78 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



duce me to decline digging at the usual 

 time; the whole crop was left in the 

 ground, except such as was taken up 

 from time to time for immediate use. The 

 result has been, that I have been eating 

 throughout the winter, potatoes resembling 

 more in appearance and flavor, " new po- 

 tatoes," than any I have ever had before. 

 A few days since, in ploughing my vine- 

 yard, in which they were planted, I turned 

 out what remained, some of which I have 

 exhibited in this place, and they have 

 been universally pronounced ({ new pota- 

 toes," and inquiry made "if they were 

 raised in a hot bed." They were firm, 

 plump, and in every respect similar to a 

 recently raised article. I consider this 

 experiment worth a dozen theories. It 

 is, however, due to truth to say, that they 

 were not wholly exempt from rot, owing, 

 doubtless, to influences operating previous 

 to planting, which has caused the general 

 deterioration. " In the beginning all things 

 were created" — -the potato amongst the 

 rest — how has it preserved its distinctive 

 properties from the creation up to the time 

 of its "civilization," (which is compara- 

 tively of recent date.) by being taken .from 

 its native element ? We have no evidence 

 of the fact : has it undergone any essen-. 

 tial changes by civilization ? Doubtless 

 it has. May not those changes, produced 

 by mismanagement and a consequent loss 

 of its original properties , be able to account 

 for its present liability to disease ? These 

 are mere speculative questions, I know, 

 and better calculated to. amuse than in- 

 struct, but nevertheless, not wholly de- 

 void of interest, and may lead to practical 

 results of great benefit to society. Ver- 

 bum sat. 



Drumallis. 



Fredericksburg, April 1, 1847. 



LEMON CANDY, OR ROCK CANDY. 



To one pound of loaf sugar put a large 

 cup of water, and set it over a slow fire 

 for half an hour. Clear it with a little 

 hot rum or vinegar. Take off the scum 

 as it rises. 



Try when it is done enough, by dipping 



a spoon in it and raising it ; if the threads 

 thus formed snap like glass, it is done 

 enough. Then pour it out into a tin pan ; 

 when nearly cold, mark it in narrow strips 

 with a knife. 



Before pouring it into the pans, chopped 

 cocoanut, almonds, or picked hickory nuts, 

 may be stirred into it. Brazil nuts, taken 

 from the shells cut in slices, and added to 

 it, are very good. — Selected. 



TILLING AMONG YOUNG TREES. 



A correspondent tells us. that he could 

 not readily procure any litter to place 

 around the trunks of his young trees, and 

 that as he has planted the field where he 

 set them with corn and potatoes, he 

 thought litter would be in his way in 

 tilling. 



We think there might be a quantity 

 around each tree that would not interfere 

 with the crop. Bt^T he should endeavor 

 to keep his soil about his young trees as 

 moist as possible whether he uses litter or 

 not. Next to covering the earth with 

 something to check evaporation and to 

 keep the soil both moist and light, plough- 

 ing and stirring often through the sum- 

 mer will be found best. If you have the 

 least doubt about the effect of ploughing 

 and hoeing often, just try the plan, let the 

 book farmers say what they will. . 



It is not very easy to explain why the 

 frequent moving of the soil, and that to a 

 considerable depth, should have an effect 

 precisely the reverse of what is observed 

 when we often move other materials and 

 expose them to the air. Hay will dry 

 twice as fast when we stir it and let the 

 air in, as when we let it lie with once 

 spreading over the ground. Litter of any 

 kind, leaves, manures, will dry up fast in 

 proportion to their exposure to the atmos- 

 phere. 



But it is certain that all soils are so 

 constituted that frequent stirring keeps 

 them more moist than when they are al- 

 lowed to lie still. We have known prac- 

 tical farmers to delay hoeing their corn in 

 a dry time for fear they should render the 

 soil more dry to the injury of the harvest. 



