THE SOUTHERN 



PLANTER. 



93 



gotten up unci patented an article upon an entirely 

 new principle, which works to a miracle. It is 

 represented in the engraving: it differs not very 

 greatly from the usual form of guillotine straw 

 cutter, in which a gate is made to work up and 

 down by means of a lever, except in this, that 

 the gate, instead of moving perpendicularly up 

 and down, moves obliquely to the straw, so as to 

 enter and run, as it were, with the grain of the 

 straw. By this means, the greatest ease of cut 

 is obtained. Let the reader go out to his wood 

 pile, and throw his axe first perpendicularly and 

 then obliquely into a log of wood, and he will 

 have a pretty good idea of the advantage of 

 this mode of cut. Again, when the gate moves 

 perpendicularly up and down, there is a constant 

 tendency, especially when the knife is dull, to 

 force it off from the bed plate against which it 

 cuts. By this means a wear and play in the 

 gate is engendered, by which the cleanness of 

 cut is entirely destroyed. If the gate moves 

 obliquely the other way, that is, makes an acute, 

 instead of an obtuse, angle with the straw, the 

 mode in which we first tried it, this difficulty is 

 greatly increased ; but when the gate moves as 

 in this cutter, the knife is drawn in by the grain 

 of the straw, technically called "eating," and a 

 constant cleanness of cut is ensured. These 

 two advantages render this knife, which we can 

 sell for tea dollars, superior, we believe, to any 

 cheap cutter in use. 



If thought desirable, a board may be set up 

 in front at any required distance from the knife, 

 as a guage, against which the straw, which is 

 fed by hand, may be pushed, so as to regulate 

 the feed to any length required. 



To grind the knife, it is only necessary to 

 turn a single screw, when the whole gate may 

 be slipped out, and the knife may be ground 

 without being removed. To small farmers and 

 private stables in cities we believe this knife 

 will prove to be exactly what has been long 

 wanting. 



BOTTS & BlJRFOOT. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 SOWING CLOVER SEED. 



Messrs. Editors, — You will please to order 

 me four barrels of poudrette ; I should like to 

 get it this month. If you have any on hand, 

 please inform me forthwith. I wish to try ex- 

 periments with it during the present season, and 

 should it answer my expectations, I shall deal 



more largely in the article in future. Your cut- 

 ting box has saved me during the past winter, 

 the price it cost me. Two hands can cut shucks, 

 hay, or fodder enough for fifteen or twenty 

 horses in ten or fifteen minutes with it. Your 

 last number contains a drawing of a box for 

 sowing clover seed, which I consider an useless 

 piece of lumber. I follow the plan of my neigh- 

 bor, Mr. Hewlett, which is to mix the quantity 

 of clover, or any other seed, you may wish to 

 sow to the acre with one bushel of moist (not 

 wet) sand, and let the seedsman sow from his 

 apron as he would wheat. It thus comes up 

 uniformly and regularly. 



Yours truly, 



Rob. H. Nelson. 



March 9, 1843. 



For the practised and skilful sower, the plan 

 recommended by Dr. Nelson is better than any 

 implement that can be devised, but with any 

 other hand, the box is invaluable in securing an 

 even and equal distribution of the seed. 



As to the Cutter, we could add a hundred 

 equally flattering testimonials to that of Dr. 

 Nelson, who has been using his now for two or 

 three years. 



CREDIT QUOTATIONS. 



We quoted from Tull, under the head of " Se- 

 lections," in 5th number of our paper, on the 

 subject of " Pulverising the soil." We find this 

 same article in a December number of the New 

 England Farmer, quoted from the Southern 

 Agriculturist, which paper credits it to the Sou- 

 thern Planter as original. We protest against 

 thus robbing the dead of its rightful dues. 



American Agriculturist. 



If the Messrs. Allen are as desirous to do 

 justice to the living, as they are scrupulous of 

 "robbing the dead," they will please state, that 

 the article alluded to, was marked in the South- 

 em Planter as a quotation. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 PREMIUMS 

 For the next Meeting of the Agricultural Society 

 of Henrico, which will be held the last week in 

 May. 



For the best stallion calculated to produce 

 stock for the saddle, harness or draught, 

 the property of the exhibitor, $15 

 For the best brood mare, do. do. 10 

 For the best male saddle horse, do. 10 



For the best mule raised by the exhibitor, 5 

 For the best work horse, do. 5 



Committee of Award — Augustus Mordecai, D. 

 W. Haxall and Poiteaux Robinson. 



