108 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



and when this is the case the natural saga- 

 city of the animal leads him to correct the 

 evil effects of the young and succulent grass 

 with a bite of that, that is older and better cured. 

 On the contrary, when they are suddenly intro- 

 duced to a lot of untouched grass, all of the 

 first growth, scours and distemper necessarily 

 ensue, 



By the bye, on mentioning this last statement 

 to a practical farmer in our neighborhood, he 

 said that he had long remarked, that when 

 he changed his cows from the exhausted com- 

 mons, in summer, to a choice grass lot, they 

 were peculiarly liable to be attacked with dis- 

 tempers, for which he had never been able to ac- 

 count, before. 



TOBACCO PRIZE. 



The engraving represents a tobacco prize, a 

 model of which was presented to us a few days 

 since. We understand that it has given great 

 satisfaction in Louisa, where it is beginning to 

 be, extensively used, and where they certainly 

 know " a thing or two" about tobacco. The 

 contrivance is so simple and so well illustrated 

 by our excellent artist, Mr. Hall, as to render 

 a description useless — the principle is very much 

 the same with one described by Mr. Richard 

 Morriss in the first volume of the Planter. The 

 inventor thinks that there is considerable advan- 

 tage in having the power to come down evenly 

 and squarely upon the hogshead, as is here ef- 

 fected by the levers at both ends. He says too, 

 that its portability is a great advantage, as it is 



frequently more convenient to convey the press 

 from one house to another, than to transport the 

 tobacco. 



For the Southern Planter. 



Messrs. Editors, — I see in the last number of 

 your valuable periodical, a communication from 

 "An Inquirer," asking information about the use 

 of oil and soapstone as a fire-proof paint for the 

 roofs of houses. 



In painting my house a few years ago, this 

 preparation was suggested for the roof, by a 

 friend, who had used it a few months before, 

 and as I was sometimes alarmed from fire, I 

 procured the soapstone finely ground, and deter- 

 mined to make the experiment. While the paint 

 was mixing, I had two loose shingles painted 

 over, — one with the oil (linseed) and soapstone, 



