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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER, 



From the Michigan Farmer. 

 How to make a Sound Shingle Eoof. 



Mr. Editor: — As I have had something to 

 do with the carpenter's trade, I thought that I 

 would give some of my ideas about that kind 

 of work. I have often noticed the roofs of 

 buildings that had some holes through them. 

 The question occurred to me to find out what 

 the reason was that a hole should come in one 

 place and not in another, and on examination 

 I found the fault to be in the laying of the 

 shingle, and that nine-tenths of the mechanics 

 make the same mistake in laying shingles. I 

 presume that some of my old friends will think 

 that I am a little green to think of teaching 

 them how to do as simple a piece of work as 

 to lay a shingle, but perhaps I shall give them 

 a new idea. I now ask any of them to ex- 

 amine their roofs, and see if they cannot find 

 some of the very places that I shall describe. 

 I shall commence to describe the bad places by 

 taking four courses and numbering them. No. 

 1 is five shingles long. The first and last 

 shingle of the course are four inches wide ; 

 the three middle shingles are eight inches wide. 

 This will form the first course. The next course 

 is 4 shingles 8 inches wide. These cover the same 

 length and make No. 2. No. 3 is the same as 

 No. 1, and No. 4 as No. 2. Now, many at the 

 first sight will say we have a good roof and 

 the joints well broke. But let us examine a 

 little and see. The second course in the joint 

 of the third course is but one thickness of 

 shingle through to the roof-board, (and that, 

 too, at the second space of the shingle, as a 

 shingle is usually divided into three spaces,) 

 and in process of time the shingle will wear 

 through and leave a hole through the roof, 

 while the rest of the roof is good. 



I am aware that shingles are of varied 

 widths, and do not come all in the form that 

 I have shown ; but I take this wayto show 

 how to find the bad places. I shall now give 

 my rule for laying shingles, and how to avoid 

 such bad places in a roof, for they occur in 

 most of roofs, if the workmen do not know 

 how to avoid them. You must be careful not 

 to make a joint directly over the joint of the 

 second course below the one you are laying; 

 or in other words, to break joints with the two 

 last courses that you have lain. 



A. C. Briggs. 



Oceola, March, 1857. 



-Mulching. 



This is a term used by horticulturists for 

 shading the ground around growing trees, 

 shrubs, and plants. There are many plants so 

 delicate in their structure, that they absolutely 

 require mulching the first summer, to ensure 

 their roots a firm hold in -the ground. But as 

 most of our summers are so dry and hot, there 

 are few plants that are not benefitted by 

 mulching. 



If the ground around fruit trees is cleaned 

 of the weeds and grass, and mulched with 

 Reaves or straw, immediately after a rain, the 

 tree will be invigorated, and a fine crop of 

 fruit will be the reward. Roses that are wilt- 

 ing, and showing a sickly bloom, Avill b.e re- 

 vived, and bloom in beauty, by mulching when 

 the ground is moist. The Dahlia, a plant that 

 requires a great deal of moisture, will bloom in 

 perfection until frost, if kept properly mulched 

 throughout the summer. Now, when we re- 

 commend mulching we do not mean a few 

 leaves or straws placed immediately around 

 the plant, but a coating so thick that the sun 

 cannot penetrate through, and placed as far 

 from the plant or tree, as the influence of the 

 roots extend. Anything that will shade the 

 ground : rock, brick or plank, will answer to 

 mulch with ; but substances that in their de- 

 composition will make a soil, are decidedly 

 preferable. The native forests mulch them- 

 selves, and we see how rank and vigorous they 

 grow. We think, that unless the surface be 

 kept constantly stirred around a tree or plant, 

 the rays of the sun should never rest upon it. 

 Those who look upon labour and effort as a 

 great bug-bear, may get along without mulch- 

 ing. But those who mulch properly, actually 

 save time and labour, for when it is well done, 

 the labour is done for the year, and the soil is 

 all the time being enriched, as the plant grows 

 and perfects itself. Therefore, we say to the 

 orchardist, mulch around your fruit trees ; to 

 the vine-grower, mulch around the grape vines ; 

 to the gardener, mulch among the vegetables; 

 to our fair lady florists, mulch among the 

 flowers, mulch — mulch— mulch. Never tire of 

 mulching. — Soil of the South. 



For the Southern Planter. 



A Wheat or Corn Crop saved by Chickens, 



I was informed a few days ago by a gentle- 

 man well known in this communit}', that a, 

 neighbour of his on discovering that the chinch 

 bug had just entered his corn or wheat field at 

 one particular point, determined at once to 

 adopt a plan (suggested to him by a friend) 

 for their destruction. Accordingly he had a 

 number of chicken-coops, made just when the 

 bugs had commenced depredating, into each of 

 which he put a hen with a brood of small 

 chickens ; and sat down to watch the result, 

 which in a short time began to manifest a fa- 

 vorable result. The chickens like bees or ants 

 seemed to be unceasing in their labours of de- 

 struction of the bugs, and in a few days he had 

 the happiness to see that the number of bugs 

 were greatly decreasing instead of increasing ; 

 and in one week's time could not find a bug — 

 thus he saved his crop. If necessary Fll give 

 the names as reported to me. Farmers, try it # 



. G. W. 



