488 



CAROLINA. 



South ture. Their object was to appropriate a farm to 

 Carolina, agricultural experiments, to 'import and circulate 

 N ""~ Y "~"""' such exotics as were suitable to the climate of Caro- 

 lina, and to award premiums to those who introduced 

 any important improvement into the art. Till lately 

 their efforts were much restrained by the want of 

 funds, but this obstacle has been removed by the 

 successful issue of a lottery, established for the be- 

 nefit of the institution. The society is now clear of 

 debt, and possesses a farm of forty-two acres in the 

 vicinity of Charlestown, in which agricultural expe- 

 riments are occasionally made. It consists of forty 

 members, whose annual subscription of twenty-five 

 dollars each, added to the proceeds of the late lot- 

 tery, will enable -them to proceed with vigour in the 

 objects of their association. 



The period of vegetation in Carolina, comprehends, 

 in favourable years, from seven to eight months, com- 

 mencing in January and February, and terminating in 

 October or November. The frosts which generally 

 prevail in the months of November, 'December, Janu- 

 ary, and February, are too severe for the delicate 

 productions of more southern latitudes. Carolina 

 .cannot be reckoned a remarkably good fruit country, 

 yet there is scarcely a month of the vegetating sea- 

 son which does not furnish some species of fruit. 

 JBlackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and apricots, 

 are ripe in April and May ; plumbs, blackberries, 

 early pears, apples, peaches, iigs, and nectarines fol- 

 low ; water melons and musk melons continue from 

 June to October ; pomegranates, late peaches, pears, 

 apples, grapes, and winter plumbs, come in towards 

 the termination of the hot weather; haws, sloes, and 

 fox grapes, in October; chinquapins, chesnuts, and 

 persimons, still later. Gooseberries, currants, and 

 cherries, have never grown to any purpose in the low 

 country. Wild cherries are common in the woods, 

 but in gardens, cherry trees, -though they grow well, 

 have never good crops of fruit. Figs, apricots, nec- 

 tarines, apples, pears, peaches, olives, pomegranates, 

 almonds, and the pechan or Illinois nut, though exotics, 

 have been naturalized to good purpose in Carolina, 

 and endure all the varieties of season ; orange trees 

 can stand the frosts of ordinary winters, but in very 

 severe seasons their stems are occasionally destroyed. 

 No species of fruit thrives so well in this country as 

 pears, pomegranates, and water melons ; the latter, 

 in particular, grow to an enormous size, and are su- 

 perior perhaps to any in the world. 



The forests of South Carolina abound with many 

 valuable species of timber; and its fields yield a pro- 

 fusion of plants, whose curious structure, singular 

 beauty, or medicinal virtues, render them alike in- 

 teresting to the botanist and physician. Of these 

 Dr Ramsay has given an extensive list, which we re- 

 gret that our limits will not allow us to transcribe. 

 Animals. ^ tne aboriginal animals of South Carolina, seve- 

 ral species have disappeared. Of those which remain, 

 the most remarkable are the bear, panther, wild cat, 

 wolf, beaver, grey fox, red deer, otter, wild rat, 

 black squirrel, grey squirrel, flying squirrel, ground 

 squirrel, polecat, mink, opossum, racoon, lizard, al- 

 ligator, scorpion, toad. The following animals have 

 been imported and domesticated : the cow, horse, 

 ass, hog, sheep, dog, and cat. 



Birds. Of the immense variety of birds with which South 



Carolina abounds, the most remarkable are, the bald 



Sou* 

 Carolina. 



eagle, fishing hawk, pigeon hawk, grey hawk, swal- 

 low-tailed hawk, night hawk, turkey buzzard, car- 

 rion crow, large owl, screech owl, Carolina cuckoo, " """V* 

 perroquet, blue jay, purple jackdaw, red-winged star- 

 ling, or blackbird, rice bird, large white bellied wood- 

 pecker, gold winged Wood pecker, red bellied wood 

 pecker, hairy wood pecker, yellow bellied wood 

 pecker, small spotted wood pecker, nut -hatch, great 

 and small sanguillah, wild pigeon, turtle dove, ground 

 dove, May bird, robin, thrush, Carolina Dull-finch, 

 large swamp sparrow, little sprow, snow bird, 

 mocking bird, blue grosb^> 'purple finch, painted 

 finch or nonp^reiL Mue linnet, chatterer, blue bird, 

 crested fly-catcher, black cap fly-catcher, swamp red 

 bird, highland red bird, summer red bird, crested tit- 

 mouse, yellow titmouse, pine creeper, yellow throated 

 creeper, humming bird, king fisher, chattering plo- 

 ver or kill deer, whistling plover, hooping crane, blue 

 heron, little white heron, crested bittern, cormorant, 

 white curlew, brown curlew, oyster catcher, Canada 

 goose, small white brant goose, great grey brant 

 goose, duck and mallard, canvas-back duck, (found 

 in Carolina every spring,) gannet, large black duck, 

 ball neck duck, round crested duck, summer duck, 

 little brown duck, blue winged teal, white-faced teal, 

 black cormorant, flamingo, water pelican, wild tur- 

 key, pheasant or mountain partridge, small partridge 

 or quail, wren, swallow, martin, whip poor-will or goat- 

 sucker, snipe, wood -cock, marsh hen, Indian pullet. 



Marry species of serpents, some of them of the Reptiles, 

 most dangerous kind, are natrves of South Carolina, 

 Among these are, the rattle-snake, water rattle-snake, 

 small rattle-snake, water viper, copper belly snake, 

 bluish green snake, hog nose snake, wampum snake, 

 horn snake, thunder snake, black snake, little brown 

 head snake, ribbon snake, chain snake, mogason wa- 

 ter snake, coach whip snake, corn snake, green snake, 

 glass snake, bull snake. 



The river* and coasts of Carolina teem with many 

 varieties of fish, some of them of the most delicate 

 kinds. In the fresh water are found, sturgeon, pikes, 

 trout, bream, roach or silver fish, peareh, sucking 

 fish or carp, herring, cat-fish, garfish, rock fish, eel ; 

 and of shell fish, the soft shelled turtle, terrebin, and 

 cray fish. In the sea which washes the coasts, are 

 shark, porpus, drum, bass, sailor's choice, shad, sheep- 

 head, crocus, whiting, porgy, black fish, soles, angel- 

 fish, mullet, herring, skipjack, yellow tail, alewife. 

 The shell fish found in the salt water, are some kinds 

 of large and small sea turtle, oysters, crabs, shrimps, 

 clams, and muscles. 



There is a frequent multiplication of fish in parti- 

 cular circumstances, which forms a remarkable pecu- 

 liarity in the natural history of South Carolina. In 

 every plantation, great care is taken in making drains 

 to preserve water for overflowing the rice fields in 

 summer. Soon after these ponds are made, they 

 swarm with various species of fish. Various theories 

 have been devised, to explain in what manner they 

 breed, and whence they come. Some suppose, that 

 their spawn is exhaled from the large lakes of fresh 

 water on the continent, and being borne along in 

 thunder clouds, falls with the drops of rain into these 

 reservoirs of water. Others are of opinion, that the 

 spawn has remained mingled every where with the 

 sand, since these maritime parts of the continent were 

 relinquished by the sea. While others imagine, 



