THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



39 



is to place a barrel round the tree or vine in the 

 winter, and fill it with snow well pressed down, 

 and leave it until the whole has melted away. 

 The tree and the grape vine are thus prevented 

 from putting forth early, and escape the early 

 frosts, which in this region, is a matter of great 

 difficulty. It is certainly worthy of an experi- 

 ment. The notices in our paper, of the delicious 

 peaches raised at Ulica this season, encourage 

 us to hope, that we may yet have an abundance 

 of this choice fruit. — Massachusetts Ploughman. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 VALUE OF SEASONING FIRE-WOOD, &c. 

 'We make the following extract from a letter 

 received from Mr. George W. Craven, of Al- 

 bemarle. We shall be very happy to have a 

 description of his tobacco fixtures, which we 

 doubt not would be highly interesting and in- 

 structive to a large class of our readers. 



" Perhaps, gentlemen, I can throw out a useful 

 hint (whilst I sit by a cheerful seasoned wood 

 fire,) on the importance, comfort, and saving of 

 labor by having seasoned wood instead of green. 

 In the first place, it does not require more than 

 half the labor to load and unload, and half the 

 labor to haul, which is no small consideration. 

 And then half the quantity of seasoned wood 

 makes as good a fire j for two or three sticks of 

 seasoned wood makes a good fire, and you get 

 the benefit of the whole of it, as none goes off 

 in smoke to make foul chimneys. For smoke 

 is nothing more nor less than unconsumed fuel. 

 Therefore, I would advise all farmers to cut their 

 fuel the winter before it is used ; split it and set 

 it up. If for market, no one that considers com- 

 fort and economy will object to it because it is 

 seasoned. It is a fact, that any wood, when 

 seasoned, makes a good fire, whereas, there are 

 many kinds of green wood that make an into- 

 lerable one. For instance, pine wood green will 

 scarcely burn at all — when seasoned, it makes 

 a respectable fire. All kinds of timber are better 

 for being seasoned. If farmers would cut. and 

 split their stakes there would be no need of burn- 

 ing. Fencing and hauling is more expeditiously 

 done when the rails are seasoned. I consider 

 one of the greatest secrets in farming is a judi- 

 cious saving and application of labor in the va- 

 rious operations of the farm. For labor saved 

 is money made. I have spent some fifty dollars 

 in the last twelve months (as hard as the times 

 are) in labor-saving machines, and consider the 

 money not badly spent. In the first place, it 

 occurred to me that a great Saving of time and 

 labor might be made in the tedious process of 

 shelling corn by hand. I therefore had a ma- 

 chine made with no extra work but a whirl for 

 the machine band to run on, cost, $12 50. I 



can in ten minutes detach my machine (thresh- 

 ing box) and attach my corn sheller, and in a 

 day, I can shell corn sufficient to last man and 

 beast for a month or more, with but two horses 

 and two men and a boy to drive. I also had a 

 straw cutter mode with the same extra work, a 

 whir], cost $25, which I can attach to the same 

 machine in five minutes, and cut straw enough 

 in one rainy day to last several weeks for some 

 twelve head of horses, and as many cattle, So 

 you see it is not only a saving of labor but you 

 do it all in bad weather with but few hands. — 

 And then when the weather is fair, I have no 

 hindrance of this kind to delay my work, but 

 go right ahead, from morning until night, and 

 no stopping to shell corn and cut feed. I cut 

 up every thing for my horses (or rather I make 

 them do it) and I never allow a ear of corn to 

 go in their troughs until it is ground and mixed 

 with some kind of cut straw or chaff. In the 

 winter months, I have my servants' breakfast 

 prepared for them while they are feeding, so 

 that they do not 'go to work before sun-up in 

 cold weather, which I consider a saving of time, 

 for they cannot do much in cold weather before 

 breakfast. 



" I have been at considerable expense in the 

 last year in constructing buildings and other 

 fixtures for the more convenient management of 

 the tobacco crop, and I flatter myself that I 

 have, in a measure, succeeded, which if you 

 consider of sufficient interest, I would furnish 

 you with, together with the process of managing 

 this troublesome but profitable crop. 

 Your sincere well-wisher, 



George W. Craven." 



DRIVING CATTLE. 



I have often witnessed the infliction of cruel- 

 ties on dumb beasts accused of sullenness, by 

 persons attempting to lead or drive an animal 

 alone. This subject was brought to my mind 

 so forcibly a few days since, by a neighbor send- 

 ing a boy to lead a heifer a distance of several 

 miles, by a rope attached to her horns and nose, 

 that I determined to write a line upon it. The 

 restiveness of cattle in such cases is caused by 

 skittishness. The remedy is simple and effi- 

 cient. Fasten a board before the face, in the 

 usual manner of blinding breachy cattle, and 

 the wildest cow or heifer may be led or driven 

 with perfect ease. — Maine Cultivator. 



OUR CLIMATE. 

 A Mr. Locke, who is highly spoken of as a 

 gentleman of undoubted scientific attainments, 

 has been delivering a series of lectures at the 

 North, to establish a* doctrine which he has been 

 for some time promulgating. His theory is, that 



