THE'SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



440 



shaded with grey along the margin near 

 the upper wings. 



Specimens of these caterpillars were 

 brought to me when at Savannah, in Geor- 

 gia, and they were suspected to have in- 

 jured the rice in that vicinity in the month 

 of June. Colonel Whitner, of Tallahas- 

 see, in his interesting communication to 

 this Office, speaks of the grass-caterpillar 

 as having stripped fields of grass, in 1845, 

 and also as attacking the corn, sugar-cane 

 and upland rice. It has likewise been 

 said that an insect similar, if not identical 

 with the grass-caterpiliar, destroys the 

 leaves of the sweet potato. Thus it ap- 

 pears to be almost omnivorous, and not 

 choice in its selection of food, like the 

 true cotton-caterpillar, which is believed 

 to confine itself to the cotton-plant alone. 



Agricultural Report. 



Reform in Inspections of Tobacco. 



The merchants in Richmond, engaged in the 

 sale of Tobacco, have held a meeting, and 

 stated certain grievances and asked certain re- 

 forms in the Inspections of Tobacco, as will 

 be seen in the proceedings below. 



They have given us an additional argument 

 against the whole law of Inspections, which 

 we would use if we thought it worth while to 

 take up again a subject which we have once 

 treated at considerable length. But as we had 

 the pleasure of ascertaining on that occasion 

 that our remarks were received with consider- 

 able indifference, we do not feel it our duty to 

 renew them. As far as we can, however, we 

 shall cheerfully co-operate with the merchants 

 in this matter ; but we cannot help thinking, 

 that if they had held this meeting some time 

 ago, and had then co-operated with the Exe- 

 cutive Committee of the Virginia State Agri- 

 cultural Society in the reform they proposed, 

 that the whole Inspections of Virginia, which 

 are a mere mockery and a nuisance, so far, 

 we mean, as inspection of quality is concerned, 

 might, by this time, have been on a better 

 footing, and some progress have been made 

 towards a complete reform. 

 Tobacco Inspections and Sales — Meeting of 

 Merchants. 



A meeting of the Commission Merchants for 

 the sale of Tobacco, was held on Saturday af- 

 ternoon, 6th inst., in the office recently occu- 

 pied by Preston & Enders, and was organized 



by calling T. James Dcane to the chair, and ap- 

 pointed Henry C. Watkins, Secretary. The 

 chair having explained the object of the meet- 

 ing, Mr. B. M. Jones offered the following res- 

 olution, which was adopted, viz : 



Resolved, That the Chairman appoint a Com- 

 mittee of five Commission Merchants, to re- 

 port to an adjourned meeting, to be held in 

 this room on Saturday, the 13th inst., at 4 

 o'clock, P. M., as to the best manner of re- 

 moving the grievances under which the plant- 

 ing interest is now labouring, in regard to the 

 manner of storing, inspecting, and selling To- 

 bacco — whereupon the chair announced the 

 following gentlemen as said Committee, viz : 

 C R. Barksdale, D. P. Gooch, W. K. Martin, 

 R. H. Dibrell, J. M. Sheppard, Jr., and, on 

 motion, the Chairman was added ; and then, on 

 motion, the meeting adjourned to meet again 

 at 4 o'clock, on the 13th inst. 



At an adjourned meeting of the Commission 

 Merchants of the city of Richmond, on the 

 13th day of June, 1857, Mr. Deane took the 

 chair, and Mr. Watkins being absent, W. H. 

 Maddux was elected Secretary : 



It was then moved and carried, " That the 

 Inspectors at the several Warehouses be in- 

 vited to attend and participate in the proceed- 

 ings ;" and Col. McDeartnon of Sh jckoe Ware- 

 house having appeared, the Committee ap- 

 pointed at a previous meeting for the purpose 

 of investigating certain irregularities, on the 

 part of the Tobacco Inspectors of the city of 

 Richmond, growing out of the manner in 

 which business has been conducted at the 

 Warehouses under their charge, through their 

 Chairman, Col. Barksdale, submitted the fol- 

 lowing report, charges, and resolutions, which 

 were adopted : 



Your Committee deprecate much the neces- 

 sity which impels them as Commission Mer- 

 chants to set forth any charges for the dere- 

 liction of duty against these public officers, 

 but in ju&tice to themselves and the large 

 planting interest represented, by the. members 

 of this meeting, they feel called upon to state 

 fairly and candidly the grievances which afflict 

 the Tobacco trade of the city, hoping thereby 

 to lead to the adoption of better regulations, 

 as it regards receiving and inspecting Tobacco. 

 And here your Committee would take espe- 

 cial pains to correct the impression on the 

 minds of some, that this meeting, by its ac- 

 tion, proposes to throw any obstacle whatever 

 in the way of planters, who may choose to sell 

 their produce through the agency of the In- 

 spectors. They indignantly deny such a 

 charge ; but they do affirm, that when Inspec- 

 tors, by their acts, become Commission Mer- 

 chants, by soliciting consignments, and making 

 advances on same, they do violate the spirit, 

 if not the letter, of the Inspection laws of the 

 State ; that the Inspector was appointed to 

 stand between the buyer and seller, and to de- 



