1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



621 



good hap is, without beincj able to accomplish it. A 

 number of us here, (Killinirworlh,) and in the 

 neiifhboriui:^ towns, vviih the leave ol' the owners. 

 desi(Pn to supply oursslres from them the next 

 sprinir; for I apprehend that this way of trans- 

 ])lanlinii: youn<T irees, wdl be the most expeditious, 

 to net lurnislied f()r the sill< trade." 



As the es-ay li-om which the above extract is 

 made, was written about eighty years ago, and 

 tlie "plough and scythe" had been used for many 

 years anterior to that period, in aitenipts to extir- 

 pate the mulberry, the planting of the trees must 

 have been soon after the settlement of the colony. 

 As we intend to confine this article to the early 

 history of the silk culture in our country, (reserv- 

 ing fi)r a future number, its decline and subsequent 

 advancement ;) it may be pardonable in us to pay 

 a tribute of respect to the memory of a gentleman, 

 to whose valuable labors we are chiefly indebted 

 for the facts stated in this number. We cannot 

 do better than by saying, that in tiie quietness of 

 his character, in his social enjoyments, in his hours 

 of meditation, and in the innocence as well as use- 

 fulness of his labors, he seems to have afforded a 

 practical illustration of the truth of one of his 

 paragraphs on the culture of trees. "Such groves 

 (says he,) are proper places for retirement, study 

 and meditation; this will have weight with those 

 who love contemplation — those who are wise and 

 good ; he that is not company lor himselfj when 

 alone, will be none of the most pleasing and edify- 

 ing company lijr others ; shallow minds who have 

 no fijnd for their own entertainment, will afford 

 but poor entertainment for others. The loneliness 

 of a grove, the solemn shade, the soft murmur of 

 the air in the tree-tops, all conspire to soothe our 

 passions, calm the perturbations of the mind, reco- 

 ver our fleeting, wandering ihouffhts, and fix them 

 on proper objects ; here is true pleasure and sereni- 

 ty beyond all that pomp or noise can give ; surely 

 it, is not without foundation, that in all ao-es and 

 countries, trees and shady groves have been the 

 favorite subjects of poets, both heathen and divine. 

 It is needless, and it would be endless to recite 

 what has been written on this darling subject r"^d 

 I cannot forbear turning to one passage in Isaiali, 

 the beauty of which has not been taken notice of. 

 "The mountains and hills shall break forth before 

 you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall 

 clap their hands." This (says the Doctor,) is ex- 

 pressed with a grandeur and dignity, well adapted 

 to the sublime subject, and is truly exalted and 

 poetical. 



REMARKS ON THE USES, VALUE, AND CUL- 

 TURE OF SWEET POTATOES. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



Columbia, South Carolina, January 5, 1S37. 



The interest on agricultural subjects seems to 

 have much dim'nished of late in this part of the 

 United States, and as much as I can perceive, in 

 other parts also. When we have done with pre- 

 sident-making, and the meetings of abolition 

 societies at the north and west, we can talk of 

 nothing else than rail roads. It is all very well, 

 each in its proper place ; but it seems to me, that 

 we neglect loo much our own natural, noble pur- 

 suit, agriculture. Formerly, this country furnished | 



many parts of Europe, and the West India islands 

 with bread-stuffs; but now Europe sends us flour, 

 wheat, and other grains in great (juanliiies, and 

 mirnhile didu, even h(ty. I sliall not attempt to 

 seek lor the causes of this anomaly, lest it should 

 lead me into the interminable speculations about 

 bank.", currency, abundance or scarcity of money, 

 good, bad, and" indifferent. It seems enough to 

 say here, what few will dispute, that there is some- 

 thing wrong in all this. Leaving then, these 

 most elevated and fruitful subjects of" discussion, 

 I shall take the humbler task of making a few ob- 

 servations on the culture of the sweet potato. 



At the 474th paije of the number ol 3our Farm- 

 ers' Register, for the last month, in a piece signed 

 S. Carter, this gentleman, very reasonably dis- 

 believes the assertions of some of his neighbors, 

 that the potato vines are poisonous to cattle; or, at 

 least, that they occasion them to swell. As for 

 the latter effect, it is very possible, that jjotato 

 vines, as well as other rich succulent food, may, 

 when eaten too greedily, or too abundantly, have 

 that effect. It is, however, little to be feared at 

 the season of the year when JMr. Carter speaks of 

 cutting his vines for provender; for then, much of 

 their succulence has dried up, and probably given 

 place to highly nutritious matter. The saving of 

 the vines of the potato for cattle is not practised in 

 this state, that I know of; but it is not that they are 

 not worthy of it ; but because we are too careless 

 in taking every advantage offered us by a bounti- 

 ful climate. It may also be on account of the 

 difficulty of curing these vines, so as to keep them 

 in bulk. As to their nutritive quality, there are 

 very few vegetables more wholesome and nutri- 

 tious. Many years ago, I was informed, on au- 

 thority scarcely to be doubted, that in the island 

 of St. Domingo, horses and mules, were in many 

 parts, entirely fed all the year round on potato 

 vines; and my informant assured me, that he 

 knew a cultivator in the vicinity of Cape Fran^ais, 

 who made yearly about iji 10,000, b}' sending, every 

 day, potato vines to the city, where they were 

 bought for the exclusive food of horses, mules and 

 cattle. On tlie plantation or farm of this cultivator, 

 the vines, and not the roots, were the chief object. 



I am glad to have it also in my power to 

 strengthen the authority of Mr. Carter, as regards 

 his experiment of planting small potato roots, for 

 the purpose of producing sprouts to be transplant- 

 ed in due time, into the beds prepared for them. 

 This is a practice much followed in this state, and 

 many persons, I among the rest, think these 

 sprouts produce much the best potatoes lor the ta- 

 ble. It is a method well suited to those countries 

 where the summer is too short to produce the 

 potato in perfection, by any other. The usual 

 way is to prepare a nursery bed of small dimen- 

 sions, in a warm and sheltered situation, by manur- 

 ing it highly with stable manure ; make drills in 

 this bed at very short distances from each other, 

 from five to ten inches, and in these drills put 

 small potato roots, so close as to touch, and cover 

 them lightly. This should be done earlier than 

 the usual season for planting the crop; and for fear 

 of fi-ost, the seed may be covered with straw, 

 leaves, or some such matters. A bed about four 

 feet wide, and fifty or sixty feet long, will furnish 

 sprouts enough to plant at least an acre of ground. 

 It is necessary to have the beds ready to plant the 

 sprouts, so as to take advantage of every shower 



