476 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



But I did not intend in this letter to say much about 

 cultivation, only as regards time and comparison between 

 this climate and ours. 



I stated before that peach trees were in bloom. In 

 truth many of them have shed their bloom, and so have 

 plumb trees, while many of the early trees are putting 

 out leaves — the morus multicalus for instance, (a row 

 of them now being in sight,) are full of leaves as big as 



a piece of paper. The swelling buds of the oaks, 



the prevailing timber, show that the forest will soon be 

 clothed in green, as it now is in grey, by the super- 

 abundance of long flowing silver grey Spanish moss. The 

 finest large lettuce grown in the open air I am feasting 

 upon every day, and might have been a week ago, only 

 that it is forbidden by law in Mississippi (the law of 

 indolence,) ever to eat any kind of vegetable matter ex- 

 cept "hog and hominy." But of this and much more, 

 shall I not write it down in my "notes of travel." 



Plowing is mostly done, if indeed it is not a slander 

 upon the name to call that operation ploiving, which 

 scratches the ground over about an inch and a half deep, 

 with a "sorter of a thing-um-bob" falsely called a plow, 

 drawn by another sorter of a thing-um called a horse. 

 And here while speaking of plows, let me advise friend 

 Pierce to send a fair sample of his Steele plows (with 

 the lowest cash price that they can be delivered at 

 Vicksburgh,) to Dr. Phillips, who will give them a fair 

 trial and report thereon in the Southwestern Farmer, and 

 I have no doubt will open a market for the sale of these 

 plows greater than he can supply. I would recommend 

 friend Gifford also to send one of his Elgin plows. The 

 demand for good light two horse plows, is greater in 

 Mississippi than anywhere else within my knowledge, 

 and in my opinion Illinois can furnish her with plows 

 that the world can't beat. At all events let the trial be 

 made. Many plow makers have sent samples to Dr. Phil- 

 lips for trial, and certainly they cannot be put in better 

 hands. And let me here state that the Doctor, as well 



