THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



239 



with those of your make. I am informed they 

 do not cut clean when the grain is thin, and the 

 inability of the raker to lay the grain straight 

 renders them very objectionable. 

 Respectfully, yours, 



L. W. Washington. 

 Jefferson County, Va. 



The Hon. William H. Roane was one of the 

 committee, before mentioned, when the final pre- 

 ference was given to M'Cormick's reaper; he 

 not being satisfied, procured another trial on his 

 own estate, when my best machine was put in 

 competition with M'Cormick's. Note the result. 

 Mr. Roane promptly decided in favor of my ma- 

 chine, and manifested his preference by ordering 

 one of me, to cut the harvest of 1844. Several 

 gentlemen visited his field during the harvest, 

 who, he informs me, intend to procure my ma- 

 chines next year. Mr. Roane's preference for 

 my reaper over M'Cormick's, has already ap- 

 peared over his own signature in the public 

 prints, and he now authorizes me to say that 

 the cutting of his wheat and oats in the harvest 

 just past has confirmed his opinions heretofore 

 expressed. 



The following is the letter alluded to from 

 Mr. John Watkins, of Chesterfield : 



Chesterfield County, July, 1844. 

 Obed Hussey, Esq. 



Dear Sir, — Having never seen you since re- 

 ceiving the wheat reaping machine, I with the 

 greatest pleasure make known to you the result 

 of its performance in cutting my wheat. It 

 surpassed my expectation. In cutting wheat 

 or oats no reaper can surpass it as to quantity, 

 neatness in cutting, and laying the grain to the 

 greatest nicety, and to advantage for the binders. 

 The having to pick it up as fast as it is cut is, 

 in my opinion, one great recommendation, be- 

 cause every operation is immediately under the 

 manager's eye, consequently much more work 

 will be done ; and at night when the cutting is 

 done, the picking is, of course. Numbers have 

 been to see its performance, and all left with de- 

 light. One old gentleman, a James river farmer, 

 remarked, had he such a farm as mine he would 

 not be without your reaper for five hundred dol- 

 lars. The people desire to see you in this quar- 

 ter, and I have no hesitation in saying a trip to 

 Richmond and its neighborhood as soon as con- 

 venient will be to your advantage. 



John Watkins, 



Of Ampthill. 



Some doubts have been expressed of the abi- 

 lity of my machine to cut damp wheat. On 

 this point I offer the following testimonial : 



Jlmpthill, Sept. 23, 1844. 



Mr. Obed Hussey : 



Dear Sir, — I found little or no difficulty in 



cutting clamp wheat or oats with my father's 

 reaping machine. 



Yours, respectfully, 



H. Carrfngton Watkins. 



By inserting this article in the Planter you 

 will be doing an act of justice to the public, and 

 much oblige 



Your obedient servant, 



Obed Hussey. 



TURNING IN WEEDS OR OTHER GREEN 

 CROPS WITH THE PLOUGH. 



In ploughing stubble grounds, the weeds fre- 

 quently choke the plough, and it is found diffi- 

 cult to bury them entirely. The same difficulty 

 attends the ploughing in of clover, or buckwheat, 

 &c. Various contrivances have been adopted 

 to obviate this trouble. Some fasten one end of 

 a chain to the plough-beam, and the other end 

 of the ofF-end of the " double-tree," as it is called ; 

 which being thus dragged along before the 

 plough, bends down and draws forward the 

 weeds in such a manner that the plough turns 

 them fairly under. Ploughs have also been 

 made very "high in the beam" to obviate the 

 difficulty of choking. They are called " Crane 

 ploughs," and are much used in Western Virgi- 

 nia and Southern Ohio. 



Mr. Sidney Weller, of Halifax, North Caro- 

 lina, informs us that he uses a very simple in- 

 strument for the purpose above named, and 

 which answers better than any other plan he 

 has seen. He says, " It is merely a sufficiently 

 heavy piece of w r ood, like a common rake-head, 

 with a few short teeth therein, and short han- 

 dles at each end ; to the end of which handles, 

 ropes or small chains, put through holes, fasten 

 the instrument to the end of the whiffle-tree, if 

 a single-horse plough, or to some part of the 

 two-horse-tree, if a two-horse plough. This in- 

 strument straightens and levels down the weeds, 

 &c, immediately under the plough-beam, and 

 before the furrow-slice. It answers with us 

 every desired purpose." — Cultivator. 



For the Southern Planter. 



EFFECTUAL PREVENTIVE OF SMUT IN 

 WHEAT. 



Mr. Editor, — On board of a steamboat, in con- 

 versation on the subject of agriculture, I was 

 told by Mr. Dechert, of Tennessee, who allowed 

 me to use his name, that in hundreds of in- 

 stances he had known smut in wheat to be pre- 

 vented by the following steep — in fact, he be- 

 lieved it to be infallible, and deeming all such 

 things worthy of being preserved and generally 

 known, especially when avouched by responsi- 

 ble names, I committed it to paper, on thespot. 

 Dissolve a pound of bluestone in as much water as 



