 
of washings as when in their natural state ? No, verily ; but, on 
the contrary, they have continued to accumulate in the bed of the 
streams until the banks have become so shallow that they afford no 
protection to the bottom lands,, consequently they are nearly value- 
less. 

I have observed when a stream has been straightened near its 
source, that it is not so liable to fill up ; but when it extends for 
miles, the reverse is the invariable result. 

Some twenty-five years ago, an old and intelligent friend, who 
owned valuable bottom lands, directed my attention to the mistaken 
policy of straightening the creeks, and regretted having fallen into 
this error, as he found after his creek was made straight, the sands 
were accumulating in the channel, the banks were shallower, and 



* Half bushel of water to a peck of lime ; let it stand until the water is clear, 
then pour off the water, and dreuch vd'h a quart twice a day, until the animal re- 
covers. Three or four doses are generally sufficient. 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 271 

his bottom lands more subject to be overflowed, (although the stream 
had been straightened in its whole length below him,) and he feared 
that from this cause his lands would ultimately be ruined ; and how 
truly has the foreboding been verified ; for at this day these lands 
are nearly worthless. This stream, in its natural state, had excel- 
lent banks. 

If this theory is deemed erroneous, I would ask, why is it that 
the rivers are not filled up ? Are they not governed by the same 
natural laws as the smaller streams in their primeval state ? 

Entertaining these views, I think we should go back to first prin- 
ciples, and give our ditches a serpentine curve to reclaim our bottom 
lands, which should be carried through the whole length of the 
stream. 

It is with some degree of diffidence that I submit the above views 
to your consideration and that of your readers, lest they might be 
deemed a vagary ; yet I have arrived at these conclusions from ob- 
servation and the teachings of nature, which are the charts by 
which we are enabled to substitute philosophy for error. 

Respectfully, Wm. R. Hatchett. 

Keysville, Va., April, 1869. 



Results of Experiments with several Fertilizers. 

Messrs. Editors, — You have several times requested correspond- 
ents to give y«u their experience in the use of fertilizers. I pro- 
pose to give you the result that has followed my use of them. Last 
year I purchased two tons poudrette from the Lodi Manufacturing 
Company, near New York, and used it on my corn at time of plant- 
ing — dropping a good size handfull to three hills of corn, and in 
same field mixed equal quantities of poudrette and plaster, and 
dropped a handful to two hills of corn. The land was of a thin light 
gravelly quality. I don't think it was of any more advantage to the 
corn than if I had used same amount of sand. We suffered very 
much from a drought in June and July in this county, and that may 
have been the reason; but whatever the reason may have been — 
either the character of the land or the drought — I derived no ben- 
efit from the use of poudrette. 

In the Spring of 1860 I used Peruvian guano and plaster in 
equal quantities at time of planting my corn, to wit: a handful of 
the mixture to two hills of corn. The corn grew off very beauti- 
fully and green. In this instance it " kept the word of promise to 
the ear, but broke it to the hope;" for the ears of corn were no 



272 THE SOUTHERN [May 

better than where plaster alone was used, though the luxuriance of 
stalk and blade was very appreciable, and could be seen for some 
distance. 

Last Spring I used a ton of Lardy's soluble Pacific guano on my 
tobacco, two hundred and fifty pounds broadcast to the acre. The 
land was good fresh land, having been cleared the year before and 
planted in tobacco. I derived no benefit whatever from its 
use. On part of the land where no guano was used, the tobacco 
was equally good and ripened as early as where the guano was 
sown. I also purchased two tons Baugh's raw bone phosphate, one 
ton from the manufacturer in Philadelphia, and one from Baltimore. 
I used three hundred pounds to the acre. The tobacco started 
badly, and in several places commenced to "french." I gave it two 
workings, and it improved so slowly and looked so badly that I then 
purchased a ton of Peruvian guano, made an equal mixture of the 
guano and plaster, and sowed broadcast about three hundred 
pounds to the acre, and hilled the tobacco up. It was several weeks 
after this before we had rain, but the tobacco commenced to im- 
prove, and so soon as it rained grew off well and made a fair crop. 
All signs of "frenching" disappeared. How the tobacco would have 
matured without the application of guano and plaster I cannot say ? 
but it certainly gave no indications of making even a third of a 
crop until the last mixture was applied. 

I also used a ton of Eureka ammoniated bone super-phosphate of 
lime on my tobacco, 250 lbs. to the acre. This was -decidedly bet- 
ter than either of the other two preparations, and made a fair crop 
with no other assistance except plaster dropped on the plant. On 
balance of my crop I used equal mixture of Peruvian guano and 
plaster, two hundred and fifty pounds of mixture drilled to the acre. 
The tobacco was good size and leafy ; but I find all, in handling, 
poor and thin in quality. This-, however, I attribute to the exces- 
sive rains we had in August last. The crop everywhere, so far as 
I have seen and heard, is thin and poor — which is always the case, 
so far as my limited experience goes, when there is much rain in 
August and September. 

I had an opportunity of seeing several times during last year the 
crop of a near neighbor, Mr. T. W. Leigh, who used the soluble 
Pacific guano (Reese & Co.) His tobacco was large and fine. It 
was grown on second years' land," and about 250 lbs. to the acre. 
JBy the side of this he used Peruvian guano, and I could see no dif- 
ference in the tobacco. I was so much pleased with his experi- 
ment that I purchased two tons last fall for my wheat, and the 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 273 



wheat is looking thrifty and well, though not so well as where I 
used the Phospho-Peruvian prepared by the Messrs. McGruder of 
Richmond. 

On my wheat crops for the last two years I have made experi- 
ments with other phosphates, but found them of little advantage, 
except Bradley's Super-Phosphate of Lime. This was nearly equal 
to Peruvian Guano. This may be owing to the character of my 
land and the bad seasons we have had for wheat. Whatever may 
have been the cause, they have certainly not paid for their use. 

Last Fall I purchased my seed wheat in the Valley of Virginia 
(the Lancaster), and with the exception of the two tons Soluble Pa- 
cific, have only used Peruvian Guano and the fertilizer prepared by 
the Messrs. McGruder ; and this last was purchased from the letter 
of recommendation given by Mr. Ruffin in their published adver- 
tisement. The wheat where it was used is looking very fine— equal 
to any crop I have seen except that of Mr. John R. Edmunds, and 
his wheat was seeded on a heavy Pea-fallow, without any fertilizer. 
I was so much pleased with my Valley wheat that I am planting 
seed corn obtained from Augusta county, and at the last working 
propose to sow 100 lbs. Guano to the acre broadcast. 

I hope other farmers will give their experience with fertilizers 
and the Pea-fallow. 

Very respectfully, &c, 

Paul C. Edmunds. 

Round Hill, Halifax county, Va., April 12, 1869. 



Postage on Seeds, &c. 

Seeds, vines, grafts, &c, can be transmitted by mail, very cheaply 
and safely, if not exceeding the limitation prescribed with regard 
to the weight of the package. Postage must be pre-paid by affix- 
ing stamps for the proper amount, according to the following rates: 
" On one package to one address, not over four ounces in weight, 
two cents; over four ounces and not over eight ounces, four cents; 
over eight ounces and not over sixteen ounces, eight cents ; over six- 
teen ounces and not over thirty-two ounces, sixteen cents — thirty- 
two ounces being the heaviest weight allowed to pass through the 
mails. No writing of any kind can accompany the package ; if it 
does, letter postage will be charged. The character of the contents 
of the package should be marked on the outside — whether seeds, 
vines, &c." 

[The above^is taken from Moore's Rural New Yorker. — Ed.] 
vol. Ill— 18 



274 THE SOUTHERN [May 

An Essay on the Social and Material Interests of Virginia. 

To Col. Thos. Brown, President of the Meshodeck Farmers' Club, Westmoreland 
county : 

Having been honored by the Club with the appointment of Essayist, with 
liberty to write upon any subjects that might suit my fancy, and communicate 
for publication directly to the Southern Planter and Farmer, I respectfully pre- 
sent to the columns of that excellent paper the following communication. 

WlLLOUGHBY NEWTON. 



To the Editors of the Southern Planter and Farmer: 

I very cheerfully comply with your request to continue my con- 
tributions to the Planter and Farmer. I have been, of late, ac- 
tively engaged in settling up my affairs, which had been somewhat 
deranged by the ravages of war and eight years' neglect. Having 
accomplished this desirable object almost to my entire satisfaction, 
I breathe freely, and can now think of the future without being 
embarrassed by the past. I do not propose to bore your readers 
with a formal essay, but shall write with the freedom and ease 
which is my wont, and following wherever the humor of my pen 
may lead me, shall remark, after the manner of " Commentator," 
in the Farmers' Register, with frankness on the contents of the 
Planter and Farmer, or upon any other subject that may strike my 
fancy. I mean to be eminently practical, yet I hope to be par- 
doned if I mingle my facts with an occasional remark that might 
become a moral philosopher, or even " a retired political philoso- 
pher," after the manner of Taylor, Garnett, or Ruffin, who never 
lost an opportunity of enlivening the dullness of mere material in- 
vestigations by the speculations of philosophy. 

The first subject on which I shall remark, and by far the most 
important, is the settlement of the debts of the farmers. Until 
this object is effected, there can be no general improvement in the 
agriculture of the State. Much the larger part of the lands will 
continue to be cultivated on the wretched "Metayer system" or 
rented out to the freedmen, ; until, exhausted by imperfect and reck- 
less tillage, they become utterly unproductive. A few farms culti- 
vated by proprietors of means and capacity, like green spots in a 
desert, will render more conspicuous the desolation that surrounds 
them. All interests in the State are equally concerned in the 
speedy accomplishment of this object. Creditors are no less inter- 
ested than debtors. If I am not greatly mistaken as to the amount 
of indebtedness, it is impossible that under any system of coercion 
half the debt can be paid. Judgment liens will prove utterly de- 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 275 

lusive, and creditors who flatter themselves that they have secured 
their debts by suits, will find themselves no better off, with their 
debtors in a court of chancery, than if they had passed through a 
court of bankruptcy. The lien of the first judgment, the superior 
dignity of fiduciary debts, and rights of dower, will in nine cases 
out of ten absorb the whole property at a forced sale, and the large 
majority of creditors will go unpaid. I speak from long expe- 
rience and much observation, and having no interest whatever in 
the subject, am at liberty to express freely my opinion. What is 
the remedy ? Let creditors act with the utmost liberality. Foreign 
creditors have set our Virginia people a noble example. I have not 
heard of one of them who is not willing to accept the face of his 
debt, and many of them have volunteered to make much more libe- 
ral discounts. They are under no obligation, other than the claims 
of humanity and enlightened policy, to make these sacrifices. Vir- 
ginia creditors should not only be affected by these considerations, 
but should feel bound by a principle of universal justice wanting 
only a legal sanction, to contribute rateably upon the principle of 
"general average," to the losses of their confederates, in a com- 
mon enterprise. Yet I learn, to their shame, few are willing to 
make any abatement, but demand dollar for dollar. Such avarice 
will have its just reward, and no good man will grieve at the result. 
The present state of things cannot last much longer. Let credi- 
tors and debtors, each for himself, come together at once. A just 
and liberal spirit on both sides can effect wonders. Much can be 
done by what an old gentleman of this county used to call ingotia- 
tion, or exchanging one debt for another, as most men are both 
creditors aad debtors. Let the settlement be final, and the debt be 
cancelled, if possible. Let no one whose debts are considerable 
trust to any arrangement to pay by instalments. The debt will 
never be paid, and the debtor and his family will continue slaves to 
the creditor. Better far make a clean sweep, and go through the 
bankrupt or insolvent court. 

I have read with interest and admiration the report of our friend 
Captain Maury, foreshadowing the brilliant commercial future of 
Norfolk and Virginia, and hope ere long to make him a suitable 
acknowledgment for his kindness in sending it to me. I have read 
also his communication in the Planter and Farmer, and the letter 
of his Amelia correspondent. I will not anticipate your promised 
criticism on the pro forma statement, by entering into a detailed 
examination of it, but content myself with remarking that the re- 
sult is far too favorable. I concur in the remarks of other corres- 



276 THE SOUTHERN [May 

pondents quoted. Trucking and farming are very distinct opera- 
tions ; and farming can only be profitably conducted on a compara- 
tively large scale, as I have attempted heretofore to demonstrate, 
and as is conclusively shown in a most excellent article in the last 
number of the Rural American, which I hope you will re-publish. 

What is your authority for the table of prices of land in the sev- 
eral States ? I think it should be received with many grains of al- 
lowance. I am very confident that Virginia lands are intrinsically 
worth much more now than before the war, and a very few years 
will demonstrate the fact. If sold under the hammer now, there 
being no money, they would bring no price; but in this part of the 
State, whenever sales are effected, it is at prices quite equal to 
those paid before the war, and these prices are regarded by visitors 
as extremely low. I do not think that the cause of immigration or 
the interest of our own people is promoted by representing that 
large blocks of land may be purchased at fifty cents an acre, as has 
lately been done in a correspondence between Everett & Co., of 
London, and the Bureau of Immigration at Richmond. A country 
can hardly be worthy of the attention of immigrants, whose lands 
have been settled for more than two hundred years by an intelligent 
population, are in the centre of civilization, traversed by railroads 
and navigable rivers, and at the door of the best markets of the 
world, and are now rated at fifty cents an acre. Intelligent strang- 
ers seeing such statements, would naturally avoid such lands as 
hopelessly sterile, and like the lands on the borders of the dead sea, 
lying under the curse of God. To compare the value of our lands 
with those of the far West seems to me absurd. The poorest of 
our lands are, from mere location, cheaper at any reasonable price 
asked for them, than the lands of the far West at nothing. We 
need not be uneasy. The natural advantages of Virginia are so 
great, that the tide of immigration will soon set in with a rush, and 
the population will increase quite as fast as it can be assimilated, 
and few, I suppose, desire to see Virginia pass under foreign do- 
minion. For myself, I wish Virginians ever to be the dominant 
race in Virginia — in the strong Anglo-Saxon of one of my corres- 
pondents, " the best breed of people that God ever made." 

I looked with interest and high expectation for your promised 
article on fertilizers for corn. It is a subject on which I really 
want information, for although I have tried as many experiments as 
most farmers, I am still in the dark. Permit me to say that your 
article has not furnished me the desired light, particularly as you 
designedly withheld an important fact which I think you ought to 



1869.1 PLANTER AND FARMER. 277 

i J ___ 

have communicated. The agricultural press should, as far as pos- 
sible, protect farmers from imposition, and when the Editors know 
an honest dealer, it can be no reflection on others to recommend 
him. I am sure you would disdain, where duty is involved, to be 
governed by policy ; but perhaps those who do not know you so 
well, may unjustly impute to you such motives. Our farmers' club 
have had this subject frequently under discussion without satisfac- 
tory results. The failure of fertilizers on the last year's crops was 
so general, and the results so disastrous, that the club declined to 
publish the report of the committee, lest it might injuriously affect 
the value of our lands. We came, however, unanimously to one 
resolution, to buy no fertilizers on credit if possible to avoid it, and 
to purchase from no dealer who sells at a higher price on credit 
than for cash. I may say on my own responsibility, that I know of 
but one such dealer, and I am very sure that his fertilizers are hon- 
estly compounded. That person is G. Ober, of Baltimore. By 
this I mean to reflect on no others, and hope that the remark may 
be applicable to all. 

Jeremy Benthara, notwithstanding his eccentricities, mingled a 
great deal of sound sense with his philosophy. In his " Book of 
Fallacies" he exposed, with the quick perception of an acute ob- 
server, the gross errors into which mankind had often fallen by ac- 
cepting as truisms maxims of life and manners, which are found 
upon examination entirely unfounded. A book of fallacies written 
after the manner of Bentham, for the benefit of farmers, would just 
now do a great deal of good. A fallacy now in the ascendant is 
that every man should have his specialty. This fallacy is not con- 
fined to farmers, but has been proclaimed by a gentleman of fine 
taste and acquirements in the halls of the University. Our young 
men, instead of having their minds expanded and their hearts en- 
larged, by ranging over the wide domain of universal knowledge, 
must "cramp their genius over the pestle and mortar," or confine 
themselves to some narrow path which may lead to material wealth, 
at the expense of all that constitutes true greatness in man. Let 
specialties receive due attention. But the true aim of education 
should be, to develop to the utmost all the faculties ; and so to 
train the mind, that it may be capable of rising to the loftiest con- 
templations, and of comprehending the smallest details. This has 
been the peculiar characteristic of the Virginia mind, as illustrated 
in the history of so many of her distinguished men, of whom Mar- 
shall, Jefferson and Madison were types ; whose intellects, cramped 
by no artificial restraints, ranged the universe of thought, and like 



278 THE SOUTHERN [May 

the wonderful organ of the largest and most sagacious of living ani- 
mals, could at once embrace the greatest and minutest objects. We 
are in great danger of sinking into a grovelling materialism. The 
souls of most of our leading men are absorbed by the desire of 
gain. Individually and collectively, they are making haste to be 
rich. Wealth is certainly desirable, but life has many nobler ob- 
jects, and it is the duty of those who control the education of the 
young, to direct their minds to those higher aims". 

Specialties are now all the rage with many of our farmers. Pota- 
toes are to make fabulous yields, and to raise their producers to sud- 
den opulence. They are almost as valuable as gold, and an alder- 
man eats fifty dollars' worth of them at a meal. In the cant phrase 
of the day, "there is money in them," especially if you raise those 
colouer d* rose. Fruits of all kinds, great and small, are to pro- 
duce fortunes. Grapes, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and 
even cranberries, have found an advocate. The profits, actual or 
estimated, from these ventures are so great, that the experimenter 
flatters himself he will soon find the lamp of Aladdin or the philos- 
opher's stone. A retired merchant, an entuusiastic suburban farmer 
from the neighborhood of Philadelphia, who has settled among us, 
lectures us freely on our want of enterprise. " Why don't you 
plant potatoes ? There are men in the neighborhood of Philadelphia 
who rent land at high rates, plant cabbages between the rows of 
potatoes, pay their rent and expenses from the sale of the cabbages, 
and have left fifteen hundred bushels of potatoes to the acre as 
clear profit!" He religiously believes these statements, though the 
average crop of Pennsylvania is only eighty bushels to the acre, 
and is planting potatoes vigorously. All these things are very good 
in their place, and no farmer should neglect them. But we should 
remember that they belong to the province of the gardener, the 
fruiterer, and the trucker, who in due time will find ample employ- 
ment among us, when capital and labor and manure can be com- 
manded to carry on these very costly enterprises, and new lines of 
ready communication are opened with the great cities. 

Our friend the junior editor has, I perceive, again mounted his 
special hobby the sheep, and like the currier who insisted on forti- 
fying the city with leather, I fear, it will be difficult to change his 
convictions. As he seems to be somewhat sensitive on the subject, 
I would not mention it, if he had not invited remark. Can our in- 
telligent friend believe that it would be profitable to devote our 
lands, near to market and peculiarly adapted to corn and all culti- 
vated crops, exclusively to sheep husbandry ? Is there not land 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 279 

enough remote from market, peculiarly adapted to sheep, to supply^ 
'the demand, in the face of the fact that so great is the fecundity of 
this animal that the market is overstocked, and even during the last 
fall and winter thousands were slaughtered for their pelts and tallow? 

This furor for change, this haste to be doing something, they 
know not what, which causes our people, like Bob Sawyer in tho 
novel, to be always fussing and running about, to make at least a 
show of business, will have its day, and the quiet good sense of the 
Virginia people, inherited from their British ancestors, will finally 
prevail. Sooner or later we shall find that all the efforts of land 
agents and immigration societies will not change the essential char- 
acteristics of our people, or the nature of our agriculture. Virgi- 
nia will still continue, under the influence of natural causes, 
which governments and laws may modify, but never destroy, to be 
a planting and farming State, and the laborers who worked for our 
fathers, will continue, with their descendants, to work for us and 
eur descendants. 

The English are a people of practical good sense and of enlarged 
philosophy. You do not find them given to specialties. The beau- 
tiful pictures of English rural scenes, sometimes found in our par- 
lors, do not represent a sheep or cow or horse alone, or any special 
product of the farm, but from the duck and the dunghill fowl, 
through the whole range of domestic animals, and the varied pro- 
ducts of the field, all find a place. These are true representations 
of British husbandry — such as have often been exhibited at Holk- 
ham and Triptree. 

I was a farmer before the war, on the British system of alternate 
or convertible husbandry ; and when I look back to the past, I may 
say without vanity, a most successful one. This is the only system 
which, notwithstanding the novelties which may amuse for a time, 
can be permanently successful in Virginia. You ask for facts ; at 
the risk of the charge of egotism, I will give them. I acted on 
the principle, to buy nothing that could be raised on the 
farm. I raised my own horses and mules, and often had horses 
for sale. My pork, beef, milk and butter, lambs, mutton, fruits and 
garden stuff, were always in the greatest abundance. My clover 
fields were always luxuriant, and my irrigated meadows yielded the 
heaviest crops of the best timothy and herds'-grass hay, which I 
often sold to Yankee timber-getters in the neighborhood at $1 per 
hundred. The crops of grain were always large and of the best 
quality; and from one of my farms more corn was sold for a series 
of years, than from any farm of proportionate extent in Eastern 



280 THE SOUTHERN [May 

-Virginia, though it supported a large number of negroes and horses, 
and fattened beeves for the family, and many hogs. The farm 
contains five hundred and sixty acres, including arable, waste, wood 
land and meadows. The sales for several years averaged 3,000 
bushels of corn, being one year 3,600 bushels. I sometimes reaped 
from 20 to 22 bushels of wheat for one sown, and for a series of 
years the crops were large. I had no specialty, and my stocks of 
horses, mules, cattle, sheep and hogs were always numerous. If 
any person wanted a good cow or yoke of oxen he knew where to 
find them, and Baltimore butchers in search of mutton or lambs, 
were seldom disappointed. For more than thirty years I never 
failed to have lard and bacon to sell, and butter was so abundant 
that it was often given away, or used to grease machinery. My 
horses and mules were all lost during the war, and many of my hogs 
and sheep wantonly destroyed. Yet I saved a flock of sixty sheep, 
and sent to Hanover, for safe keeping, one hundred and thirty fine 
grade Cotswold and Southdown, that were greatly admired on the 
road. These on our salt water pastures had never cost a cent in 
food or salt ; yet more than half of them died in Hanover, on a 
range of five hundred acres, in a few weeks, for want of salt. 

I continued this system as far as possible during the war, and 
furnished to the Commissary large numbers of fine cattle, and a3 
much as seven thousand (7,000) pounds of bacon at one time; and 
immediately after this contribution, when General Lee made his 
last appeal for provisions, I was able to furnish bread for one hun- 
dred men for six months, and a considerable quantity of bacon. It 
is impossible to estimate the quantity of grain furnished to the army 
and to the suffering people in the devastated districts. It was num- 
bered by thousands of bushels; and when the war was ended, though, 
much of it had been wasted or burnt, I had several thousand bush- 
els left, with which to begin operations anew. I have pursued the 
same system since the war. The corn has been short and the crops 
of wheat have failed, but the stock has not. We have sold a con- 
siderable number of fine work oxen and cows at good prices and 
some beef cattle from time to time since the close of the war. In 
the last tnree months we have sold seven work oxen for $400. 
Notwithstanding these sales, the number of the original stock has 
not been diminished. We have had lamb, mutton, beef, milk and 
butter, generally, in abundance, and every year since the war have 
sold more or less bacon and lard. This year I think the proceeds 
of bacon and lard will supply the family with groceries. Like other 
patriots, we have been greatly oppressed by old debts, the failure 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 281 



of crops, the inefficiency of labor, and the scarcity of money; yet 
a system which under varying circumstances has produced these re- 
sults cannot be a bad one. 

This brings me to -what the Planter and Farmer says upon the 
pork question — a subject of great importance and greatly neglected. 
Raise your own pork. It is far cheaper to raise than to buy it, no 
matter what may be the price of corn. You cannot risk your whole 
stock of hogs now in the fields or woods. Raise a considerable 
number in pens, with water-proo'f roofs. Feed with all the slops 
from kitchen and dairy, which in my family are worth for this pur- 
pose nearly a hundred dollars a year. Add to this, refuse grain, 
vegetables, clover cut and fed in the pens, or in growing lots en- 
closed for the purpose. I raised fourteen last year in this way. 
Eleven of them averaged over two hundred — three, being younger, 
about one hundred and fifty pounds. The manure made from them, 
which is now ready to be applied to corn, will, I am sure, produce 
more corn than the hogs consumed. 

I am more and more convinced every day that I live, that the 
alternate or convertible system of husbandry, with comparatively 
large farms, is the true policy for us in our present circumstances. 
The labor has greatly improved, and will continue to improve; and 
once freed from d^ebt, with their energies untrammeled, the gentle- 
men farmers of Virginia will soon show the world that they are not 
the drones they have been represented. I fear I have incautiously 
used the word gentlemen. Gentlemen and ladies are terms now 
eschewed, unless it be by men in independent positions like the 
Chief Justice who, in sentencing criminals found guilty of a felo- 
nious offence, concludes by ordering the marshal to take those gen- 
tlemen to the penitentiary ; or his honor, the Mayor, who, when 
females of equivocal character are brought into court, orders the 
Sergeant to escort those ladies to the lock-up. 

There is another fallacy that ought not to pass unnoticed. All 
our young men are earnestly urged to strip off and go hard to work 
with the axe, the plough, the hoe. This is very well when neces- 
sary or profitable, but to the extent to which it has been preached, 
it is extremely mischievous. I doubt not it has driven from Vir- 
ginia hundreds, nay, thousands of deserving young men, who have 
left their homes in sorrow and despair, as flying from a life of pov- 
erty and servitude. If they were rightly informed, who could 
blame them for emigrating, rather than remain at home toiling 
hopelessly at the average rate of farm wages from thirty to fifty 
cents a day ? I would invite them to take a more cheerful view — 



282 THE SOUTHERN [May 

I 

to return and reclaim the wasted farms of their fathers, and resume 
the position, which properly belongs to them, as country gentlemen. 
No man, young or old, should be too proud to take a hand at any- 
thing that is useful. My own son gives daily evidence of this. 
He is expert in the use of all implements and machinery; can run 
a line with a plough as straight as if laid off by a surveyor's instru- 
ments, and this he has lately done day by day, and was very profit- 
ably engaged, because he was leading others. This industry I en- 
courage, but I always inculcate upon him that brains are worth 
more than hands; and as there will always be, in this State espe- 
cially, plenty of laborers that will require brains to direct them, he 
will occupy his time more profitably in studying thoroughly the re- 
quirements of the farm, and seeing that they are strictly attended 
to by the laborers, than in drudging with a hoe from day to day. 
This doctrine of hard work may be pushed to extremes. I have 
known several worthy white men greatly shorten their days by too 
much work in our hot summer suns. Our friend, the President of 
the State Society, I think, rides this hobby rather too freely; and 
when he ventured, in his inaugural, to advise that the "patrimonial 
oaks" should be cut down, lest their shades should shelter old gen- 
tlemen disposed to indulge themselves, I could not but feel that he 
had committed an act of impiety — a crime without a name. In all 
the laws of Lycurgus there was no punishment denounced against 
paricide, because it was not supposed possible that such an unnatu- 
ral crime could be committed. To cut down the patrimonial oaks 
is more akin to paricide, for it would break the father s heart if 
living. I confess my fondness for an arm chair, under an umbra- 
geous tree, from which I can see in the distance the graceful move- 
ments of the reaper and the harvester, and cry out as they approach 
me in their round, after the manner of boys at play: "Fight on, 
my brave boys, your Captain is looking at you !" Surely a sexa- 
generian, not possessed of any nimble powers of locomotion, might 
be allowed this indulgence. Deus nobis ho?c otia fecit, and it is 
clearly an act of impiety to deprive us of it. But our friend is too 
practical and utilitarian to enjoy the Arcadian scenes so sweetly 
depicted by the great poet of the Georgics. In one of these scenes 
he describes a shepherd with his flocks feeding around him, lying 
at ease under a wide- spreading beach tree ; the sun is approaching 
the horizon; shadows are falling from the mountains; the air is 
tranquil and serene; and the smoke is ascending from the neigh- 
boring villages. This is a scene for a painter, but it has no charms 
for utilitarians. I confess myself to no little fondness for the ro- 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 283 

mance and poetry of life. I recollect at this moment lines of Pope, 
as repeated to me by my father more than half a century ago: 

'* Happy the man whose will and care, 
A few paternal acres bound, 
Content to breathe his native air 
On his own ground." 

The last couplet of the next stanza is, 

"Where trees in summer yield him shade — 
In winter fire." 

Perhaps my fondness for shade, and especially for that of the 
" patrimonial oaks," arises in part from these early associations. 
But enough of this. Vive la bagatelle. 
Very truly your friend, 

WlLLOUGHBY NEWTON. 



Cheap Local Fares and Freights the True Policy of our Railroads. 

Messrs. Editors, — A friend who claims to speak by authority, 
tells me that a word or two from even so humble a subscriber as 
myself would not be totally unacceptable to you. It is in response 
to this suggestion that you are troubled with this communication. 

After residing in Richmond from early boyhood, I have settled 
down in the country, to try farming in a very small way. Two rea- 
sons impel me to this course : the first arises out of considerations 
of health and economy; the second springs from a settled convic- 
tion that, while so many are falling away from the plough, every 
new comer is, in the present condition of the South, a sort of pub- 
lic benefactor. The soil here seems to be of a very generous dispo- 
sition, but a course of hard treatment has reduced a tolerable gar- 
den spot into a sad wilderness; still I do not doubt that labor, 
which is the farmer's necessity, will turn the tide in the other di- 
rection, and that at no distant time we shall have the wilderness 
returning to its garden state. I have a notion that any man who 
has a tolerable share of common sense, joined with industry and 
perseverance, and will read and question closely, yet act with 
promptness and independence, may become a farmer. If you think 
differently, do not tell me so, I pray you, for the present, as I have 
much respect for your judgment, and may be discouraged. If, 
however, we shall meet with any measure of success, my better- 
half, who takes great interest in our movements, may some day 
trouble you with a sample of what we can do ; and, if we can do no 
better, I dare say that a big blackberry, (a cultivated one, I mean,) 



284 THE SOUTHERN [May 

or a tolerable cymling, would not be regarded by you altogether be- 
neath your attention. 

As a Virginian, I am deeply interested in whatever concerns the 
happiness and prosperity of our people ; and it is with a sad heart I 
see so many of our best men standing idle when the earth is still 
before us, out of whose bosom the prosperity of man has been dug, 
in every age of the world, upon the Nile, the Jordan, the Tiber, 
the Thames, &c. Nor can I see why we cannot build up upon the 
banks of the James an influence which, ere long, shall challenge 
the admiration of the world. But this last time of my pen is not 
without an object, as will presently appear. 

The location I have chosen, or rather accidentally hit on, seems 
desirable enough. I am thirteen miles from Richmond, and about 
one and a half miles from the track of the Richmond, Fredericks- 
burg and Potomac railroad — a sort of national highway, which has 
one of the finest opportunities in the world to acquire a large share 
of popularity and a still larger share of pecuniary gain. I wish, 
indeed, that the representatives of this road could have a just ap- 
preciation of its opportunity ; but it often happens with corpora- 
tions, as with individual men, that the sight of the present shilling 
forbids the contemplation of the contingent dollar. Easy of access 
from all points, and running, as it does, through one of the health- 
iest sections of country in the world, this road is well calculated to 
attract the attention of those who wish to settle in Virginia. And 
though the lands are often poor, yet they lay remarkably well, and 
are well capable of improvement by manures which can readily be 
brought from Richmond or Baltimore. Now if this road would, 
in view of the present situation of affairs, put its local fares and its 
manure and farming implement freights at a very low rate, it 
would need no prophet to foresee that its whole line would, at an 
early day, become a continuous village. Then the Company, in- 
stead of being frequently grumbled at, as it now is, would have the 
hearty regards of all, and where it is now receiving orders by the 
hundred, would find thousands flowing into its treasury. Then, too, 
the traveler as he went North, or came South, instead of beholding 
a sometimes desolate country, would have his sight refreshed by 
some of the loveliest scenery in the world ; and even the good-na- 
tured " Yankee," as he journeyed hitherward, could believe the 
stories of the darkey who, having run away from his Virginia home, 
was last seen sitting on the banks of the Mississippi, singing, 

"Carry me back to Ole Virginny." 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 285 

It is strange to me that our railroad corporations do not see that 
every dweller on .the line of their roads is a laborer in their inter- 
ests, and that every bushel of manure and every farming implement 
transported by them is assisting in preparing produce which must 
find its way to market by their agency ; and yet if the assumption 
here is correct, and I think no one can deny it, there is no road 
whose situation favors a really liberal policy more than does the 
situation of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac. For its 
own sake, as much as for the public good, I would be glad to see it 
adopt a policy which would infallibly pay so well, both in fame and 
money. 

But I have exceeded the bounds proposed to myself, and I will 
close abruptly, with the words which Milton has made Satan ad- 
dress to his tardy co-laborers. If I had the voice of seven thun- 
ders, I would bawl them into the ear of every dreaming corporation 
and every indolent Virginian: 

" Awake ! arise ! or be forever fallen !" 

K. 

Hopewell, Hanover, April, 1869. 



Beet-Root Sugar in England. 

There have been a number of visitors lately to the works at La- 
venham, including M. Caird and Professor Voelcker, and the experi- 
ment appears to be progressing very satisfactorily indeed. The 
whole of the machinery has been supplied by MM. Jules Reallier 
and Van Goethem, Bruxilles, the Belgium engineers, who are fully 
acquainted with the details necessary for the manufacture. The 
works are carried on under the superintendence of M. Victor Or- 
tamus, civil engineer, from Belgium, who has had considerable ex- 
perience in sugar manufacture on the continent, and the principal 
workmen are foreigners, while for the purpose of enabling them to 
communicate with the English men and women employed at the 
works, a Frenchman is engaged as an interpreter, and through him 
orders are given to the various English employees. There is a lime- 
kiln on the premises, for the purpose of manufacturing the gas re- 
quired for saturating the liquid ; and from the kiln it passes along 
a pipe, and thence through two purifiers to an engine, by which it 
is forced to the spot wanted for use. After leaving the saturating 
pans the liquid is of a different color, having become a deep brown ; 
and, although sweet, it has a somewhat earthy flavor. When it 
has been sufficiently long in these pans, it is drawn off into what are 



286 



THE SOUTHERN 



[May 



called the decanting pans, where the temperature is again reduced; 
and it is subsequently transferred to two enormous evaporating 
vacuum pans, where a certain amount of evaporation takes place, 
and this completes the process at Lavenham, the remainder of the 
evaporation being transferred to Mr. Duncan's works in London, 
for which purpose the product of the roots is sent off, in casks, in a 
liquid state. The Inland Revenue Department keep an officer con- 
stantly on the premises, for the purpose of looking after their in- 
terests ; and Mr. Duncan, with characteristic thoughtfulness and 
liberality, has had an eye to the personal comfort of this official, 
and presented him with a couch,, rug, easy chairs, and washing 
stand. Mr. Duncan is rapidly using the supply of this district at 
£1 per ton. — Mark Lane ^Express. 




"We have procured the above cut, not without considerable ex- 
pense, from N. II. Paaren, Veterinary Surgeon, Chicago, 111. It 
will be seen to exhibit the relation which the bony structure of the 
horse bears to the body, clothed with flesh and skin, and needs no 
explanation to render it intelligible to our readers. — Eds. So. 
Planter and Farmer. 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 28 

M VSIIe's Book on High Farming without Manure Reviewed. 

Mr. Editor ■, — For several years past the agricultural journals o 
the South have, from time to time, contained brief notices of the 
labors of Prof. Ville of France, who claims to have made important 
discoveries in practical agriculture, and in some instances formulae 
have been published professing to represent the composition of cer- 
tain applications found by him to be the best possible for certain 
crops. It is fair to presume, therefore, that a majority of your 
readers have heard something of Prof. Ville and of his new system, 
and like myself have seen enough to excite their curiosity, but not 
enough to enable them to judge of its merits, or profit by its teach- 
ings. The appearance among us of a little work by the Professor, 
translated and published in England, and republished in Boston, 
entitled "High Farming without Manure. Six Lectures on 
Agriculture, delivered at the Experimental Farm of Vincennes. 
By M. George Ville, Professor of Vegetable Physiology at the 
Museum of Natural History, Paris" wherein the laws which he 
claims to have discovered, and some of the results of their applica- 
tion in practice are stated, affords us an opportunity for learning 
what the system really is, as well as for forming a correct judgment 
as to its merits, and of the service it may be to us of the South, if 
properly appreciated and applied. 

M. Ville has, we are told, been experimenting for many years, 
first on a small scale; and after he had satisfied himself of the truth 
of certain laws of vegetable nutrition, he proceeded to put them to 
the test of actual practice. In the translator's preface we are told 
that "The researches of M. Ville, which are now placed at the 
head of the most important discoveries science has yet made for the 
benefit of agriculture, were, like all innovations, received at first 
with something more than coldness and indifference ;" and farther 
on we learn that, at the time he was most violently opposed and 
unpopular, the Emperor "extended a generous and powerful hand 
to the Professor, and the most complete success has crowned his 
glorious initiative." A portion of the imperial farm at Vincennes 
was placed at his disposal, where for a series of years he has car- 
ried on his experiments at the Emperor's expense, and to which 
point large numbers of farmers, and others interested in the pro- 
gress of agriculture, are annually attracted by the increasing fame 
of the Professor, and the very remarkable crops produced on those 
portions of the farm under his direction. 

Instead of operating upon ordinary soil, or soil of known com- 



288 THE SOUTHERN [May 



position, M. Ville, for reasons which I shall advert to in another 
place, commenced his experiments by growing plants in flower-pots 
filled with calcined sand as a basis, to one of which he added one 
of the substances always present in plants; to another two; to an- 
other all save one, say lime; to another all save another, say pot- 
ash; and finally to another every substance found in plants, each 
substance added being in an available form. He thus had every 
form of soil, from absolute sterility on the one hand to great fer- 
tility on the other, passing through every intermediate grade, the 
composition of each being, of course, known and recorded; and 
was enabled to compare the effects of each on vegetation, to deter- 
mine, as it were, the relative values of the substances composing 
them, and to arrive at that combination of material best calculated 
to produce the most perfect plants and the largest yield. 

After repeated experiments in flower-pots, he proceeded to repeat 
them on plots of ground set apart for the purpose, and from these 
he passed to an application of the principles evolved to some of the 
fields of the farm of Vincennes. One of the most important of 
his discoveries, and the only one to which I wish to refer in this 
place, was that, by the use of a mixture of various substances, all 
of which have long been known in agriculture, and constituting 
what he calls a complete fertilism, he unfailingly makes large crops, 
and for a succession of years, provided the application is sufficiently 
heavy. This complete fertiliser is composed of some substance ca- 
pable of yielding nitrogen, either in the form of nitric acid or am- 
monia, together with phosphoric acid, potash, &c, all in an availa- 
ble form, and having such a relation to the soil that, when applied 
in sufficient quantity, this and the soil will be capable of supplying 
all the substances required for the production of a succession of 
heavy crops. In other words, we have not only a demonstration of 
the great benefits to be derived from the use of judicious mixtures 
of what are known as the commercial fertilizers, but we also have 
the assurance that in these fertilizers, property used, we have a sat- 
isfactory substitute for stable manure, and may confidently hope for 
remunerative crops, and improvement in our soils, even though we 
may be deficient in what English farmers and our northern neigh- 
bors consider indispensable to all good farming — stable manure. 
In another place I shall resume the subject of the Professor's ex- 
periments and their results, contenting myself for the present with 
giving prominence to the important truth just enunciated. 

For the English farmer, or the farmer from one of our northern 
States, who is a stock grower, and always has a large portion of his 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 289 



land in meadow and permanent pasture, his stock necessarily con- 
suming a large portion of the produce of the farm, and returning 
it to the soil in the shape of manure, the commercial fertilisms come 
in as simple increments to his general stock of manure. He may 
appreciate their value, and use them to a limited extent, but after 
all, he feels that they are not necessities. But such is not our con- 
dition. Our system of farming is not and, from the nature of 
things, cannot be self-sustaining. From causes which it is not ne- 
cessary to discuss here, we are not now, and most probably .never 
will be, a stock growing people, and hence let us husband our re- 
sources as we will, we cannot hope to keep up our soils by the ma- 
nure made on our farms. The great bulk of our lands, originally 
light, has depreciated under a system of cultivation which, to say 
the least of it, is faulty, and must continue to do so unless we can 
check their downward course by the use of the commercial fertil- 
isers. But this is not all: many, very many of our soils — soils on 
which our farmers are depending to supply the wants of their fami- 
lies — are in such a condition that the use of fertilisers is necessary 
before the production of a crop is possible. With our lands in such 
condition, how important is it that we should, if such a thing is pos- 
sible, determine the principles which should govern us in the appli- 
cation of fertilisers, and having determined them disseminate them 
through every available channel! 

It is my purpose to discuss the general origin of soils, with par- 
ticular reference to the soils of Virginia east of the Blue Ridge, 
and the effects of cropping upon them ; to explain the natural pro- 
cess of restoration of worn out lands; develop M. Ville's system 
somewhat in detail; and m ike such an application of it to our own 
condition as seems to me necessary, with the hope that I may be 
able to make the discussion of practical value to at least a portion 
of your readers. 

Soils, no matter where found, have their origin either directly or 
indirectly' in the decomposition and disintegration of the rocks which 
constitute the surface of our planet; consequently, in tracing the 
origin of any particular class of soils, not alluvial, a knowledge of 
the underlying formations, and of the processes by which a fertile 
soil succeeds the barren rock, becomes both interesting and valua- 
ble. The agents by which these changes are accomplished are the 
atmosphere, water and frost. To this action the hardest rocks must 
eventually yield, resulting in various mixtures of clay and sand, 
with smaller quantities of such other substances as were originally 
present in the rock, but often modified in form. The decomposed 
VOL. Ill — 10 



290 THE SOUTHERN [May 



rock, the mere mixture of sand, clay and other materials, is not, 
however, soil capable of producing crops: it still must go through 
a long process of amelioration. At first it is capable of supporting 
a scanty vegetation only ; but whatever it can support, takes root 
and grows, drawing its organic matter from the air. 

After a time this vegetation dies, and mingles with the soil, mak- 
ing a positive transfer of organic matter from the air to the soil. 
This process going on year by year, the organic matter of the soil 
slowly increases, the first scanty vegetation is supplanted by a more 
vigorous one, and this in time by one still more vigorous. At last 
shrubs and trees cover the ground, which, sending their roots far 
down into the subsoil, draw from it supplies of mineral food, which 
passing first into the leaves, eventually find their way into the sur- 
face soil, along with the still increasing stores of organic matter. 
This annual top-dressing of both mineral arid organic matter is ne- 
cessarily composed of all the substances which enter into the com' 
position of vegetables, and which are absolutely required in every 
soil to make it fertile, and in such form as to be available to what- 
ever crops may be grown. These are organic matter not composed 
o-f, but containing ammonia, potassa, soda, lime, magnesia, soluble 
silica, sulphuric acid., phosphoric acid, chlorine, and oxide of iron. 

From what I have just said it is apparent that nature, in her pro- 
cess of forming arable soils, is continually miking addiiio'ns to the 
stock of substances which are necessary to fertility, and in so doing 
is gradually bringing them all, as nearly as the nature of the case 
will admit, to the same condition, no matter what be the source 
from which they may have been derived. It is equally plain, how- 
ever, that there must be great diversity in soils, not only in their 
physical properties, but in their chemical composition also, and 
that soils of equal productiveness when first cleared, and of course 
of equal apparent fertility, must differ widely in their ability to 
meet the demands made upon them through years of continuous cul- 
tivation. 

But if what I have said in relation to the origin of soils be true, 
there ought to be certain characteristic, or family resemblances be- 
tween all the soils of a particular geological period, in spite of the 
tendency of all soils to assume a common condition, and such in- 
deed is the case. Take, for example, the soils of the Valley of 
Virginia, resting upon and formed from the Valley limestones ; we 
find, of course, every variety of fertility, and great diversity in 
mechanical condition, yet they are as a class clays, and essentially 
grass lands. 



1809.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 291 

Nearly all of the country east of the Blue Ridge down to the 
head of tide, is covered by tnetamorpiiic rocks — rocks that, after 
deposition in water, were subjected to long continued and intense 
heat, whereby they have become highly chrystaline in structure, 
and materially modified in other respects. The decomposition of 
these rocks gives rise to a class of soils which are prone to wash, 
and liable to serious injury when naked fields are long exposed ; a 
sort of sifting process goes on, resulting in the retention of the 
coarser particles, and the loss of the finer and more valuable por- 
tions. But whilst they all bear a certain resemblance to each other 
in these respects, and in others that might be pointed out, they yet 
d ffer widely in different counties, and in different portions of the 
same county, or even of the same farm. In one locality rocks of a 
granite type may prevail, producing soils well supplied most proba- 
bly with potash, but deficient in lime and other equally important 
constituents, full of small scales of undecomposed mica, and never 
truly fertile. But let suck a rock, retaining its feldspar, have its 
mica replaced by hornblende, or some allied mineral, and at once 
the overlying soil assumes a dark red color, and lime, magnesia, 
&c, if not present in quantity, are at least sufficiently abundant to 
innke the soil fertile, and capable of a high degree of improvement. 

The soils of Tidewater Virginia are, as a class, widely different 
from those just referred to. These soils constitute the upper beds 
or strata of what is known as the tertiary belt of Virginia. Dur- 
ing the tertiary period the waters of the Atlantic covered the 
whole of this portion of Virginia, as well as the greater portion of 
both North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, &c, the shore 
line through our State being nearly on a line passing through the 
falls of the large rivers, and the last deposits of mud and sand 
which were borne into the ocean by the running streams, and other 
natural causes, now constitute the soils of this region. Rising from 
the waters before the close of the Tertiary period, still beds of mud 
and sand, plants took root in them, and by the same process by 
■which all soils are made productive, they were gradually transformed 
into arable soils. They are, as a class, light and sandy, deficient 
generally in some important constituents, as lime and potash, but 
yet capable, by the use of lime, or marl, which is generally abun- 
dant, and other means, of a high degree of improvement. 

Along the banks of streams we meet with alluvial lands, or " low 
grounds," which are generally very productive, and in some in- 
stances seem to be practically inexhaustible. Such soils are made 
up of the fine material that has been washed out of, and borne 



292 THE SOUTHERN [May 

down from the uplands. Such soils, besides being in a fine state of 
division, are made up of the very richest portions of the soils sup- 
plying them, and being composed of material from numerous 
points, are sure to contain abundant supplies of all the elements of 
fertility, in available forms. 



Left-Hand Ploughs. 

Prejudices on this subject, like all others, are hard to remove ; 
but if farmers would consider the question fairly, and what is bet- 
ter, if they will try both kinds of ploughs, they will find the left- 
hand plough decidedly preferable. As a general rule, farming in 
Pennsylvania is thought to be better done than it is in Virginia; 
but in some parts of Virginia, particularly the counties of Clarke 
and Jefferson, ploughing is better done than it is generally in 
Pennsylvania; and oue reason of this is the use of three-horse left- 
hand ploughs. In those counties two-horse ploughs are rarely seen, 
and right-hand ploughs are never seen. There are three reasons, 
not very potent, but sufficiently so to decide the question, why left- 
hand ploughs should be preferred. The first is, any horse which 
does not walk too fast makes a good leader, and all know, before 
the introduction of left-hand ploughs, the greatest recommendation 
to a work-horse was being a barshear leader. Secondly, the plough 
cuts uniformly a given quantity of land ; and thirdly, when back- 
furrowing, the horses turn, at the ends, to the left, which is better 
than turning to the right, because, in this case, the leader has to 
push the other horses round, which takes up time and injures the 
horses' feet materially by treading on each other — whereas, turning 
to the left, the leader pulls the other horses easily around, and they 
do not hurt each other's feet and ankles. The advantage of back 
furrowing is, the horses tramping the unploughed ground at the 
end of each furrow, which is not the case when the ploughing is 
done in lands. Then they walk out at the extremity of every fur- 
row on the ploughed ground, which renders it unfit for the seed un- 
til it is ploughed again. 

Now, if the left-hand plough costs more than the right-hand, or 
if iherc could be any reason assigned in favor of the right-hand 
plough which the left-hand does not posses , we would not take up 
our time urging the superiority of the left-hand plough for the rea- 
son we have given. But both kinds are alike, except in those par- 
ticulars we have named ; and they are sufficient to induce every 
farmer, when he is obliged to buy a plough, to choose a left-hand, 
whether it be for two or three horses. — Religious Herald, 



18C9.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 293 



A Large and Paying Application of Guano to Tobacco. 

The following very interesting article on the ahove subject reached us too 
late for (he April number, but is yet in full time to be of great value to our 
planting subscribers. Kut we regret that our friend does not allow ua to u*e 
his name, as well as his ideas. That being forbidden, we can only say that he 
is by inheritance, and by many years' practice, one of the best planters and 
farmers in the State, whose name is authority on the subject. 

We only add for him, what we are sure he would have added for himself, 
that the wheat after the tobacco should be followed certainly wi'h clover and, 
in our judgment, we presume with some of the spear grasses. — Eds. S. P. & F. 

Albemarle Co., March 23d, 1809. 
Col. Frank G. Ruffin: 

Dear Sir, — -When in Charlottesville, a few days since, a letter 
was handed me by our friend F*** Q*** from you, in which you 
stated that you wished me to give you a statement of the fertilizers 
I used on my tobacco crop last year, and how applied, and that you 
wished to have it in your next issue of the Planter and Farmer, 
Before going farther, I must say to you that I don't wish my name 
given in any way, as I dislike to appear conspicuous. If what I 
have to say, however, is worth notice you can publish it. 

But now to the point. I aimed at 150, 00J hills of tobacco, but 
after finishing hilling found it was only 140,000. My intention 
was to put on 100 lbs. of Peruvian Guano to the acre, but as it 
turned out less than I laid off the land for, there was a little more 
than 400 lbs. to the acre put on. I aj plied the guano broadcast, 
with about two bushels of plaster to the acre also, mixed thoroughly 
before sowing. My land was broken up in the fall, and the next 
spring, after having finished planting corn, I leveled down my 
tobacco land and hauled out what stable and barn-yard manure I 
had, spread it, laid off the land as if to sow wheat or oats, about ten 
or eleven feet wide, and then sowed twice in each land. I then ran 
a heavy three-horse cultivator over the land twice or three times, as 
necessity required. Where there was a great deal of grass I had 
to use the one-horse McCormick or shovel-plough, as the cultivator 
would not answer where the land was foul. I don't like the two or 
three-horse plough for preparing land to hill, as it turns up too 
much soil that has not been pulverized by the frost and leaves the 
land too rough. I think I shall make from the 140,000 hi lis, after 
having one house burnt, when curing, containing 10,000 plants — 
38,0 r, or 40,000 lbs. of tobacco of fine quality, which I would liko 
you to see when sold about the first or second week in May. 

The application of fertilizers I made at first appears extrava- 
gant — a little over $20 to the acre — but I estimated in this way: 



294 THE SOUTHERN [May 

First, I would get not less than 400 lbs. of tobacco more to the 
acre than I would without the guano; second, I would get tobacco 
of such quality that it would bring from one to two dollars per hun- 
dred more than it would without guano ; third, the benefit to the 
wheat crop not less than five or seven bushels to the acre over and 
above what it would bring without guano. The idea that guano 
makes tobacco thin has never been proven to me — that is, as far as 
my observation goes in the Piedmont region; it may be so on light 
sandy soil, which has never come under my observation. Wherever 
I have made a heavy application it looks, when ripe and when cured, 
as if manured with stable manure. 

P. S. — Don't understand me as saying that all of my tobacco 
land was manured. I don't think there was more than one-fourth, 
and that \evy light. Where the land was best I put no manure 
but guano, and that produced the best tobacco. 

J. W. G. 



Manipulated Fertilizers— Gilham's, Wilsons, &c, 

3Iessrs. Editor, — It is a source of sincere pleasure to Virginia 
and North Carolina tobacco raisers to find within their reach, at so 
reasonable a price, a manure so admirably adapted to their purpose as 
'Col. Gilhains " Tobacco Fertilizer" To feel assured that, from 
his intimate knowledge of chemistry and his known character as a 
nigh minded, honorable gentlemen, they can rely implicity on the 
products of his manipulation as genuine, is a vast gain to agricul- 
ture. Though not a tobacco grower, I read the supplemental sheet 
of the Whig of the 25th inst., with genuine gratification, con- 
taining the testimony of so many intelligent Virginia gentlemen, 
many of them known to me personally, attesting its virtue as a 
fertilizer, in comparison with Peruvian guano, and in every instance 
showing its superiority, to say nothing of its economy. 

Whilst we of the South have been victimized so often with spuri- 
ous phosphates put up north of Mason and Dixon's line, and even 
south of that line — at Baltimore — 'tis but just to the manufacturers 
to single out the genuine. In this too limited category of honestly 
manufactured phosphates, I take pleasure in mentioning ''Wilson's 
Ammoniated Super-Phosphate of Lime," patented August 11, 1S63, 
Manufactured by the Rumford Chemical Works, Providence, R. I. 
I have used it on wheat for two seasons past, and on the crop 
secured in '63, feel well assured it effected a marked influence in 
preventing fly and hastening the ripening, as well as increasing the 



I860.] PLANTER AND PARMER. 235 

product. Messrs. Spotts & Gibson are its sole agents, and Mr. S. 
induced me to try it from representing to me his uniform refusal to 
sell any fertilizer until he was satisfied of its genuineness. He 
visited and inspected the works, and saw for himself its effects on 
the barren "Seekonk Plains," in the vicinity of Providence. This 
is a section of country consisting of light, drifting smd, barren in 
the extreme. On this quality of land, on 11 J acres in corn, he 
(Mr. Wilson) made 850 bushels shelled corn, or 80 bushels to the 
acre, 40 bushels of barley, and oats 30 bushels. From a lot of 
less than 16 acres, that four years before was a part of these plains, 
he took off at the first mowing 35 tons of hay, and at second ten 
large loads. It was first cropped two years in corn, and one in 
oats and barley. 

A neighbor of mine, Wrn. Temple, sold some weeks ago a young 
hog, less than two years old, that weighed 512 lbs. gross. The 
purchaser might have been tempted to fatten it for the next county 
fair, but injured it in putting it into a wagon to haul it home. It 
was not fat, but growing rapidly, and weighed nett. 440 lbs. 
Yours respectfully, 

J. M. McCue. 

ML Solon, Va., March 29th, 1869. 



Practical Working of Mr. Gilmer's System of Farming— Fertiliz- 
ers Used. 

My Dear Sirs, — One year ago I wrote the article "Our Altered 
Circumstances Necessitate a Change in our System of Farming," 
which appeared in your May number, page 27^, and drew from my 
esteemed friend Mr. S. W. Ficklin an article — "Mr. G. C. Gilmer's 
System of Farming Reviewed," in your June number, in which he 
pays the communication of Mr. G. C. Gilmer in the May number is 
instructive, but not without errors. When I read this very sensiblo 
article from my very sensible friend, I at first thought of replying, 
and was asked by some of my neighbors to do so; but upon reflec- 
tion came to the conclusion we were both aiming for the same great 
object, the greatest amount of benefit to us all, and to test fully 
these disputed theories, would take time and deserved much sober 
reflection. I therefore determined to delay my reply until I could 
the better convince myself, by a little more practice, of its benefits 
and its errors, for practical truths are what we all should be after, 
and not mere theories. Our country and countrymen are not now 
in any condition for testing mere theories, however plausible 



29G THE SOUTHERN [May 

they may be. I have not been able to carry out that plan as fully 
as I desired and intended doing, owing to the condition of our 
labor. I have tried whites and blacks, at low and high prices, but 
failed to secure such hands as one must have to carry out that plan 
fully, but did the best I could, and am so well convinced that it is 
now the very best plan for me, that I am now hard at work trying 
to test it fully. From past sad experience I am more fully con- 
vinced than ever that our profit does not consist in low wages, but 
the amount of work done for the wages given, and I have not been 
able to make one cent out of the common laborers, now to be found 
in the greatest abundance strolling all over our country; they wont 
work, but will steal more than enough to swell their receipts far 
beyond the high wages which should secure such hands as can and 
will do fair work, and take care of what is entrusted to them in 
teams, tools, feed, seed and manures. I was sadly disappointed in 
seeding wheat last fall, owing to inefficient hands, only seeding 
sixty-one bushels, on which I used (with my rye crop of twenty 
bushels) three and a half tons of manure, bought and paid for, for the 
last spring crops which could not be applied for want of efficient 
hands. I have now five bushels of buckwheat (on hand) purchased 
last spring by my efficient and esteemed friend Mr. John T. Arm- 
strong, of Goshen Hill Depot, Rockbridge county, procured from 
Western Virginia, which could not be sowed for want of ploughed 
land to put it on, whilst I had an abundance of teams, bit could 
not get the ploughmen. I was sadly disappointed in my hands 
procured last January for the year, and was unable to get good 
hands until the first and second of March. 1 think they are hands 
just suited to my mind. 1 give for my manager $20), for my 
whit* teamster $102, and for two colored men $156 each and their 
board. High wages, but they have paid me far better than any 
hands I have ever had, as my teams, feed, stocks, crops, anil pre- 
paration for other crops, will fully testify, as any observing man 
can see for himself by looking over my farm as he travels along the 
main county road leading through my premises, so as to give a full 
view of my entire farm. Never have I done more good fencing; 
cleared up perfectly more land; had more good ploughing done; 
seeded more grass seed ; a better crop of oats seeded in good time 
and style; my stables, manure heaps, old tobacco houses, cutting- 
room and hay lofts thoroughly cleared up; and the manure, grass 
S2ed, &c, all well applied in their proper places and time. 

And now if friend Ficklin will pay me a social visit and sec for 
himself, he can be fully convinced my hundred acres in yards, 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 297 



garden, orchard, lawns and grass lots is not such a humbug as he 
seemed to be thinking when he was writing his review of my article. 
His plans, I have not the least doubt, are the best for him, and for all 
so fortunately situated; but mine, I still believe, the very best for me 
and for those similarly situated, for whom I wrote that article, 
and I fear nine-tenths of our whole farming community are in 
my condition. I think when friend Ficklin purchased his farm it 
was thought to be in a very high state of improvement, and he, 
with his ample means and fine practical sense, good judgment and 
great business capacity, has no doubt put it all in almost, if not 
quite, perfect order. His elegant mansion, sweet yard, beautiful 
lawn, thrifty orchard, fine crops and well selected stock of all kinds, 
denote means that but few can even hope ever to enjoy. For such 
I do not profess to write, but for those whose fields have been so 
choked out of their former appearance of thrift by the broom straw, 
w T ild briar and bushes. I can devise no better plan than the one 
offered in your may number of last year. I thought it the best 
then, and I do now believe it the very best for nine out of every 
ten of our Virginia farmers. This I do know, so far as I have 
been able to go, that portion of my farm shows this day as high a 
state of improvement as it ever did in the palmiest days of our 
once happy country. I then worked twenty-two slaves; I now 
work but four hired men, and my manager remarked last night that 
he had met and successfully conquered the advancing enemies 
the broom straw, wild briar and bushes, in the fields on which he 
had attacked them, and with his present force, in three years more, 
he could bury the last member of those unsightly""and unprofitable 
pests. With my present force I can clean up, fence in, and work 
well this farm of six hundred acres under my present system, and 
I do now hope at a cheaper rate than when I had so many hands, 
and so many more useless mouths to feed, backs to clothe and 
diseases to doctor. With good teams, good hands, and well selected 
manures, judiciously applied, it is hard for one to say what he can- 
not do. I do not knoAr that I shall put over ten or fifteen acres in 
corn — certainly not over twenty — all of which will be thoroughly 
prepared and manured and worked, which I think pays mo much 
better than working so much land in corn. All spare time I will 
devote to fencing, cleaning up, ditching, picking up rocks, and 
thoroughly preparing my land for an early seeding of rye and a 
large crop of wheat next fall. I apply most of my home-made 
manures to top-dressing my grass land, and will so apply rny wheat 
and oat straw on my young grass seeded this year, which I think 



298 THE SOUTHERN [May 

pays better than passing it through the farm pen. I use all the 
plaster I can, and am now using lime. I think with but little 
grazing, plaster and lime, and green crops for fallows, we may hope 
in a few years to be able to try our hands upon our friend Ficklin's 
plan successfully. I last year used upon my small crop of corn 
Baugh's Raw Bone Super-Phosphate and, I think, his blood manure, 
the Old Dominion, from our esteemed and reliable friend, Col. 
Gilliam, of the Southern Fertilizing Company of Richmond, and a 
guano of Mr. Bentley's, of the James River Manufacturing Com- 
pany, and the Pacific Guano of Messrs. Allison & Addison, of 
Richmond. All did well, except the manures of Mr. Baugh, which 
did not pay, and I have not purchased any more of it. It did well 
on corn and wheat the year before. Why it failed on my last crop 
I do not know. All I know, upon a fair trial, it failed to pay me 
and I quit it at once, which I will do with any manure which fails 
to act for me upon a fair trial. I was so well pleased with that I 
got of my friends, Gilham, Bentley, and Allison & Addison I shall 
try them all again, and shall so continue as long as they do as well 
as any I can get. I am also trying on grass, oats and corn this 
spring some of the manures from the enterprising company of 
B. C. Flannagan & Co., of Charlottesville, and if they pay as well, 
shall hereafter use mostly of theirs so long as it pays. I think we 
all should encourage our home factories. My enterprising young 
friend and neighbor (Mr. Howard Smith, of Morven,) tried the 
bought manures on my plan on corn last year, and thinks it has paid 
him better on corn thus applied than it has ever done upon any 
other crop. More will try it this spring. I do not write for a com- 
pany, nor for a manure, but for the good of our needy farmers of 
Virginia. Let any one try it on one or two acres, and I think he will 
be fully persuaded to test it upon his entire crop. A little in the 
drill to force it beyond the worms and crows, and then broadcast 
the balance across the rows at the second working and the ears will 
come, I think. 

With best wishes for all who are dependent upon the farming 
interests of Virginia, and the highest success of your valuable 
journal and the noble enterprise in which you have embarked, I 
remain, 

Yours truly, 

Geo. C. Gilmer. 

Near Charlottesville, Albemarle Cj., Va., April 2Zd, 1869. 



18G9.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 299 

To Hasten the Thinning and Weeding of Drilled Corn. 

Messrs. Editors, — When corn is planted or drilled as recom- 
mended by the writer of this in your last February number, the 
operation of thinning and weeding by the hand hoe may be greatly 
facilitated by the use of the following described harrow, with five 
teeth, and if the land is light and the team strong enough, more 
teeth may be added accordingly, by having the piece across the 
beam longer: Have the beam to which the horse is hitched about 
4J feet long by 3J inches thick one way and 2J inches the other; 
the hole for the clivis pin 4 inches from the end of beam; the front 
tooth 8 inches from that; the piece for the other tooth to be the 
same size of beam and to be put on at right angles with it 2J feet 
from the front tooth, and the distance between the teeth in this 
piece must be regulated by the width of the teeth, the distance 
being no greater than just enough to prevent the loose earth thrown 
out by the teeth from covering up the remaining stalks of corn ; a 
wheel, by means of two pieces of iron on the sides of the end of 
the beam, may be fastened, the centre of which, when revolving in 
the furrow made by the front tooth, to be 2J feet from the cross 
piece. The wheel may be sawed from a white or post oak, or black 
gum log, about 2 inches thick, and banded, the diameter of which 
must be regulated according to the length of the teeth from the 
bottom of the frame work. This implement to be used by going as 
nearly as practicable at right angles across the corn rows, soon 
after the first harrowing, as recommended in the February number 
(last), and to be used across corn rows 5 feet apart; but the harrow 
may be made for rows any distance apart by altering its proportions 
between the teeth and the centre of the wheel, and it is intended to 
be used more particularly on land bedded in single rows, but it can 
be used on level land. 

Respectfully yours, &c, Archibald Thweatt. 

San Marino, P 0. Dinwiddle, Va., The Peek, April 20, 1869. 



New Potatoes. — A few years ago the Early Goodrich was to be 
ten days earlier than any other; then Early Rose was to be four- 
teen days earlier than Goodrich ; Early Prince is now to be ten 
days earlier than Early Rose. Thirty-four days is an enormous 
advance in six years! but does any body believe it? Gentlemen, 
take warning by the Tomato men ; you have our encouragement in 
your endeavors to improve the breeds of things — we hope you will 
be paid well for every thing — except those marvelous statements, 
which we hope will not be charged for in the bill. — Gardener 8 
Monthly. 



£00 THE SOUTHERN [May 

Corn-Husking Machine. 

[We may as well state that the object of the following queries is to get data 
on which Mr. Scacey can act in introducing into Virginia corn shucking 
machinery. He wants the shucks. It is to our interest to let him have them 
on fair terms. He wants to know our views on this matter, and if we are wise 
we will let him have them. Ic is high time we had b?gun to count the cost of 
our various agricultural manipulations. Old times are changed, and the sooner 
we learn it and act on it, and shew brains about new matters, the better it will 
be all around.- Eds. So. P & F. 

F. G. Ruffin, Esq. : 

Dear Sir, — Will you please present the following important ques- 
tions for the consideration of the readers of the Planter and 
Farmer? I would be glad to be favored with the conclusions of 
the best practical farmers in our community as data to govern me 
in a contemplated effort to introduce a machine designed to facilitate 
and cheapen the process of harvesting the corn crop, and hope to 
obtain their responses in time for the next issue of the Planter and 
Farmer: 

1. "What does the fodder saved in the usual manner, by pulling 
and cutting tops, generally cost per 100 pounds? 

2. What is the percentage of loss caused by shrinkage or shrivel- 
ling of the grain, consequent upon pulling fodder and cutting tops 
in the usual manner? 

3. What is the percentage of corn left in the shucks when the 
corn is shucked by hand? 

4. What would be the cost of cutting the corn with fodder on 
the stalk and shocking it in the field, as is usual at the North ? 

5. What would be the relative proportion and value of the corn 
fodder, saved by the process of cutting the corn crop and shocking 
it in the field, as compared with the old method of pulling fodder 
and cutting tops? 

6. What does it now cost to pull the corn off the stalk and 
shuck it, independent of the cost of hauling from the field ? 

Very respectfully yours, G. B. Stacy. 



Digging Amongst Fruit Trees. — This subject is at length 
awakening attention even in slow and staid old England, where it is 
so very hard to get the wagon of process out of the venerated 
old ruts. In a discussion of the subject recently in one of their 
journals, a correspondent says that one of the most successful Straw- 
berry growers of his time, the late Mr. Keen, raiser of Keen's 
Seedling, after a lifetime of observation, had come to the conclusien 
that shallow digging was the best for the Strawberry crop ; although 
the correspondent himself thought it absurd not "to let in the at- 
mosphere" by deep digging. — Gardener s Monthly, 



1863.] PLANTER AND FARMER. SOI 

French Rocfs— A Valuable Suggestion. 

Editors Country Gentlemen, — It has been suggested by a friend 
that the new style of French roof, which is becoming so common 
both in city and rural architecture, might be turned to profitable 
account, and at the same time insure an amount of beauty and con- 
venience that is well worth considering. The suggestion is to 
have the covering of coarse, strong glass, in place of slate cr 
shingles, and thus, by the admission of light and heat, this part of 
the house would become an admirable conservatory, where fruits 
and flowers would flourish in the rankest luxuriance. In city 
houses, especially, water could readily be introduced in so conve- 
nient a manner as to insure the proper degree of humidity, while tho 
simplest possible arrangement would secure ample ventilation. 
Grapes of all kinds, dwarf fruit trees of plum, apricot, peach, &c, 
&c, could be readily grown, as well as all kinds of flowers, and the 
attic of one's house become the most profitable and delightful 
feature of the domain. Glass suitably cast could be more cheaply 
produced and applied than slate, or even good shingles, and would 
be quite as strong and durable as either. The introduction of 
colored material would add very slightly to the cost and could be 
applied with charming effect. — J. B. Okie, in the Cultivator and 
Country Gentleman. 



South Carolina Negroes. 

Mr. Thurlow Weed publishes in his paper, the New York Com- 
mercial, the following: 

Of ihe population of South Carolina, 400,000 are colored and 
300,000 white. The ratio is changing fast. Emigration helps and 
so does the death rate. A Tunes correspondent says that the mor- 
tuary reports in Charleston for the year 1868 exhibit the fact that 
out of a population of about 40,000 in the city — about half white 
and half black — there have died 1,-08 persons; of these, 818 were 
colored, and 390 white. That is, more than two negroes to one 
white died last year in Charleston. More exactly it is, one negro 
in every twenty-four dies annually; while in the same time only 
one in every fifty-one whites dies. 

The vote of the State is about one in seven ; that is, about 100,- 
000 votes in all. Of these 00,000 are negroes and 40,000 whites 
— the majority of negroes being 20,000. The black race is crowd- 
ing toward the coast, leaving the upper and middle country. This 
gives the mountain counties already a majority of white votes; 
and this majority must increase on that side of the State. 



302 



THE SOUTHERN 



[May 




jjortttultural gqjartmcnt. 



JOHN M. ALLAN, 



Editor. 



Is it True that Nurserymen and Seedsmen oppose the Spread of 
Horticultural Magazines? 

In the April number of the Gardener's Monthly, Mr. Charles Arnold asks 
•what stf ps can be taken to prevent vagabond fruit tree vendors deceiving the 
people by gelling all manner of trash under stolen names. 

So long as the public are not only willing but apparently anxious to be hum- 
bugged, we fear no means will avail for this purpose. Each man must learn 
in his turn, by painful experience, the folly of listening to any one who offers 
to deliver at his door articles at lower prices than responsible nurserymen quote 
them at (heir grounds before he will a^ree to forego the spenrnij advantage of 
cheap stock. But the point we wish to bring forward is an incidental one, 
arising from the remarks of the editor of the Monthly upon M«\ Arnold's in- 
quiry. He says : "The best thing we know is to encourage every one to read 
the pipers. And here let us speak a truth we have never liked to tell before, 
namely : as a rule, those must opposed to the spread of horticultural magazines 
are nursery and seedsmen." Can Mr. Meehan, who is both a nurseryman and 
seedsman, mean that any onsiderable portion of these gentlemen are opposed 
to horticultural magazines? We can hardly credit it. It certainly is not true 
of our Southern gr.xrers and dealers. None could be more active and liberal 
in their aid and sympathy with everything calculated to disseminate sound in- 
formation than thes^e very gentlemen. As a case in point, we turn to the Cat- 
alogue of Messrs. F Davis & Co., nurserjmen of this city, and find an earnest 
commendation to their patrons of the Gardener's Monthly and other periodicals. 

We are not so familiar with the Northern nurserymen as is Mr. M ehan, but 
judging from his columns we should say that they certainly do not "hide their 
light under a bu>hel." Not the lea^t attractive part of his excellent journal 
is from the pens of nurserymen and florist contributors. If these discounte- 
nance the dissemination of light and knowledge, why do they, by their adver- 
tising patronage, sustain sucq publications? Without this last, three fourths 
of them would die out. 

There may be here and there a blockhead who would have the rest of the 
world as stupid as himself; but as a class, our nurserymen, &c, are too intel- 
ligent and practical men of business, to put it on no higher ground, not to know 
that information increases interest and brings with it a corresponding growth 
of trade. Can't you think better of it, Mr. Meehan? 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 803 

Virginia Horticultural and Pomological Society. 

MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 

A meeting of the Executive Committee of this Society was held at their 
rooms on the evening of the 15th of April last. A very encouraging report 
was received from the canvasser, and it was, thereupon, decided to offer a pre- 
mium list amounting to eight hundred dollars. 

The following Standing Committees were announced (the first named of each 
Committee being Chairman): 

Flowers.— Dr. J. T. Johnson, Dr. Thomas II. Williams, Dr. Richmond Lew is 
Wm. G. Taylor, Esq., and Dr. C. W. P. Brock. 

Vegetables — Joseph R. Rennie, L. Chamberlayne, William L. Harrison, J. 
0. Austin and J. W. Gordon. 

Wines.— William H. Haxall, Richard L. Christian, John J. Werth, M. B. 
Buck and Colonel William Gilham. 

Fruits. — Franklin Davis, Chairman; the others to be announced. 

Essays.— Dr. S. P. Moore, Hon. R. M. T. Hunter, General B. T. Johnson, 
Hon. B. Johnson Barbour and Professor Mallet. 

Statistics. — Professor William Allan, Jacob Fuller, Jed. Hotchkiss, Rev. 
Leonidas Rosser and John T. Griffio. 

Horticultural Implements. — I. S. Tower, E. B. Addison, John Asher, A. P. 
Routt and John T. Eaily. 

Arrangements. — Captain C. H. Dimmock, T. A. Brander, John Poe, Jr., and 
M. T. Clarke. 

In e >n*^quenee of the illness of S. P. Moore, Chairman of the Committee 
on Premiums, the list was not acted on, but was deferred to a future meeting. 

On motion of Dr. Johnson, a committee of six was appointed to make the 
necessary arrangements for a strawberry and flower exhibition during the 
season. 

The President appointed the following committee: Dr. J. T. Johnson, Frank- 
lin Davis, J. E. Stansbury, John Morton, Rev. Leonidas Rosser and Colonel J. 
J. Werth. 

The Committee then adjourned to meet on the 27th instant, at 5 o'clock P. 
M., at which time it will take action on the premium list. 



Navy Beans. 

We are in receipt of several inquiries about Navy Beans. We do not know 
what to say more than has been said in the February No. of the Planter and 
Farmer. Navy Beans are in demand, have been for years past, and doubtless 
will be in the future. They are readily grown, requiring the same soil and 
culture as any snap bean. While extremely rich land is not necessary to their 
successful cultivation, very poor will not produce them profitably. A happy 
medium is to be preferred. Plant in drills about three feet apart, and in hills 
in the drills, putting three to five beans in the hills, these last to be one foot 
apart. Cultivate sufficiently to keep down weeds. When ripe gather by hand, 
if practicable, saving the first ripening to sell for seed. When gathered in 
bulk and flailed out, their market value is very materially reduced. But in 
any case two dollars per bushel may be expected, and fifty bushels per acre 
will not be an extravagant yield. 



SO 4 THE SOUTHERN [May, 

Nut Culture. 

Messrs. Editors,~In reply to your request to your readers, to give their ex- 
perience in nut culture, I will give what little I have. About six years ago I 
p' an ted a number of our native chestnuts and shell-bark and hickory nuts. 
They came up finely, and the largest chestnut tree is now about ten feet high. 
The shell barks were planted in poorer foil, and I suppose are naturally slower 
growers than the chestnut. They have not attained more than three or four 
feet. The chestnuts are growing in a stiff clay soil, which has been enriched 
from time to time for the purpose of raising potatoes, corn, &c. None of them 
have ever received any attention, except that the crops near ihem were culti- 
vated. 

In the autumn of 18G7 I had a handful of Spanish chestnuts and pecans 
planted, placing a stake at each nut; but I had very little expectation of their 
growing, and consequently was not very careful to exclude cattle and hogs 
from the fi Id. Last spring, however, I was gratified to find one Spanish chest- 
nut and J'< ur pecans stretching up their slender stems, through the grass and 
w^eeds, to the light. Whether the others failed to vegetate, or the nuts were 
eaten by the hogs, I cannot tell, but I think the latter supposition mora proba- 
ble. At any rate, I was encouraged to plant more, and therefore enclosed two 
dollars to a friend in New Orleans, requesting him to send me not only Span- 
ish chestnuts and pecans, but also filberts and English walnuts. The quantity 
sent for this small amount surprised me. My friend, however, informed me 
that he purchased them from Mr. A. F. Cochran, importer of fruits and nuts, 
who, with a patriotism worthy of commendation, furnishes all who wish to 
plant wi ; h nuts at cost of importation. I therefore advise all persons who wish 
to engage in the nut culture to send their orders to this gentleman. 

I planted them carefully, but find to my sorrow that either some mischievous 
persons or hogs have played the wild with my nut plantation, but I hope a few 
have escaped, and I will report to you perhaps again in the spring. I then 
sent to Mr. Thorburn (No. 15 John street, New York) for some nuts of that 
splendid nut-tree of Southern Europe, the Italian pine {Pinus pine i) and some 
filberts and pistachios {Pisiachia vera). I planted the Italiau pines in a grove 
of our native pines and the filberts in some rows of early corn. I thought the 
native pines would proteGt the young foreigners until they grew large enough 
to stand our summer's sun and winter's wind, and then old "pitch, tar and 
turpentine" muet give way to the woodman's axe, and leave their native soil 
to the occupancy of the beautiful invader. The nut of the Italian pine is 
somewhat similar to the English walnut in taste, but of a more tender texture. 
The word ''buttery," so often applied to pears, describes it very nearly. It is 
pmiiller than the almond. The tree, you know, is an evergreen, and may bo 
seen in the pictures of Salvator Rosa and other great landscape painters. 

II. M. J. 

Pecan Nuts. — The shell of the pecan nut raised in Texas is so tough, and 
the kernel so compactly wedged in between the bitter dividing membranes as 
to render the work of opening them, even when provided with nut. crackers, 
absolutely unpleasant at times, to say the least of it. The Louisiana pecan 
nut has a much softer shell, and the kernels do not cling so tenaciously to the 
bitter membrane. The Louisiana pecans are said by connoisseurs to be less 
rich than those grown in Texas, but in our market they are preferred fur the 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 305 

reasons we have giiven. We saw yesterday, in the Creseent Fruit Store on Ca~ 
rial street, a small sample of Louisiana pecans, grown somewhere on the coast, 
the shells of which are as thin as paper and as soft as the almond. This va- 
riety is said to be scarce, but if it could be introduced generally the nuts would 
doubtless command a very high price. The flavor of the "soft shell" pecan is 
very delicate and delicious. — K. O. Picayune. 



Hops. 

"Dell Pilot," in the Prairie Farmer, gives the following reasons why Hop 
culture will not be profitable in this country: 

First, as to the cause of the decrease of demand, the hop is mainly used in the 
manufacture of lager beer, which is not only inessential to the support of life, 
but is an artificial, intoxicating drink, having at the present time a strong and 
growing moral sentiment waging war against its use, gradually and surely de- 
creasing the demand for hops. This feeling is liable to change as temperance 
movements are more or less periodical in their nature. 

Secondly, the hop loses its strength so rapidly that its value is reduced about 
one half in a year from the time it is picked, so that it would become almost 
worthless before the end of two year?, so that a surplus at the present cost of 
labor, etc., would naturally have the effect to reduce the price below the cost of 
raising. 

Thirdly, by reason of the ravages of the louse and other diseases, the hop is 
one of the most uncertain crops, there being failures in important localities 
nearly every year to diminish the supply, thus losing even the present indica- 
tions upon the fickle foundation of less than half a crop. 

Fourthly, a deficient supply thus creates an unnatural price, giving a profit 
greater than almost any other product, by which large numbers are enticed 
into the business, (it being natural to leave and rush into a business offering 
better profits than the one engaged in,) thus quickly producing a surplus, re- 
sulting in a price often below the cost of raising, followed by a decrease of pro- 
duct, giving in a short time the demand the opportunity of gaining the as_ 
cendancy to create another big price. And so on from one extreme to another 
to and fro, like the pendulum of a clock, the price goes up and down, seeming 
unable to find its level, there being too little knowledge with action, based 
upon the principle herein explained, the majority apparently being guided by 
common indications. 

With a knowledge of the reactive principle described, let not growers flatter 
themselves that by the decrease of acreage that should follow this crisis, it will 
give them an opportunity of preserving their own individual yards, to take the 
advantage of the opposite reaction. 

But as many growers are beginning to understand and work by this princi- 
ple, reactions will become so much modified in their extremes, that under the 
most favorable circumstances, hop growing in the future will gradually become 
less profitable; since these reactions are the result of the business being aban- 
doned when a surplus occurs to destroy the profits, and is taken up again when 
the demand makes it remunerative. 

Were all conversant with this law, with the accessible statistics now to guide 
us, the price of hops would seldom deviate far from its proper level, except 
VOL. Ill — 20 



306 THE SOUTHERN [May 

from almost entire failures in the main hop districts of the world, which could 
hardly be possible, since remedies are being discovered by which the ravages 
of the louse and disease can be prevented, apparently rendering it impossible 
to ever again realize the prices that have prevailed. As the commercial, agri- 
cultural and mechanical world becomes more scientifically methodical and sys- 
tematic, the price of articles and products will naturally tend to its proper 
level in proportion to real costs, and thus lessen the chances of accidentally 
stumbling on to fortunes or on to the almshouse. 

I am satisfied that raising hops will be the poorest business that can be en. 
gaged in for at least three years. It is estimated that the yearly consumptive 
demand for the United States is about 100,000 bales, where really it does not 
exceed 80,000 bales, and there are over 50,000 surplus bales on the market; 
besides which, a large quantity has been exported to England. 

Thus the temperance movement in progress, and the gradual loosening up of 
the tariff on alcohol, which will for a time decrease the demand for hops, and 
the fact that not more than 20,000 or 25,000 bales, with the present surplus, 
will be required to supply our next year's demand, in addition to the fact that 
by the addition of last year's planting — about 50,000 acres for the United 
States — there is a sufficient average of hops in our country to produce, with 
less than half a yield, should half be cultivated, about 400,000 bales, we ou^ht 
t r > be satisfied that it will be poor business to raise hops for a long time — say 
three or four years. 

With what I have said in merely giving my views of the matter, as I have 
done before in the Prairie Farmer, let growers judge for themselves, and be 
governed by their own judgment. My recommendation, however, would be 
that last spring's yards be reduced in size so as to avoid any outside expendi- 
tures, if possible ; while old improved yards, with no demand for expense in 
building, etc., ought to be reduced to one or two acres, as may suit the grower's 
means and desire to stake labor and capital against chance. 



Experiments with Potatoes. 

Messrs. Isaac Hicks & Sons, Old Westbury, L. I., send to the Country Gen,' 
tleman an account of some potato experiments in the summer of 18G8. The 
soil is a light sandy loam ; previous crop, corn in drills on inverted sod ; 10 
two-horse loads of city horse stable manure spread to the acre. The corn stub- 
ble was spread with cow-stable manure and ploughed under about nine inches. 

Planting was begun April 13. Rows were marked 3 feet apart and 
furrowed out with a plough ; a G foot evener enabled one horse to walk in the 
drill last made, the ploughman having no obstruction in seeing ahead and 
making very straight and parallel drills ; the plough was run twice in each drill, 
to throw a furrow each way and to straighten if necessary. Six two horse 
loads of city manure and 1£ tons of fish guano were scattered in the drills per 
acr e — the latter broken up fine on rainy days and scattered by pouring it 
slowly out of baskets while walking fast. This having spoiled the shape of 
the drills, a small double mould board plough was run through them, which 
straightened them and left neat marks of even depth to drop in, and stirred up 
the manure, fish and soil, so that the potatoes seldom touched a lump of ma- 
nure or fish. 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 307 

The sets (large potatoes cut to 2 and three eyes each* on rainy days, two or 
three weeks before planting, excepting a few new varieties cut to single eyes,) 
were dropped 14 inches apart and covered with a plough 4 inches deep, the 
horse not allowed to walk in the drill. 

On May 20 (Early Rose just breaking through,) the ground was harrowed; . 
in four days the Early Samaritan and Early Goodrich came up; in six days 
after, the late varieties began to show, when they were again harrowed. June 
10, Phifer's sulky plough was run through the rows, with only oue plough on 
each side of the drill set to plough very deep. On the 15th, a cultivator hoe, 
Ross' patent, with a guide that kept it very steady, was used twice in a row, 
running within an inch or two of the plants; what weeds were left were cut 
out with a hand hoe. Then a hilling cultivator, Burke's patent, was used once 
in a row; it consists of two long and narrow mould-boards, made of saw-blade 
steel, which can be sprung out to the width of row ; this took soil from the 
middle and pushed it up under the vines, leaning the vines over a little and 
leaving the field neat and smooth. The potatoes were again cultivated before 
they were in bloom. The straight and parallel rows permitted the use of the 
cultivators almost to the exclusion of hand hoeing. Three men hoed two acres 
in one day. The potatoes were very clean, and their culture did not cost half 
as much as if planted and worked out in the old way. 

June 23, Early Rose in bloom ; the largest potato found in four or five hills 
was 1|- inches in diameter; that of Goodrich, f inch; and Samaritan |- inch. 
July 4, Rose large enough for market: July 20, Goodrich about same size. 
The turnip fly ate and killed the vines of Goodrich and Samaritan, without 
touching the row of Rose, which was between the two, or any of the other va- 
rieties. July 22, a few barrels of Goodrich were dug and sold at the village 
stores for $6 per bbl.; in two days the price fell to $4. 

August 1, many of. the Early Rose were found exposed to the sun and a few 
sprouting again. A bushel was carefully removed, cut to two eyes, wilted in 
the sun one day, and planted. It had been very dry for two weeks, which 
stopped the growth of the early potatoes; then a heavy shower washed away 
some of the soil around the vines, leaving them exposed to the sun. One- 
tenth of the second planting came up; the season was dry and short; the 
largest of the second crop weighed four ouncas, and less was dug than had 
been planted. A neighbor planted a few a week earlier with better results. 
Two rows were 18G yards long — l-26th of an acre; nine consecutive rows, 

with one variety in each, were dug when fully ripe, with the following result, 

allowing GO lbs. to the bushel: 

Per acre. 

Early Goodrich 183 bn<h. 

Early Samaritan 9G do. 

Early Rose ... 235 do. 

Hanson 205 do. 

Calico 267 do. 

All were dug before the middle of September. The Peachblows (which 
would have been better if new seed from a distance bad been procured,) were 
beginning to rot, and were sent to Washington Market (New York) as fast as 



Per acre. 

Gleason 254 bu^h. 

Vanderveer 227 do. 

Gardner 215 do. 

Peackblow 196 do. 



* An experiment two years ago showed that large potatoes yield the most, but cut 
potatoes are the most profitable, saving much more seed thah the extra yield of large 
whole potatoes. 



308 THE SOUTHERN [May 

possible; three or four Gleasons in a barrel were found rotten — the rest all 
sound, and all kept well except Peaohblows. These brought in Washington 
Market $3.75*4 per bbl.; Gleason, $2 50a3 ; Goodrich, $2.25 ; Calico and Yan- 
derveer, $2 50. The peculiar season and the turnip fly caused most of the 
Goodriches raised near New York to be very poor for cooking. 

In eating quality, our correspondents rank Mercer and Peachblow A No. 1 ; 
Early Rose and Sebec, No. 2 ; Vanderveer, Calico, Whipple Seedling, Early 
Samaritan, Chili Red, Harison, Prince Albert, Jackson White, Gardner, Dyke- 
man and Cuzco, No. 2 — the last not as good as the first. Sebecs do not cook 
well ; Vanderveers are very sweet, but not mealy. The Early Rose and Hari- 
son are the smoothest and handsomest potatoes they have ever raised. In a 
patch of Ilarisons among raspberries, highly manured, a few hills gave over 
5 lbs. each — one, 5 lbs. 6 oz. 

In regard to profitableness : 

Peachblow, 196 hushels at $3.75 per barrel, gave $268 50 

Calico, 267 bushels at $2.50 per barrel, gave.... 2il 50 

Profit per acre in favor of Peachblow $26 00 

These (Peach blows) would not have brought half so much if they had not 

been marketed as fast as dug — an uncertain crop for those who live far away 

from a good market. 

Fish guano with manure does not give as good results on potatoes as on corn. 

City manure at $5 25 per two-horse load, and fish guano at $27 per ton, were 

compared, equal costs of each applied in two rows. The row with manure 

yielded nearly one-half more than the row with fish guano. 



Transplanting Raspberries and Blackberries. 

Nurserymen, of course, understand a great many arts that are unknown to 
ordinary cultivators: hence, in giving some facts that may benefit the latter 
class, 1 do it without any reference to the instruction of the former. However 
old my suggestions may be, I only know that they are not generally practiced 
by the mass of fruit growers; and if I can show that they are not difficult to 
adopt, and that it is excellent economy to do so, I may accomplish some good. 

Most persons who attempt to cultivate such raspberries as propagate by 
suckers allow the suckers to stand during the current season, under the mis- 
taken impression that they cannot be safely removed until the season's growth 
is completed. Then they are transplanted, cut back, and must grow another 
season before fruiting. The result is, that two years elapse from the time the 
young plant appears before it fruits. 

But there is a better way than this. In the spring, when the sucker appears 
an inch or two above ground, take a round-pointed shovel, and cut it out, and 
carry it, with the adhering earth, to the place where you desire it to grow. 
The ground and the hole should be previously prepared, the latter just about 
large enough to admit the ball of earth without allowing it to fall to pieces; 
slip it from the shovel carefully, draw the loose earth up with your foot, press 
it down slightly, and the work is done. In general, the young plant will not 
wilt, even if the weather is warm, and will continue to grow as if nothing had 
happened to it. Perhaps one in ten may wilt. But it is not an alarming 
symptom at all: it will almost always recover at night. Occasionally, the ex- 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 309 

iremity of a plant may wither after some days; but even that is not a danger- 
ous indication: cut it off, and, in a week or so, three or four branches will start 
from near the earth, and you will usually have a better and more symmetrical 
plant than if the single stem had gone on growing and thrown out branches 
near the top. In fact, though I have not yet generally practiced it, I am pre- 
pared to recommend that every plant — of the Philadelphia at least — be pinched 
or broken off at the distance of a foot or less from the ground. Probably it 
would be best to do this at transplanting; certainly, if the plant is six inches 
or more in length. It induces the growth of side branches from near the base 
of the plant, makes more wood for fruiting, and the plant is better able to 
withstand high winds, exactly as is the case with a pyramidal tree. 

My experience with raspberry plants grown from suckers is confined almost 
exclusively to the Philadelphia variety; but the Clark, though a stronger 
grower, seems to be similar in its habits, and the same treatment will no doubt 
answer for it. 

My experience, too, in transplanting, has been mainly in the mode explained, 
because I considered that certain of success; while the loosening of the plants 
from the earth about them, and the exposure of their tender roots to the air, 
seemed to be dangerous. But, occasionally, a plant will be shaken loose in 
spite of the utmost care; these I always plant: and the result, with an occa- 
sional experiment in the same direction, leads me to conclude that, if there is 
no unnecessary exposure of the roots to the air, no serious danger need be ap- 
prehended. Keep the roots moist by plunging them into water or mud, or by 
covering with moist earth ; waste no time in getting them to their places; cut 
or strip off most of the fuliage, and, ordinarily, there will be no serious losses. 
The gain of this mode over the first mentioned is in the saving of labor and 
time, as the carrying of a ball of earth with each plant, if only for a few rods, 
will not be an amusement after a few hours. 

Blackberries can be transplanted the same way with perfect success. With 
due attention at the time of starting a plantation of either of these fruits, the 
labor of carrying the young plants any great distance may be avoided, even 
with a ball of earth adhering. It is customary to set them about four feet 
apart in the rows, and the rows from six to eight feet apart. At eight by four, 
an acre will require thirteen hundred and sixty-one plants. If the cultivator, 
for any cause desired to start an acre from one fourth of this number, he would 
need only to scatter his plants over the whole acre, but at regular distances, so 
that the vacancies and the plants would be duly proportioned. Then the labor 
of carrying the balls of earth long distances would be avoided, as well as the 
possible risks of the other system. 

Raspberries and blackberries transplanted in this way will bear a fair crop 
the second year ; that is, the second year of their existence. Treated in the 
usual mode, they never bear until the third year; and, so far as I can see, are 
no better.— Philip Snyder, in Journal of Horticulture. 

Vineland, N. /., 1869. 



Angers Quince. 

A writer in the February number of the Monthly expresses indignation, or 
says it is expressed against persons that have sold Angers Q.uince for fruiting. 
I will leave otLers to settle this — I write to state a few facts: 



310 THE SOUTHERN [May 

Twelve years ago I tried, in vain, to find out the fruiting quality of the An- 
gers, but nobody in this country could tell. I then wrote to 3VL Le Roy, of 
Angers, France, who sent me a drawing— a copy of which is enclosed — and 
the following as to the fruit: 

"We consider this kind as the best one, as to the productive quality and size 
of fruit. This is cultivated on a large scale in our country as being the most 
advantageous for the market fruit." 

I will further state that we have a good many bearing trees that were grafted 
with pear, but failed. These are now about 15 years old. They were from 
Ellwanger & Barry. They bear as well as Orange, but vary much in size and 
quality and earliness. Some of them are much superior in quality to Orange, 
and about equal- in size. We see no difference in the hardiness of tree. 

Some are small, some are a little later— but take the whole lot, perhaps 25 
trees, they do not differ much from Orange. One thing is certain, that a selec- 
tion could be made from them that would surpass Orange in quality very 
much. — J. II. Creighton, in Gardener's Monthly. 



Tap Roots. 

L. S. B., Chicago, III., in a recent number of the Gardener's Monthly, re" 
marking on roots, I was interested in what you say about tap roots. You seem 
to place very little value on them. I have been led to believe them very essen- 
tial, and always give my gardener as my advice, to save the tap roots, when 
we are transplanting anything on our lawn. Was your remark intended to 
have the weight it seems to bear, or a slip of the pen? I have read so often of 
the great value of tap roots, that I want to be sure I understand you. It would 
seem as if nature would hardly make them, if they were of no use." 

[No one disputes the last point — "nature makes everything of some use/' 
Beards are of some use; perhaps to exercise our industry to keep them shaven 
away. As to tap roots, our correspondent understood us correctly to say that 
they are not of the slightest service towards the nutrition of the tree. The 
shortening of a tap root is of no more injury to a tree than is the shortening of 
the finger nails to a man. This matter was settled by Senebier and others 
over a hundred years ago. Their experiments we have repeated, and no in- 
telligent man teaches any other doctrine.] — Gardener's Monthly. 

[We are surprised to learn that any one ever supposed the tap root to be a 
feeder. Such parties must be very "dull of comprehension. "J— Editors. 



Theory of Grape Rot. 

I was reminded of the old saying, that "one story is good until another is 
told," when reading an arti -le in the Cleveland Harald, of the 2d inst., under 
the above head, and purporting to be a letter from Dr. Schroeder, of Blooming- 
ton, 111., to W. L. Curtis, of Catawba Island. 

The writer assumes that the cause of the grape-rot is now discovered ; that 
it is owing to the age of the vines; that rot is sure to appear after the vines 
have been in bearing a certain number of years ; and concludes by saying that 
the grapes will begin to rut next year in Cleveland and along the shore east- 
ward. 



1839.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 311 

Now, it must be patent to all who have given the matter attention, that when 
the rot prevails, it is fjund equally in vines just coming into bearing and those 
of the oldest growth. I have in my vineyard Catawbas which have been in 
bearing rwenty years, and also vines which have been set almost every year 
during the whole of that period. In my experimental vineyard, where the 
first vines were set, I continued to add about fifty vines a year for a number of 
years. In this vineyard there is a difference between the first and the last 
planted of at least fifteen years ; and, when the rot prevails, the latest planted 
suffer equally with the oldest in bearing. If there can be said to be any differ- 
ence, it would be in favor of the oldest, since we have always found our best 
grapes on our oldest vines. 

It may be, and observation seems to warrant the belief, that in certain local- 
ities, perhaps in all where the Catawba has been cultivated a sufficient length 
of time for the cause, whatever it may be, to develop itself, it is found more 
subject to rot than when just planted in that particular locality; but the 
theory, that the age of the vine has anything to do with it, observation and 
experience show to be as utterly without foundation as all the other theories 
which have been advanced, every one of which, so far as I know, have been de- 
monstrated to ba false by facts within the reach of all careful observers. What- 
ever the cause of the rot in the Catawba may be, it is yet to be discovered; 
until that time, the cause assigned by one of the oldest grape-growers, as the 
only one which would cover the whole ground, will stand good — " pure cussed- 
ness." — G. C. II., in Ohio Farmer. 
Kelley's Island, October, 18G8. 



lona Grape. 

[Having said all we could against the lona Grape, we submit the following 
in its favor, that our readers may see we are willing to hear both sides. — Ed. 
S. P. &F.] 

After seeing the recent attacks on the lona Grape, which seem to come from 
parties prejudiced, or else those who have not given it a fair trial, I deem it my 
duty to give you a statement of the result of my experience with four hun- 
dred Ionas obtained of Dr. C. W. Grant, and planted in the spring of 1866. 
They all grew vigorously, averaging canes from four to six feet in length the 
first year, with perfectly healthy foliage. The second season, 1867, every vine 
was living in its place, and made vigorous caaes for fruiting the year follow- 
ing. The third season, 1868, the canes being pruned three to four feet in 
length for bearing, set fruit from every bud. Some of the canes produced as 
many as forty-two bunches of beautiful clusters, perfectly sound, without any 
mildew or rot. The result was far better than I obtained from Concords 
planted at the same time, and receiving the same culture ; the Concords having 
the advantage of having extra layers. Now, I only wish to say, since enjoying 
the lona Grape, that I consider it superior to all other native grapes with 
which I am acquainted. I also intend to have a larger and better crop of 
grapes next season from the same vines. The lona, with proper culture, I 
consider a success.— R. B. Stevensox, in Journal of Horticulture. 



312 THE SOUTHERN [May 

Mr. William Day has invented a patent " velocipede" cultivator and straw- 
berry scuffle hoe combined, for which he claims the following merits: 

It will plough and harrow the ground both at once, thoroughly pulverize the 
soil from 3 to 10 inches deep at the will of the operator, and do this without 
turning any furrow or covering the smallest plant. It will adjust to any width 
between rows from 1 to 4 feet; is easy of draught— strong and not liable to get 
out of repair. It will do the work better and faster than 15 men could do it 
by hand in a given time. It will work up the soil between rows of onions, 
corn, beets, parsnips, carrots, turnips, cotton, tobacco or strawberries, as soon 
as the rows can be distinguished. It is not possible to clog it, working equally 
as well in fine garden mould or a stiff clay. It leaves no lumps. Any boy 
that can plough can work it. — Gardner's Monthly. 



The Greeley Grape Prize. — Mr. Greeley does not seem satisfied that bis 
$100 prize was awarded to the Concord. At a public meeting in New York, 
he recently said, "All my money did, was to advertise a grape already known ; 
thus improvement was checked — not stimulated. I am a little discouraged by 
the result, and do not propose to offer another bank-note for a plate of common 
grapes." — Gardner's Monthly. 



Big Apple-Tree. 

Probably the largest apple tree in Virginia is now standing, in a dilapidated 
condition, on the farm of Mr. 0. W. Purvis, in Albemarle county, three miles 
south of the Southwest Mountains, near the three-notched road to Richmond, 
and two-and-a-half miles from Keswick Depot. The soil that produced this 
noble old patriarch is loamy, of a mulatto color, and a littled mixed with small 
yellow gravel-clay subsoil, and immediately over the only bed of lime stone 
between the ocean and the mountains. This tree is upwards of three feet in 
diameter three feet above the ground — it has three main prongs branching off 
some five feet above the ground, and its present height is not less than thirty- 
five feet. One of its large branches has decayed and fallen off. The tree still 
bears fruit of medium size and indifferent flavor, but makes good cider. It has 
two or three neighbors standing near at irregular intervals — all are much de- 
cayed, ani one, fully as large as the one I am describing, has fallen, and its 
bulky ruins still remain. All these trees are eM'dently seedlings. An old 
dwelling once stood near them, which was built and occupied by the Sharpe 
family, who were among the pioneers of this section. The scope of the writer's 
recollection is some fifty-five years, and these trees were good old specimens at 
his earliest recollection. They are probably not less than one hundred years 
old. 

"All that has life must perish and decay, 

Mix dust to dust, th ugh long or short the s'ay. 
Oft has Ore-id lightning quivered o'er thy head, 

And raging tempest rock d thee in thy bed; 
And winds less rapid olt have spr ad aiound 

And cast thy fruit all p .tiering to the mound ; 
Where man and beast the hmettt received, 

And thou vvert of the bending load relievtd." 

The Pomologtst may infer that the soil above described is the very best, and 
most suitable for the growth of the most valuable of all fruits — the apple. 

J. F. 

Pleasant Valley, Va. 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER AND FARMER. 



RICHMOND, VIRGINIA., MAY 1869. 

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An Example of Rotation of Crops. 

We are frequently asked some very embarrassing questions. Without know- 
out knowing more of the means and circumstances of the querist than we do, 
and without knowing much of the relation of the subject to surrounding cir- 
cumstances that ought to influence the answer, we find ourselves called on for 
advice, when to give it judiciously would puzzle sounder counsellors than we 
can pretend to be. 

This is most frequently the case with persons seeking to know what is the 
best rotation of crops. 

The most important consideration connected with the whole subject is to be 
found in the pithy observation of a late friend of ours from the county of 
Rockingham, a gentleman who made all his money by his land ; and starting 
in debt, became, at the age of fifty, the largest land owner in his county. "A 
rotation/' he once remarked to us, "is a very good thing for a fool, who will 
break his neck if he gets off of the beaten track; but all a man of sense wants 
is a convenient division of fields, which he will then crop or graze according to 
the fitness of things." 

But even this remark requires modification ; for as the land improves, or cir- 
cumstances change, the fields will require subdivision, or possibly enlargement. 
Thus we have known a gentleman who, beginning with a rotation of four 
fields, was induced gradually to enlarge his system to five, then six, then 
seven, and lastly eight fields. 

In a word, so much must be left to the judgment of the farmer, that it is 
perhaps better to state leading principles, and work them out as it were by an 
example, than to lay down any absolute plan. 

The old notion used to be that the same crop or class of crops should not be 
grown necessarily on the same field. But later practical and more accurate 
observation shows that in some cases and kinds of crops it is best to do so. For 
instance, we have often stated, and repeat, that oats may succeed oats in the 
same land for at least eleven years — our own experience runs to seven — with a 
progressive improvement of the land; and we have seen in Jefferson county, 



314 THE SOUTHERN [May 

— < 

near Charlestown, the sixth successive wheat crop on the same land, and that 
crop estimated at twenty bushels per acre. 

The propriety of such practices is not now the point, but the fact is stated to 
show that when other considerations render it expedient, there is nothing in 
agricultural principles that should forbid it. 

The object of all farming is profit; first, and directly, in the revenues that 
the crops produce : second, in the increased production, and as a measure of 
the market value of the land ; which, as a general rule, may be said to be sold 
not less than once in every twenty years. Upon a calculation of his life, and 
supposing him to live for his children as much as for himself, the man who 
does not seek to increase the market value of his land in our society is a fool, 
both present and prospective. The true point is to make both profits coinci- 
dent and progressive. But as, no matter how rich the land may be, naturally 
or artificially, it will fail to produce its full yield, if not properly cleansed, so 
that no extraneous vegetation shall rob the crop, we think the final object is 
that the laud shall be cleansed. To do this economically, it must be cultivated 
in cleaning crops, which should, at the same time, be made to pay a profit on 
the cost of cultivation. 

This being attained, the next point is to cultivate crops of such kind as will 
yield most in proportion to the labor employed to procure them. But it must 
be remembered that this labor is represented not only by that bestowed man- 
ually in the growth of the product and its preparation for market, but also by 
the cost of transportation to market. Thus a man may grow tobacco in one 
place when it would be folly in another man differently situated to attempt it ; 
one man may grow hay for market, when another man would be brought in 
debt by it, and yet ought none the less to have grass. These disadvantages, 
though, will be found to have more or less of compensation in the greater econ- 
omy in the purchase of foreign, or the application of home made, fertilizers ; 
and, in Virginia, will ultimately come to be represented by the price of lands; 
whose relative values are now so far reversed that those farthest from market 
actually sell for the most money. 

But it may so happen that the land may have certain preferences for the 
kind of crops grown. It may, for instance, be good for clover and grass, but 
not so well adapted to grain ; or very fine for corn, but not good for wheat. 
These and all other idiosyncracies the farmer must of course know and provide 
against. Still our general principle will be found to run through nearly all 
soils except barren sands and very rich alluvions, and that is, that they require 
for their highest development an alternation of grain and grass. 

With these preliminary remarks we submit for examination the following 
formula, to w T hich we invite criticism. It is assumed as a fair average produc- 
tion of fair land under the system prescribed. We know that it meets the ex- 
perience of our own farming as to every item, though we have never ascer- 
tained them in this precise rotation, which we did not practice before the war, 
because the land w T as not in order for it; nor since the war, for want of funds* 
It will be observed that the value of each crop per acre is stated, though it 
must be borne in mind that the profit is very different; thus the timothy hay 
crop is valued at $40 per acre, whilst the corn crop is put, including the j>hucks, 
at $44 80. But when the difference in labor and exhaustion of land is consid- 
ered, the preponderance will be greatly in favor of the hay. 

We have stated the values in this market, and we have made no allowance 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 315 

for the freight, because that varies in each locality, and the intelligent reader 
will make the proper corrections to adapt it to his own case. 

We have omitted the cost of teams, because they are supposed to be already 
provided ; and we make no estimate for feeding them because of the different 
value of forage in various places. 

For the same reason we give the value of the bought manures in this mar- 
ket. We have also restricted ourselves to the standard manures now in use, 
and have omitted all notice of the potash manures now coming into vogue, be- 
cause they have not yet been sufficiently introduced, and because when they 
are, they can substitute an equivalent value in the fertilizers specified. We 
Bpecify lime because it suits tidewa'ter Virginia j but its value can be invested 
in other things better suited to the upper country. 

We know that in some cases cleansing crops must precede the introduction of 
the small grains and grasses to a greater extent, perhaps going as far in some 
cases as three hoed crops in succession. These and many other things must be 
left to the judgment of the reader. But the main point remains, and that is 
that with capital judiciously employed in manures properly applied, there is 
to-day more money in agriculture than in any other business we know except 
shaving ; and there is far less risk than in that. Assuming the land in the 
case supposed to be worn $100 per acre, then the advance for manures, 
$1,443 73, is only about 5 per cent.; whereas a man with his capital employed 
in commercial pursuits requires for its highest development a capital never less 
than 25 per cent., and frequently exceeding 50 per cent. 

But really land capable of such results is worth generally in market very 
much less, which is all the more in favor of the investment. 

The next question is, How can the money for such investments be had? 
This, as the present article is long enough, we propose to consider in the next 
numbf r of our paper. It is entirely practiable if our people and legislature 
would only be practical, which is the weak point in our case; fur of all people, 
ours we fear are the most unpractical; and if future legislatures are no wiser 
in such matters than our past have been, why then God save the Common- 
wealth. 

With these remarks we submit our example of rotation of crops: 

Estimate of Products and Cost of Working 300 Acres in Eight Fields. 

PRODUCTS. 

1. 87^ acres corn and 200 lbs. Phos. Peru. Guano 300 barrels. 

2. 37i acres oats and 400 lbs. Bone Dust 93,750 lbs. in sheaf. 

3. 3 £ acres clover and 10 bushels of lime 75,000 pounds. 

4. 37£ acres wheat and 400 lbs. Phos. Peru. Guano 750 bushels. 

5. 37£ acres timothy and 10 bushels of lime 150 000 pounds. 

6. 87| acres do. do. 150,000 do. 

7 37 J acres do. do. 15n,0C0 do. 

8. 3;| acres do. do. 150,000 do 

VALUES. 

3 r barrels of corn, at $5 per barrel, or $40 per acre 1,500 00 

93.750 lbs. of rats, at $1 per 100, or $23 per acre 937 50 

75,000 lbs. of clover hay, at $1 per 100, or 20 per acre 750 03 

750 bushels of wheat, at $2 per bu-hel, or $10 per acre 1,500 00 

4 crops timothy hay, at $1 per 10 \ or $40 per acre 6,000 00 

1,800 lbs. shucks from corn, at $1 per 100, or $1.80 per acre .180 00 

$10,867 50 



316 THE SOUTHERN [May 

Values brought forward, $10,807 50 

MANURES. 

200 lbs Phos. Peru. Guano, at 3 J ct°. per lb. on 37£ acres .. 202 50 

200 lbs. Bone Dust, at 2| cts. per lb. on 37 £ acres 375 00 

400 lbs. Phos. Peru. Ouauo, at 3£ cts. per lb. on 37£ acres 525 00 

Lime for 5 crops, 10 bushels each, at 15 cts. per bushel on 37| 

acres, each crop 281 25 



1,443 75 



6 bands, (including extra bands,) at $240, (not estimating 

horses,) 1,440 CO 



2,883 75 



Net proceeds $7,08 



Cost of bought manures $4.81 per acre. 

Cost of labor 4.80 

Gross produce 36. 2G " 

Net produce 26.65 " 



Pressed Fish. 

Messrs. Gresham & Shanks, of Norfolk, have sent us an advertisement, too 
late for admission into the advertising columns, stating that they will fill orders 
for pressed fish. As we have heard persons inquiring into this matter we take 
this mode of answering them. 



The Religious Herald. 

The agricultural editor of the Religious Herald says in the paper of April 
23d, some very kind things of this paper, for which the editors return their 
thanks. If the other Christian newspapers, and the secular too, for that mat- 
ter, would employ, as the Herald does, a practical and educated farmer to make 
agricultural contributions, it would, we think, be a good thing for them ail- 
So far from fearing rivalry, we are sure this course would in time create a 
demand for more of the same sort of information, and so help the Southern 
Planter & Farmer. 



Book Notice. 

High Farmtng "Without Manure. Six Lectures on Agriculture. Delivered 
at the Experimental Farm of Vincennes. By M. George Vi lie. Professor of 
Vegetable Physiology at the Museum of Natural History, Paris. Boston: 
Press of Geo.'C. Band & Avery. 1806. 

We have received from Messrs. West & Johnston a copy of the above book. 
It is one of the most remarkabh books that has appearel since. L'ebig's cele- 
brated work, or perhaps we should say the invaluable experiments of Messrs. 
Lawes & Gilbeck, of Bothamstead. 

As the price is only fifty cents, and the book 108 pages, we hope it will be 
universally bought and read by intelligent farmers. We are having it reviewed 
and criticised by a gentleman who we think is fully competent to the work : 
the first part of which will be found in this number of the Planter. 



1869.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 31T 

Correspondence of Southern Planter and Farmer. 

INQUIRIES TO WHICEI AVE ASK FOR RESPONSES. 

Messrs. Editors, — Although you are frequently plied with questions by 
inquisitive correspondents, you not only submit with philosophic forbearance, 
but send out very useful information in reply, from yourselves and other expe- 
rienced farmers. I am influenced by this commendable patience on your part, 
and the desire for information on mine, to ask you some questions also, viz: 

1st. What is the minimum number of acres that a farmer may have in 
wheat and in grass, that will justify him in purchasing a machine to reap and 
to mow ? 

2d. What is the best machine combining the qualities of both reaper and 
mower ? 

3d. What number of acres in grass, yielding from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of 
cured hay per acre, will justify the cost of a hay tedder? 

4th. What is the best plan for saving hay with the assistance of a tedder 
and gleaner ? 

I am satisfied from my own experience that our farmers can, with the proper 
care and effort, not only rai«e enough hay for home consumption but a surplus 
abundantly sufficient to supply all our cities. I have heretofore saved clover 
hay according to the admirable plan of the late Edmund Ruffin. But this plan 
requires from four to six days time before the hay is sufficiently dry for hous- 
ing. I have no doubt but that by the use of improved machinery, hay can be 
cut and secured in a shorter time. 

I will be grateful to yourselves or to any correspondent for information upon 
this subject. Very respectfully, 

March 25th, 18G9. Geo. E. Hardy. 



FERTILIZERS. 

Messrs. Editors, — Enclosed you will find $2.00, my subscription to the Planter 
for this year, and a small parcel of ground Plaster of Paris or Gypsum, from 
the banks near the Salt Works in the county of Smythe, to which I invite your 
particular attention. You will find on the application of sulphuric acid to the 
enclosed specimen, which has been ground at the mill of Messrs. Bonsack & 
Kizer, a decided but not great effervescence, indicating the presence of carbonate 
of lime. Thinking it not to he pure Gypsum, several of my friends in Bedford 
have abandoned the use of this Gypsum from Smythe and are now using the 
Nova Seotia. Last year my neighbor, Mr. Copland, and myself together used 
seven tons, applied to soils that I knew to be well adapted to the use of Gyp- 
sum. On one of these fields of fortv acres, fifteen years ago I made 1\ bushels 
of clover seed to the acre and frequent heavy crops of clover hay. But last 
year neither of us could discover any benefit from the plaster in any of our 
fields to either the first or the second crop of clover. We could discover no 
marked spots of thin and yellow clover indicating the missing of the plaster by 
the hands in sowing, which I never failed to notice before. I wish you would 
have the enclosed specimen tested and its constituent parts ascertained. 

The application of sulphuric acid will show you by the effervescence that 
ensues that it is not pure. I tried in the presence of several gentlemen of in- 
telligence, at the same time, using Gypsum from Nova Scotia, sent up by the 






318 THE SOUTHERN [May 

canal from Richmond, in which we could not detect; the least effervescence. I 
had determined last year never to use any more from Smythe, but was induced 
to make another trial this spring upon seeing at Bonsack's Depot what seemed 
to be a very fine lot in the hands of Mr. Kizer. Mr. George Shaver discovered 
the effervescing of this Smythe plaster a few days ago, afcer buying some 
and witnessed by several persons. Messrs. Bonsack & Kizer who brought it on 
from Smythe and ground it, are gentlemen of character and standing, above 
all suspicion of any fraud or trick. They have been, no doubt, deceived like 
others. Years ago I got good Gypsum at the Salt Works and tested it alongside 
of the Nova Scotia with no perceptible difference found in alternate lands 
through the fields. This is a matter that concerns the whole community and I 
wish you to publish this communication, or so much as you think essential, 
under my name. Yours respectfully, 

Wm. M. Radford. 

Amsterdam, April 21, 1869. 

[The sample of plaster sent will be tested and the result noticed. — Eds. S. 
F. & P.] 



Dear Sir,— * * * I have always held that it was the duty of the farmers and 
planters voluntarily to contribute any information in their power which might 
likely advance the general welfare of the agricultural interest. I will, with 
pleasure, endeavor to meet my obligations in this regard, whenever I may find 
anything that may suit the columns of the Southern Planter and Farmer. 

As I see there is an interest manifested touching the application of manures 
to corn, I herewith send you. a brief account of an experiment I accidentally 
met with. In July, 18G7, on returning from church, through a neighboring 
farm, I approached a small field which had been cleared of the pines in the 
winter by a freedman. The land by nature and by cultivation was miserably 
poor, and I was surprised to see that any one had undertaken to clear and 
cultivate it. As I drew near the corn, I was struck with the green and thrifty 
appearance cf some half dozen rows just midway the field, while the corn on 
each side, would not pay fur the cultivation. On inquiring of the proprietor 
of the farm as to the cause of the difference in the appearance and growth of 
the rows of corn, he knew nothing of it but referred me to the freedman. On 
the last of August or first of September, while chasing a fawn with a party of 
gentlemen, I was carried just by the cabin of the freedman and observing that 
the half dozen rows of corn above referred to still kept its superiority over the 
others, I rode up to the cabin and asked him to explain the matter to me. He 
informed me that the proprietor of the farm had given him some guano to 
put on his tobacco land, and after he was done there remained some lumps 
which he beat up and on throwing the earth from the corn at its first working, 
he threw a little of the guano on each side of the corn, followed with the hoes 
weeding, and afterwards threw the earth back. In all respects the cultivation 
of the whole field was the same. I requested him to take notice of the corn in 
the half dozen rows when he gathered the crop and let me know the difference. 
The matter had escaped my mind till the recent discussion of the mode of ap- 
plying manures to corn, caused me to recur to this experiment and I resolved 
to find the freedman if possible, and report the result. It so happened a few 
mornings after, he happened at my gate on other business. He informs me 
that he failed to measure the corn separately, but is satisfied that the half dozen 



1809.] PLANTER AND FARMER. 319 

guanoed rows yielded at the rates of six barrels of good large corn per acre, 
while the remaining portion of the field made very little and that very indiffer- 
ent. I have only further to say this negro is truthful and sensible, so far as I 
know and believe. If the above will fit a corner of the Planter & Farmer, 
you can use it, or so much of it as you may think proper. 

Respectfully &c , R. P. Atkinson. 

Brook Dale, Dinwiddle, Va., April 21*7, 18G9. 



Messrs. Editors, — Io the article on the Chesapeake Phosphate, there is a 
mistake as to the price of this fertilizer. It is $G0 per ton, and pays the farmer 
well at that price. Please be so good as to insert this correction in your May 
number and greatly oblige me. 

Respectfully, Sterling E. Edmunds. 

News Ferry. 



Messrs. Editors, — Please find enclosed two dollars, to pay my subscription to 
your most excellent paper to January next (1870). I make this remittance 
most cheerfully, and am sorry that I have not been able to do so sooner. I 
consider it the very best expended money in my whole catalogue of expendi- 
tures. Each number of your paper is more and more interesting and useful; 
the last (April) number is worth the whole two dollars. I am truly glad to 
see the course that you are taking on fertilizers. Stand up manfully, and 
"Lay it on, Macduff." Two thirds of the miserable and abominable stuff now 
offered in the market are nothing but swindles and frauds practiced upon the 
innocent and unpretending farmer, who being honest himself, thinks that every 
body else is too. You call attention to the law in regard to the vending of fer- 
tilizers in the State of Massachusetts ; but, gentlemen, haven't we got all the 
protection now that we need if the laws of Virginia were faithfully executed ? 
I am neither a lawyer nor a doctor, but I am told that there is a law on the 
statute book of Virginia punishing any man who obtains money under false 
pretences, by a service in the Penitentiary ; and if selling a fertilizer and set- 
ting forth that it contains this, that and the other, and representing that it will 
do thus and so, and it turns out not to be what they say it is, is not obtaining 
money by false pretenses, then I do not know what is ; and I think an honest 
jury would so say. I may give my experience with fertilizers for twenty-five 
years past, and especially since the war, for some future number of your paper. 
Wishing you God speed in the good work, 

I am, very truly, &c, R. H. Allen. 

Oral Oaks P. 0., Lunenburg county, Va., April 20, 18G9. 



CROP PROSPECTS IN GEORGIA. 
Messrs. Editors, — Here we are — a Spring later than since 1849, when 
wheat was killed April 15th. On the morning of the 13th instant we had a 
heavy frost and considerable ice. Still wheat, which was very promising, was 
not killed. There is more wheat sowed this year in Georgia and Alabama 
than I have ever known before in the South, and it looks bettar. I have about 
fifty acres sowed late in October and early in November that averages knee 
high. Next to wheat our farmers are preparing to plant largely of cotton, and 
in the Southern counties of Georgia and Alabama, of cotton to the neglect of 



320 THE SOUTHERN [May 

grain. The negroes are working very well; in fact, I have never seen more, if 
so much, energy displayed by the planters and farmers of these two States, as 
has been this year in preparing for a crop. 

Very respectfully, &c, F. C. Taylor. 

Summerville, Ga., April 16, 1869. 



SORGHUM SYRUPS AND SUGARS. 

Messrs. Editors, — You have been pleased in your most excellent magazine to 
notice my effort to introduce to the farmers of Virginia the great Southern pro- 
cess for making sugar from sorghum canes. It has been the means of exciting 
much interest on the subject in different parts, the editors of the Republican 
having received many letters of inquiry. As you have taken some interest in 
this matter, I take the liberty of enclosing to you a pamphlet which I have 
just gotten up containing a more accurate estimate of the cost of machinery, 
&c. I likewise enclose you a sample of sugar, such as is being made every 
day, and can be made with entire certainty by any one owning and properly 
instructed in the use of our process. * * * 

Very respectfully, Th. S. Preston. 

Lynchburg, Va., March 29, 1869. 

[The sample of sugar sent with the above communication is a sufficient at- 
testation of the superiority of the process by which it is made, and will bear 
favorable comparison with the best samples of unrefined brown sugar. 

Mr. Preston is sole agent for the Southern Process of Manufacturing Syrups 
and Sugars from Sorghum Canes, and is prepared to furnish a pamphlet ex- 
plaining the process and the economic advantage of making your own sugar. 
Address, Lvnchburg, Va.— Eds. S. P. & P.] 



Col. F. G. Rvffin—Dear Colonel, — Please pardon me for troubling you so 
much; but as I am a young farmer and you are one of long and successful ex- 
perience, I write to seek information in regard to the treatment of bones. I 
have a large lot of them, and wish to know the cheapest way to reduce them 
to powder, &c. 

Your early answer to the above will greatly oblige yours truly, 

April 16, 1809. 

["Look at your book," as the schoolmasters say. See pp. 252-3, April No. 
So. Planter and Farmer.]— Eds. S. P. & F. 



Premiums for New Subscribers. 

We are sometimes asked, Why don't you offer premiums for new subscribers 
to the Southern Planter and Farmer? We answer, so we do. We offer seven 
hundred and sixty-eight pages of choice reading matter, neatly printed on fine 
book paper, bound in strong thick covers and neatly trimmed, at a very small 
fraction over one-fourth of a cent per page. The only additional premium we 
pay — an involuntary one, it is true — is the premium on delinquency we pay to 
our subscribers who withhold our dues without interest, whilst the market 
value of money is at least one and a half per cent, per month. We once saw 
a man selling a pod of black-eye peas for sixpence, and give the purchaser a 
premium of half a pint of mean whiskey on each purjhase. The result was a 
marvelous increase of " black eyes" towards evening.