THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



735 



know well how to construct, and various 

 summer-houses tastefully decorated, one 

 of which is called the 'Library of Ver- 

 dant Purity.' Between this part of the 

 garden and the straight walk already no- 

 ticed there is a small pond or lake for fish 

 and water lilies. This is crossed by a 

 zigzag wooden bridge of many arches, 

 which looked rather dilapidated." 



Maine Farmer. 



The Anthracite Coal Trade. 

 Thirty-one years ago the first coal went 

 to Philadelphia, being ten wagon loads 

 hauled over the mountains by George 

 Shoemaker of Pottsville. Very few per- 

 sons could be induced to purchase it, and 

 most of these were wholly unsuccessful 

 in their attempt to make it burn. Every- 

 body considered it a mere stone. Mr. 

 Shoemaker was denounced in all quarters 

 as a cheat, and measures were being taken 

 to arrest him for swindling; but he es- 

 caped arrest by leaving the city by a cir- 

 cuitous road, and did not stop until he had 

 got thirty miles on his homeward journey. 

 The most remarkable feature in this ex- 

 traordinary speculation was, that Mr. 

 Shoemaker did not himself know how to 

 make the coal burn. He was therefore 

 unable to convince the public that it really 

 would ignite. Had he experimented at 

 home, and brought with him a grate stove 

 in which to kindle a successful fire, the 

 exhibition would have, no doubt, hastened 

 full ten 3'ears the development of the coal 

 business. He reached home disgusted at 

 the belligerent temper of the citizens, and 

 heart-sick at the ill success of his adven- 

 ture. His reputation as an honest man 

 was rescued, however, by an iron master 

 in Delaware county, into whose hands 

 some of the repudiated mineral acciden- 

 tally fell. He tried coal, caused it to burn 

 freely with an intense heat, and was so 

 pleased with it that he proclaimed the fact 

 in the newspapers. This led others to 

 try, and they also succeeded ; the preju- 

 dice was removed, and consumption went 

 on from this disastrous beginning, until it 

 last year reached the enormous quantity 

 of 3,476,862 tons. But up to this date 

 the depression of manufacturing has 

 caused a reduction of $300,4300 tons to be 

 sent to market, and the whole year un- 

 doubtedly shows a falling off of full 600,- 

 000 tons. — Miner's Journal. 



The Best Wealth. 



The great, struggle with civilized men 

 in this world is for wealth. This is called 

 the prime good, the one thing needful, the 

 great desideratum of life. So men toil 

 for it ; sacrifice ease, comfort, health for 

 it; give time, strength, and too often good 

 character for it. The truth is, the estimate 

 put upon wealth is too high. Its value, its 

 good is over-rated. It is not the great 

 good. It is not the pearl of great price. 

 It is not the best thing man can have. It 

 does not confer peace of mind, nor purity 

 of heart, heartfelt happiness, nor content- 

 ment, nor home-joy, nor social blessed- 

 ness, nor any of the solid and enduring 

 enj oyments. 



Wealthy homes are not often happier 

 than those of the poor and comfortable 

 livers. Poverty is always an evil; but a 

 fair supply of the necessaries and com- 

 forts of life is quite as apt to confer real 

 peace, as great wealth. It is not gold nor 

 goods, therefore, that make men really 

 wealthy. The best wealth is of the heart, 

 an enlightened mind, a loyal conscience, 

 pure affections. He is wealthiest who has 

 the largest stock of wisdom, virtue and 

 love — whose heart beats with warm sym- 

 pathies for his fellow men, who finds good 

 in all seasons, all providences, and all 

 men. The generous man who pities the 

 unfortunate ; the pure man who resists 

 temptation ; the wise man who orders 

 well his life ; the loving man who clings 

 closely to his family and friends ; the stu- 

 dious man who seeks instruction in all 

 things, are the truly wealthy men. 



Valley Farmer. 



To make Pure Apple ¥/ine. 

 Take pure cider made from sound ripe 

 apples, as it runs from the press ; put 

 sixty pounds of common brown sugar into 

 fifteen gallons of the cider, and let it dis- 

 solve ; then put the mixture into a clean 

 barrel, and fill the barrel up to within two 

 gallons of being full of clean cider, put 

 the cask in a cool place, leaving the bung 

 out for forty-eight hours ; then put in the 

 bung, with a small vent, until fermenta- 

 tion wholly ceases, and bung up tight, and 

 in one year the wine will be fit for use. 

 This wine requires no racking; the longer 

 it .stands upon the lees, the better. — Maine 

 Farmer. 



