THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



119 



Thus, feeling he is mastered, the horse shows 

 no farther inclination to run off again; but in 

 case he should renew symptoms of starting ofF, 

 a few firm grips of the" coupling on the throat 

 will let him feel the futility of his attempts. j 



In explanation of the origin of the invention, 

 Mr. Miller stated that he was a farmer's son, and 

 that, in his youth, he used to be employed at 

 times to assist in catching horses at grass, by 

 means of surrounding them with a rope, borne 

 by a person at each end of it. He remarked 

 that, in this service, although no restraint was 

 laid upon the horses when the rope rested on 

 their chests, yet, whenever it could be got upon 

 their throats, they instantly stood still and al- 

 lowed themselves to be taken. The idea which 

 this recollection suggested, of the probable effect 

 of pressure on the throat in stopping a runaway ! 

 horse, led Mr. Miller to the contrivance of his' 

 safety reins. In his first experiment, the band 

 which connects the reins under the neck was I 

 attached to the headstall by hooks and straps ; 

 but it has been considered an improvement to 

 allow it to move freely upon the reins, on which 

 it settles in contact with the throat, in a proper 

 position for use when required. 



Our communications with Mr. Miller im- 

 pressed us favorably in regard to his contrivance; 

 but, wishing to see it in practice we availed 

 ourselves of an offer by him to afford us an op- 

 portunity of judging of it in operation. We, 

 accordingly, on a day appointed, accompanied 

 him in a carriage drawn by one horse, for the 

 purpose of trial ; and we witnessed as specta- 

 tors, as well as made ourselves, repeated tests of 

 the reins, with the horse going at a smart can- 

 ter, both on a level road and. on a descent, and 

 we invariably observed that the tightening of 

 the reins caused the horse immediately to stop. 

 No injurious effect seemed to be produced on 

 the horse by the interruption of his respiration. 

 He always appeared to breathe freely, and to 

 be ready to resume his work, as soon as the 

 tension of the reins was relaxed. 



Upon the whole, therefore, we consider Mr. 

 Miller's invention to be a neat and simple, as 

 well as, to appearance, an effective contrivance 

 for the accomplishment of its important object, 

 in the prevention of the disastrous accidents 

 which not unfrequently occur from horses run- 

 ning away ; and we think it reflects much credit 

 on the ingenuity of its inventor. 



We know of no more ridiculous or helpless 

 situation in which a poor devil can be placed, 

 than to be pulling and tugging at the mouth of 

 an ill-natured brute, who has got the bit be- 

 tween his teeth. Many plans have been devised 

 to guard the defenceless occupant of a wheel 

 carriage from the dangerous propensities of an 

 ill-broke horse ; but none seem to us likely to 



prove effectual and so simple as these safety 

 reins. Another mode has been adopted in France: 

 the safety reins are attached to the blinds so as 

 to enable the driver to draw them at pleasure 

 close over the eyes of the horse : this is said to 

 be an effectual stoppage to his career. We had 

 rather depend upon choking than blinding. 



From the American Agriculturist. 



CULTURE OF RUTA BAGA. 



Hereford Hall, near Albany, ) 

 September 27, 1843. § 



I have about nine acres of ruta baga, which 

 I sowed broadcast, and I verily believe it to be 

 the best system of growing them. I have tried 

 every new and fashionable experiment, but after 

 all I prefer the old one, when you have men 

 that understand hoeing them, and I can soon 

 teach a person, if he is willing to work and ob- 

 serve; the only difficulty is they leave them too 

 thick. 



I can grow a greater weight per acre, and 

 my manure is spread regularly over my soil for 

 the succeeding crop. I ploughed a piece of sod 

 the early part of last fall, cross-ploughed just 

 before the winter set in, leaving it as rough and 

 as much exposed to the weather as possible. — 

 Early in the spring, I harrowed it thoroughly, 

 raked up all the conch and burnt it. I ploughed 

 it the third time the latter part of May, and 

 gave a second dressing with harrows and rakes, 

 and burnt all the refuse. I then put on about 

 thirty loads of good rotten manure per acre, 

 which had been turned in the mine in the course 

 of the winter and well mixed together, and all 

 pernicious seeds decayed. I ploughed it under 

 about four inches deep, and sowed the seed on 

 a fresh furrow. They have grown luxuriantly, 

 and are a very profitable crop for a breeder. 



Sir John Terrill, in answer to Mr. Everett's 

 remarks in England, said the climale would not 

 allow us to grow Sweeds (ruta baga) in Ame- 

 rica. I say that better Sweeds can be grown 

 here than in England, under the same culture. 

 I have grown better, and more weight to the 

 acre, and 1 have cultivated them extensively in 

 both countries, more especially in England. 



William H. Sotham. 



BROOM CORN. 



Broom corn is much cultivated, and with suc- 

 cess, in some towns on the Connecticut river, in 

 Massachusetts. The amount produced on one 

 acre, varies from eight hundred to one thousand 

 pounds, besides sixty or seventy bushels of seed. 

 The brush is said to be worth four or five cents 

 per pound ; in 1837, it was worth twelve and a 

 half cents per pound. The seed on an acre r at 



