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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



twenty. If the farmers in Duchess county were 

 to know that here they could purchase for twenty 

 dollars an acre farms in the healthiest region of 

 the world, adorned with the most beautiful of 

 mountain scenery, surrounded with the most po- 

 lite and cultivated society, the soil an admirable 

 mixture of clay and sand, upon which the 

 growth of clover is almost indigenous, and where 

 plaster acts like a charm, they would not remain 

 in New York, nor would they purchase the 

 thin, exhausted lands upon which they are set- 

 tling in the county of Fairfax. 



It has been the fashion in Virginia, possibly 

 there may have been a time when circumstances 

 justified it, for farmers to neglect all minor con- 

 siderations for the cultivation of three or four great 

 staples. But the day has come when the over- 

 production of these staples calls loudly for a di- 

 version of labor. The products of the dairy in 

 the shape of butter and cheese, promise to con- 

 stitute very shortly no inconsiderable item in the 

 list of American exports, whilst the home de- 

 mand is almost unlimited. How is that home 

 demand supplied in Virginia? We take the 

 city of Richmond as the basis of our calculation. 



Out of the thousands of pounds of American 

 cheese that are annually sold in this market, not 

 one pound is the product of our own soil. Yet 

 are our farmers daily complaining of the unpro- 

 fitable prices of corn, wheat, and tobacco. 



Why then do you let the North furnish your 

 own market with cheese at ten and twelve cents 

 a pound, and get rich by doing so ? We wish 

 we had the data by which to ascertain how 

 much the State of Virginia is good for to the 

 cheese maker of New England. Is not the 

 idea of such a country as this importing her 

 cheese, or any other agricultural product, pre- 

 posterous in the extreme ; could such a state of 

 things now exist but for the continuance of an 

 old system long after the reasons upon which it 

 was founded have ceased to exist ? 



Suppose a farmer in the county of Orange or 

 Albemarle would say to his wife — here are 

 twenty cows — go with me to the North, visit 

 their dairies, learn the best mode of making 

 cheese and butter, then come home and take 

 to yourself the profits of your dairy. The lady's 

 cows, in our opinion, would be more profitable 

 than the gentleman's tobacco crop, and we 

 wouldn't be at all surprised to see him borrowing 

 from his wife before the end of the year. 



In sober earnest, we sincerely hope that the 



defects in our dairy establishments, or rather the 

 total want of such establishments, in Virginia, 

 will soon be remedied. A love of comfort and 

 a desire for profit equally demand improvement 

 in this respect. 



HEALTH AND COMFORT, 



To prevent cold feet, wash them frequently, 

 and rub them thoroughly with a coarse cloth; 

 this removes obstructions from the pores, and 

 produces a healthy state which is conducive to 

 warmth. When the feet appear clean, the pores 

 may be obstructed and the perspiration impeded 

 so as to produce discomfort, and in some measure 

 injure the health. 



To prevent cold feet at night, in addition to 

 the cleansing process, take off the stockings a 

 short time before retiring, and with them rub the 

 feet hard until they are not only warm, but be- 

 gin to feel hot. This will greatly add to plea- 

 sure and health, which, in many cases, greatly 

 depend on things which may to some appear 

 trifling. 



To keep the feet dry, use good stout boots or 

 shoes, and stuff the leather, upper and lower, 

 full of some waterproof composition. Tar is a 

 good ingredient, as it will bend and not break. 

 Two parts of tar, two of beefs tallow, and one 

 of beeswax, make a good composition for boots 

 and shoes. Apply it quite warm, and warm 

 the leather, that it may penetrate. As farmers 

 are generally exposed to wet, they should be 

 careful to keep their feet dry and warm, for on 

 this their health and comfort, in a good measure, 

 depend. 



There are many kinds of composition that 

 are good to resist water, and preserve leather, 

 and the proportions of the above may be varied. 

 Tar and tallow will answer well alone ; so will 

 tallow and beeswax. Linseed oil is used as a 

 good ingredient in water-proof composition.— 

 Neat's foot oil is excellent and preserves the 

 leather soft. Castor oil has been highly recom- 

 mended for this purpose. — American Agriculturist 



INDIAN CORN. 



We know of no authority more orthodox 

 upon agricultural subjects than the accomplished 

 writer and practical agriculturist who edits the 

 American Farmer. From his pen we select the 

 following article upon the engrossing topic of 

 the season : 



CORN PLANTING TIME CORN CULTURE. 



As the time has already arrived in many parts 

 of our far-reaching country to plant corn, and in 

 a few weeks more it will be time every where, 



