508 FARMERS' REGISTER— TOBACCO— FARMING IN CENTRAL V IRGlNlA. 



The account will then stand thus ; 

 Cost of producing an acre, - 

 Cost of manufacturin": do. - 



Amount of sugar produced, 

 Value of pulp remaining, - 



S20,00 

 40,00 



G0,00 



151,20 



6,00 



157,20 



Nett profit per acre, - - .997,20 

 In making tiie above calculations 1 do not pre- 

 tend that it will lie found exact at every place, but 

 I am confident that I have not overrated the pro- 

 duce or value of the produced, and your readers 

 will be able to correct any variation in the cost of 

 cultivation. They will readily perceive the ad- 

 vantage that would accrue to the country, from the 

 introduction of the manufacture of this article, 

 both in an individual and natiojial point of view. 



I shall hold myself ready to give any further 

 explanation of the dilferent pails of the process if 

 required, and any communication addressed to me 

 post paid, to the care of the editor, will be prompt- 

 ly attended to. joiiiv dk\v. 

 Hochcsfer, ^^ov. 22, 1833. ■ 



FROST OIV LATE TOBACCO. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



The |)rice which some future crops of toliacco 

 will probably command, gives more than usual in- 

 terest lo any information by which injuries inci- 

 dent to this crop may be prevented or diminished. 

 Among them, that by frost is often extensively 

 and severely felt — in view of wliich, the following 

 facts and inferences are submitted. 



On the 41h of October, some tears existed that 

 tobacco would be destroyed or mucii injured by 

 frost, during the night of that day. The indica- 

 tions, however, were so equivocal, as to produce 

 great indecision — except with regard to the por- 

 tion of the crop which was fiiUy ripe. My hands 

 were employed from alittle after mid-day till night 

 in cutting tobacco of this kind. At dark the mer- 

 cury stood at 48'^, and at ten o'clock had fallen to 

 43°, when I determined to cut and cover with 

 bushes till sunrise. It was however 11 o'clock be- 

 fore the operation was fairly begun ; and at 3 o'clock 

 some 25 or 30,000 plants had been cut and thrown, 

 with the exception of 5 or 6,000 plants, into large 

 circular heaps. At this time the tobacco was so 

 frozen as to rattle like dry shucks; and the cold 

 had become so aimoying, I determined not to ex- 

 pose myself and hands any longer. All that had 

 been cut was left uncovered, and about 10,000 

 plants standing. A portion of this tobacco occu- 

 pied a fine southern exposure, with-a body of woods 

 on the north side — another portion, a northern ex- 

 posure, with the same body of woods on the south, 

 and another on the east side of the field. It was 

 this toliacco which was not gathered into heaps, 

 but left as thrown by the cutters. 



An examination the next day exliibited the fol- 

 lowing results : The plants left standing were de- 

 stroyed — those forming the exterior of the heaps, 

 on the land with a southern exposure, were also 

 destroyed, while so much of the interior of the 

 heaps as were effectually covered by other plants 

 escaped without injury. " The other parcel occupy- 

 ing a different locality and not heaj)cd, sustained 

 slight injury only. 



Now as the portion most injured was that on which 

 the rays of the rising sun fell most directly and with 

 most power, whilst a part, the covered part of the 

 same parcel, which the rays of the sun did not 

 touch directly, and to which the warmth of the sun 

 was communicated mediately and gradually, es- 

 caped unhurt ; and the other parcel, on which the 

 rays of the sun fell more obliquely, and not until 

 the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere had 

 been considerably elevated, escaped with partial 

 injury, it would seem that 'tis not the degree of 

 cold which destroys vegetable life, but the degree 

 of succeeding heat and suddenness of its applica- 

 tion. If this be so, it also follows, that a planter 

 may secure as much of his ripe tobacco as he can 

 cut and cover vvell with bushes, straw, &c. during 

 the night of a frost. 



This is a single experiment, made on the autho- 

 rity of the fact, thatunsalted meats, in high north- 

 ern latitudes, are preserved for months in a frozen 

 state, which spoil instantly, if immersed, when 

 wanted for use, in hot wafer, but are foimd perfectly 

 sound, if thawed in cold water. "Whether like re- 

 sults would attend a similar experiment, a similar 

 experiment must tell. I know too well the blind- 

 ness of human philosophy; and that causes too 

 subtle for detection by man's wisdom often govern 

 results, to regard as established, that which a sin- 

 gle experiment may seem to indicate. I feel, 

 however, somewhat assured, that if I had acted 

 out my purpose of heaping and covering with 

 bushes, (the nearest and most abundant material,) 

 and had continued the operation of cutting, I 

 should have saved the whole. 



The facts and inferences however, are submit- 

 ted, of w hich you may make any use, or none, as 

 you may deem best. geo. m. payae. 



Travellers' Rest, Buckingham,} 

 December, 1833. 5 



HINTS FOR FAR3IING IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA 

 IN ANSWER TO T. B. A. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



December 18th, 18.33. 



In your last number of the Register, a corres- 

 pondent under the signature of T. B. A. requests 

 a " Bonaparte of a Farmer," to give him through 

 the medium of your paper, a plan for the manage- 

 ment of his farm. 



]Mr. Editor, I do not profess to be such a farmer, 

 nor do I deem myself competent to advise that 

 gentleman. However, should you consider my re- 

 marks entitled to a place in your valual)le work, 

 you can insert them for the perusal of all whom it 

 may concern. 



I have been an agriculturist for five years, and 

 from this short experience, I still adhere to the plan 

 first adopted. The farm had been previously 

 worked as follows : corn — wheat — and grazed the 

 year of rest. I divided it into three fields, Avith a 

 standing oasture ; preferring this to four fields, with- 

 out the standing pasture : selecting the pasture as 

 central as possible, (well watered,) for the conve- 

 nience of manuring, without driving the cattle 

 through a field in cultivation to their pen. Each 

 field contained as many acres as I could cultivate 

 in corn, with a few for wheat oti fallow ; but not as 

 many as desirable, and I determined to add to them 

 as they came into cultivation, until I obtained the 

 fourth field. 



For corn, I plough deep, and horizontally, if cir- 



