78 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



these estimates your house, from the ground to 

 the top of the joists, will he either twenty- 

 three or twenty-two feet ; and the roof of a 

 tobacco house should he a little sharper than a 

 square, on account of the weight it has to sup- 

 port, and should be strongly framed and 

 braced, (wind-braced also,) and should have a 

 bonnet (or two — on opposite sides) in the roof 

 about a foot from the top, made by nailing at 

 the right place wedges on the rafters with the 

 sharp end of said wedges uppermost, and then 

 sheet and shingle on the wedges. The house 

 should not be larger than twenty-two feet by 

 forty feet I think, which I think the best size, 

 (or twenty by forty feet will do very well,) and 

 if you want more room, add a shed to prize 

 and strip in, or build a separate house in an- 

 other place. It is better to build a tobacco 

 house at the foot of a hill, and underpin with 

 stone or brick up to the first tier; this offers 

 several important advantages which are obvious. 

 There is nothing inconsistent with the hay 

 house in the plan above described ; a few win- 

 dows on either side will accommodate the in- 

 gress and egress of the hay and afford venti- 

 lation, and a large door on either side will 

 make it complete and convenient. It is an im- 

 provement on such houses to have one of the 

 vertical strips of weatherboarding hung on 

 hinges at every tier, or every other tier, for 

 additional ventilation; and this is equally good 

 fur the hay. W. W. M. 



TOBACCO PLANT BEDS — ANOTHER 

 PLAN. 



New's Ferry Depot, ) 

 Jan. 26, 1857. } 



Mr. Rujfin — Dear Sir : I am very glad you 

 have enlarged the " Planter." * * * 



In your last number, (Jan'y), I notice two 

 articles upon plant raising. It is time the old 

 methods of raising plants should be discarded ; 

 and while I have my pen in hand will give you 

 a plan pursued by myself, and which I can re- 

 commend to the planters of Virginia. It is 

 simply this : select a place near a never-failing 

 branch or spring, burn well any time before 

 15th Feb'y, pulverize finely the soil with grub- 

 bing and hilling hoes, .sow two slightly heaped 

 tablespoonfulls of seed to 100 square yards — 

 then spread one large four horse wagon load of 

 fresh stable manure upon a bed of 1000 square 

 yards, and tread with the foot, after which put 

 brush on the bed only tolerably closely. On 

 beds burnt after 1st February rake off the ash- 

 es ; and leave them on beds burnt before that 

 time. Use no guano at time of burning. Bu}^ 

 a large garden or fire engine, with hose, (such 

 as is used by firemen) 50 feet long. 



The engine and hose will cost $65 or $70. — 

 Whenever there is danger of frost injuring 

 your plants throw water on them very early in 

 the morning, and should the bed become dry 



water it well, holding the thumb over the end 

 of the hose so as to make the water fall like 

 rain, and turn the end of the hose upwards. If 

 your plants turn yellow from bad burning, or 

 sobbing during rainy seasons, sow about 4 lbs. 

 of guano to 100 square yards on the plants af- 

 ter the leaves are as large as a dollar ; after 

 which, water them. In four days they will be 

 perfectly green and healthy; repeat the guano 

 if necessary. Three or four negroes can water 

 1000 square yards in two hours in very dry 

 weather. Plants will grow much faster from 

 watering them, than from rain, as the weather 

 is much warmer. By pursuing this plan, plants 

 can be had as early as you wish, and as many 

 as you want. Half the quantity of plant land 

 usually burnt will answer. From two thous- 

 and square yards, last year, I planted 240,000 

 hills, and re-planted about 60,000, and gave to 

 one of my brothers about 275,000 plants, ail of 

 good size, and in good time. If water had 

 been thrown on earlier, a much larger quantity 

 could have been raised. I have no doubt but 

 that, with the aid of this engine, plants may 

 be raised upon any kind of land in the greatest 

 abundance. The engine can be had from 

 Messrs. Cowing & Co., Seneca Falls, New York. 

 This mode of raising plants is worth all I have 

 ever seen published. A man may calculate 

 with certainty that he will have plants; and 

 tobacco flies and grasshoppe^ never trouble 

 him. He is independent of ram. 



Yours, &c, 



Sterling E. Edmunds. 



A NEW PRESCRIPTION FOR 

 HAPPINESS. 



We commend the following extract to our 

 friends. We have no doubt those in arrears 

 will find it efficacious, and it may be that an 

 advance will help those who have paid up like 

 men and yet feel badly. We certainly think 

 it worth a trial. 



I awoke this new year's morning with a de- 

 pression of spirits altogether unsuited to the* 

 season — what could be the matter ? I couldn't 

 enjoy my breakfast or the prattle of my child- 

 ren — in the language of the poet, (I always be- 

 come poetical when any thing weighs on my 

 mind, or my stomach,) " man. delighted me 

 not, nor woman neither," when all at once, like 

 an electric flash, it occurred to me that I might 

 be in debt to the Planter! Thinks I to myself, 

 if that's the cause of my trouble, I will try the 

 virtue a small remittance, without delay. So 

 here, I lay you down $5 — and strange as all 

 those who are in arrears may think of it, I 

 feel easier already. Hoping that all who owe 

 you for your valuable paper, may find ready 

 relief in the same way, 



I remain, as ever, very truly and affection- 

 ately, your friend. 



