THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



81 



bular estimate shows a decrease in this crop, it 

 should be remembered, that its quality is much 

 better than many previous crops, and there can 

 be no doubt that the income derived from the 

 sales will be much more than from the receipts 

 for the crop of 1843. Mr. E. expresses the 

 opinion, that China will open a considerable sale 

 for tobacco, as the milder kinds are profitable. 

 The Chinese, it appears, use immense quantities 

 of their own raising : it is, however, of a very 

 inferior quality. The captains and crews of 

 ships find a ready sale for the small quantities 

 taken out by them. The remaining observa- 

 tions of Mr. Ellsworth (being chiefly extracts 

 from Dr. Gardner's Essays) have already ap- 

 peared in this journal — and the communication 

 of our worthy correspondent, Dr. Venable, of 

 Lunenburg, on the remedy to prevent the fly, is 

 copied in the report of the Commissioner of 

 Patents. 



Cotton. — The reader will find much valua- 

 ble matter on this crop, its cultivation, &c; also, 

 a communication on cotton beds, their great va- 

 lue and cheapness; and an able article from a 

 Liverpool journal on the Liverpool cotton mar- 

 ket of 1844. 



We pass over, necessarily, the portions of the 

 report devoted to rice, sugar and silk. 



That portion of the report devoted to " other 

 products for cultivation" embraces a great va- 

 riety of subjects. We will notice a few facts 

 which may interest our readers. 



Madder. — The increasing demand for this 

 production, its adaptation to the soil of a large 

 section of our country, and the high price it 

 yields, offer inducements for its cultivation. The 

 prices for madder range, according to a late Li- 

 verpool price-current from £3 to £4, and mad- 

 der roots about £4 9s. The minimum rate in 

 New York is fifteen cents per pound. An ex- 

 perienced individual thinks that the best Missis- 

 sippi bottoms would yield 3,000 lbs. per acre, 

 making about $450 in the three years usually 

 allowed for the roots. More than one million of 

 dollars are paid abroad annually for madder. A 

 full account of its mode of cultivation will be 

 found in the appendix to the report. 



The reader will find much profitable informa- 

 tion with regard to the cultivation of mustard, 

 indigo, root crops, pumpkins, melons, strawber- 

 ries, celery, &c, all of which we have not even 

 space to notice. 



Under the head of " preparation of soil, seed, 

 &c." the Commissioner notices the various ex- 

 periments on the preparation of seed by steeps, 

 and the quantity of seed to be sown, giving a 

 practical and well prepared paper from a foreign 

 journal, showing the injury and waste of grain 

 from too thick sowing. The benefits of subsoil 

 ploughing, from repeated experiments, are en- 

 forced. It is known that below the upper soil 

 is another, composed of different chemical ele- 

 Vol. V.— 11 



ments, and in various combinations. It may 

 often be, therefore, that by bringing up the sub- 

 soil, the very constituents which are deficient in 

 the upper, may be thus supplied, or the excess 

 in that may be neutralized in this. By deep 

 ploughing and turning up the subsoil and thus 

 loosening the earth, the benefits to the plant (the 

 roots of some extend far) will be obvious. 



Much curious and interesting matter is given 

 on the value and application of guano, and other 

 manures. This portion of the report is not as 

 valuable as that of last year, in our judgment. 



Many experiments and their results on feed- 

 ing horses, cattle and other animals are given. 

 On the subject of fattening animals the result of 

 the various experiments are embraced in the fol- 

 lowing particulars, as it appears to us : 1st. The 

 animals should be warm and quiet. 2d. The 

 food should be prepared (by steaming or cook- 

 ing) so as to be most easily digested. 3d. Mix 

 the food, and remember that the more oil in the 

 food, the faster the animal will fatten — though 

 too much might make the meat soft. 



In passing, we observe the following direc- 

 tions for preparing land for squashes (cymlins): 

 take well rotted manure, mix with it ashes, 

 slacked lime, and a little sprinkling of fine salt; 

 mix well and put about a spadeful to the hill : 

 the salt and lime destroy the slugs, worms, &c. 

 ***** 



We find that in the short space of one year 

 69 patents have been granted for applications 

 pertaining to agriculture (including instruments 

 and operations.) Among them are patents for 

 ploughs, cultivators, potato-digging instruments, 

 &c. Also an improvement has been made in 

 grain cradles, by making the teeth of hollow 

 metal, filling them with wood sufficient to insure 

 strength. The teeth glide easily through the 

 grain, and do not warp. Wheat-fans are im- 

 proved by the use of the spiral fan in place of 

 the flutter wheel fan. Patents have been granted 

 to modes of operating screens or sieves so as to 

 give the motion imparted to them when used in 

 the hand. 



Should this hasty notice of a portion of this 

 valuable report induce any of our readers to pro- 

 cure it (either the Government or other editions) 

 and induce them to read it, we should take plea- 

 sure in the thought that we had thus rendered 

 them service. The report, by the way, would 

 form a valuable addition to our annual volume, 

 and being thus bound up with it, would make 

 a good size volume. 



Should we find space for further notice of this 

 document, we hope to transfer extracts from it 

 to the pages of the Planter. W. 



March 4, 1845. 



Candles may be made to burn their own wicks 

 by saturating them with a strong solution of 



