rAfiMfiRS' REGISTER 



661 



on the leaves until they withered and the plant 

 died. I then caused lime to be sprinkled on seve- 

 ral rows ofpinnis, in the morning, previous to the 

 evaporation of the dew, that ii might adhere to 

 the leaf. This caused the caterpillars to abandon 

 the surface and betake themselves to the under 

 part of the leaf. I find that the plants on which 

 this experiment was made have not suffered as 

 much as the oihers. 



Some eight or ten evenings since, a considera- 

 ble number of the moths came into my house, 

 where, attracted by the light of the candles, they 

 burnt their wmgs. 



This circumstance made it recur to my memory 

 that I had formerly heard old planters state they 

 had arrested the ravages of these destructive 

 worms by making numerous large fires in their 

 fields after dark. 



Three days previous to the visit of the caterpil- 

 lar, my field presented a beautiful green appear- 

 ance ; the plants were covered with the blossom 

 and bolls, and 1 have every reason to believe that 

 I would make about 300 bales of cotton. Now it 

 is sear and yellow, exhibiting a most desolate as- 

 pect, and I do not expect to make over 100 bales. 

 Stephen Henderson. 



Baton liouge, Sept. 25, 1840. 



tice here is, first to run just through the sod and 

 turn it flat over; then following in the same fur- 

 row, bury it beneaih the soil brought up by the 

 second plough. Frequently, a third plough fol- 

 lows in the same furrow; but the expediency of 

 this is determinable by the character and depth of 

 the soil. You published a letter of mine lo the 

 Franklin Farmer a few weeks (or months) ago, 

 on the improvement of the soil resulting from the 

 grazing system, which, your correspondent will 

 i find, has something in it applicable to the subject 

 now considered. 'J'he blue-grass sod, thus dis- 

 posed of, never troubles us in the after culture; 

 but I doubt if you have sufficient depth of soil 

 thus to dispose of it. li] however, you have, you 

 need never fear being troubled by our blue-grass, 

 if you desire lo turn a pasture of it into tillage. 

 Yours truly, 



Tho. B. Stevenson. 



POSTSCRIPT, ON KENTUCKY BLUE-GUASS (oR 

 VIRGINIA GREEN-SWAKD.) 



To Uie Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Frankfort, October 26, 1840. 



Dear Sir: — I learn from a very intelligent Vir- 

 ginia friend, who did me the favor to dine with me 

 since the date of my letter of the 22d inst., that the 

 Virginia wire-grass is not the san;e so called here. 

 Indeed, he stated that he had never seen any wire- 

 grass, so known in Virginia, in this state. Here 

 is another illustration of the utter confusion in the 

 popular nomenclature of plants, &c. 



That which 1 have been taught to designate 

 by the vulgar name wire-grass, is not a grami- 

 neous but a small herbaceous plant, having a 

 strong tap-root li'om which small fibrous roots are 

 sent out like those from the beet. Its branches 

 run along the ground, and the leaf is very small, 

 short and oval shaped. Biue-grass here obtains 

 an easy victory over it. 



My Virginia friend requests me to say to your 

 correspondent that, "if he will swop his wire- 

 grass for Kentucky blue-grass, he need not fear 

 getting a witch lor his devil ; but will certainly 

 obtain an angel instead." 



I have no doubt our "angel" would easily con- 

 quer your "devil." Nothing can stand before it 

 here, and I see not why it would not prove equally 

 potent in your slate. Mr. Flint beautifully com- 

 pares its habits to those of the robin red-breast — 

 delighting in the haunts of men. But you can 

 easily test its value by a small experiment on an 

 acre of marled land. It would no doubt thrive 

 well in your yards, by giving it a spring dressing 

 of leached ashes or old lime. 



Perhaps it may be acceptable to your corre- 

 spondent to add, that our blue-grass pastures are 

 easily cultivated when we wish to subject them to 

 the plough. A strong two-horse plough can eaai- 

 iy rim through the closest turf. The best prac- 



BARNUm's machine FOR HEATING WATER. 



From tlie American Farmer. 



This new apparatus for ^^ heating water" is re- 

 presented as a great improvement over others, by 

 certificates, as to its economy and despatch, both 

 in its cost and operation, founded on actual experi- 

 ment and use of' the machine. 



The apparatus we saw was on board the steam- 

 boat Maryland, in possession of Mr. Wm. Nabb, 

 of Talbot county. Its cost was ^15. Having no 

 tact for description of machinery, we cannot un- 

 dertake lo explain its construction or modus ope- 

 randi. 



It consists of a copper hollow cylinder in diame- 

 ter about the size of a two gallon whisky jug — 

 (we like to illustrate by familiar objects) — This 

 cylinder stands upriiiht on feet perhaps about 12 

 or 15 inches from the ground, the cylinder itself 

 being about 18 inches long or high. On a grate 

 which lies inside and across at the bottom of this 

 is built a fire with coal or any light wood. On the 

 top, dropping down vvilhin it a fevv inches, stands 

 a flue or chimney of sheet iron, with a small door 

 like a stove-door to drop in the coal or wood. 

 Then there are from this cylinder two copper 

 lubes, one exactly, and a fevv inches, above the 

 other, about the size of a lady's wrist, (we have 

 seen some ankles not much larger.) These tubes 

 connect with the wooden vessel containing the 

 water to be boiled, which stands at a small dis- 

 tance, say 12 or 18 inches off. Thus the water 

 which is placed in the wooden vessel passes 

 through the tubes, and around the copper cylin- 

 der, and ihe heat of the little furnace within the 

 cylinder puts the water in motion, and keeps up a 

 constant circulation or revolution, and it is asserted 

 by all the signers of these certificates, that while 

 the water is made to boil much quicker than by 

 Ihe ordinary process, there is a saving of more 

 than half the fuel. It has, too, the advantage of 

 being useable out of doors, and portable from one 

 point to another. It is getting into common use 

 among hatters ; also where much washing is to 

 be done — for boiling food for hogs, and water for 

 cleaning hogs, &c. 



The apparatus, as appears by a card before us, 

 is sold by James Cortlan, No. 10, Baltimore, and 

 No, 6, Harrison-street, Baltimore. What particti- 



