275 



horses, made the following experiment with seven 

 of them which had been accustomed to eat salt 

 with their food. Lumps of rock salt were laid 

 in their mangers, and these lumps, previously 

 weighed, were examined weekly, to ascertain 

 what quantity had been consumed, and it was 

 repeatedly found that whenever these horses 

 were fed on hay and corn, they consumed only 

 about 2£ or 3 ounces per day ; but that when 

 they were .fed with new hay, they took six 



We present our readers with an engraving 

 and description (taken from Thaer's Principles 

 of Agriculture) of an implement that will, we 

 think, be found very useful in the tedious busi- 

 ness of grubbing : 



11 Sometimes for the purpose of extirpating 

 shrubs a lever is used, armed at one of its ex- 

 tremities with a very strong trident of iron, the 

 prongs of which are usually 20 inches long. 



"As they must be able to endure a great 

 strain, the part of the instrument which joins 

 the socket and the socket itself should be very 

 strong. Into this socket a pole is introduced 

 which serves for a lever, which should be stout, 

 of solid wood, of ash if possible, and 15 or 20 

 feet long. To the extremity of the handle a 

 cord is attached 8 or 10 feet long, with a cross 

 bar, by means of which several men can exert 

 their strength at once upon the lever. After 

 the strongest lateral roots have been cut, the 

 trident is thrust under the stock or stump, in an 

 inclined position, then a block is placed under 

 the handle or lever, which is placed so near the 

 stump as to raise the extremity of the handle 

 10 or 12 feet, then by means of the cross-bar 

 attached to the cord the workmen bring down 

 the upper part of the handle till the roots yield 

 to their efforts. By the aid of this instrument, I 

 simple as it is, astonishing things can be effected, 

 and when it is insufficient more complicated ma- 

 chines will run great risk of being broken." 



ounces per day." This should convince us of 

 the expediency of permitting our cattle the free 

 use of salt at all times; and it cannot be given 

 in so convenient a form as rock salt, it being 

 much more palatable than the other article in a 

 refined stale, and by far cheaper. A good lump 

 should always be kept in a box by the side of 

 the animal, without fear that it will be taken to 

 excess. — ■ Selected. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 COMMENTS. 



It will be noticed that I have ceased to com- 

 ment on the contents of the Southern Planter. 

 This has been caused by the complaints of one 

 who says I treated him rudely, or words to this 

 amount. It should be remembered that in this 

 manner of writing one has to travel an unfre- 

 quented path over rocks, hills and valleys, and 

 through mud and water. In the case above 

 alluded to I unfortunately got into the mud, and 

 in the headlong efforts to extricate myself, I be- 

 spattered an unknown friend, of which he hear- 

 tily complains. Now, behold the garments of 

 my friend have been purified by the communi- 

 cation which my comments elicited, and in 

 which he complains of me ; bat I am yet he- 

 mired and silent, and determined to remain so 

 unless the gentleman or the public shall see fit 

 to lift me once more to a perpendicular. 



Investigator. 



We regret the determination of our corre- 

 spondent. We are aware cf the peculiar deli- 

 cacy of the position he assumed as a commen- 

 tator upon the contents of the Planter. There 

 is no species of communication more useful than 

 a fair, candid and gentlemanly review of the opi- 

 nion of others ; for it is only by a free and liberal 

 discussion of points on which we differ, that we 

 can expect to arrive at the truth. At the same 



