THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



101 



unequivocal evidences of a most diligent and 

 skilful proprietor, whose example is well worthy 

 of the imition of every member of the club, and 

 of the community at large. 



P. C. Venable. 

 Wm. Haskins. 



P. S. — To an invitation from the Hole and 

 Corner Club of Mecklenburg, No. 1, addressed 



through the medium of the Planter, to all other 

 agricultural associations, to hold an annual gen- 

 eral meeting, we ask leave to reply, through 

 the same channel, that such invitation is ac- 

 cepted by us, the members of the Upper Corner 

 Club of Mecklenburg, and we would respectfully 

 suggest the 4th of July as the time, and the 

 town of Clarksville as the place of meeting. 

 Very respectfully yours, 



Reuben A. Puryear, C. S. 



FELLING TIMBER 



At the request of a subscriber, we have had 

 an engraving made of a machine which seems 

 to have struck his fancy very much ; it is in- 

 tended for felling forest trees, and is recommend- 

 ed and described by Loudoun in his " Ency- 

 clopedia of Agriculture." Our own opinion is 

 that there is no implement for this purpose, that 

 ever we have seen, equal to a good axe in the 

 hands of a good cutter. Our friend thinks that 

 this machine is recommended by the great sav- 

 ing of timber it will effect in consequence of 

 the cutting point being so near the ground ; it 

 is very true that the best portion of the tree is 

 nearest the roots, but there is, we think, very 

 little timber in this country that would justify 

 the expense and trouble of this complicated ap- 

 paratus. Loudoun, we presume, never saw a 

 common cross cut saw in the hands of two stout 



negroes, or he would not have recommended 

 this machine, as he has done, to his readers. 

 But far be it from us to set up our opinion as 

 the test of right and wrong, or to exclude from 

 our columns all that does not meet our approba- 

 tion. The following is the description of the 

 machine in Loudoun's own words : 



"Sawing machines for felling timber, of four 

 different kinds, will be found described in the 

 Highland Soc. Trans., vol. ix. p. 275. The 

 most powerful of these appears to be a circular 

 saw which consists, first, of a ground frame (a 

 a), in form of the common hand-barrow, eight 

 feet and a half in length by two feet and a half 

 in width ; on one side of which is erected a ver- 

 tical frame (b b), of three feet and a half in 

 height. The second compartment comprehends 

 a traversing frame or carriage (c c) about five 

 feet in length, and two feet in height ; the ver- 



