THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



37 



easiiy remedied by running a bush, wetted with 

 strong lime water, up and down a few times. 

 Indeed being heavier than atmospheric air, fixed 

 air may be dipped out in a close vessel, except 

 at the top, gently let down and drawn back 

 and carefully tilted over outside. 



One of my servants came near dying from 

 this cause. I went to the ice house and found 

 that a candle, became extinguished about six 

 feet below the surface. The Jimewater and 

 bush were run up and down a few times rapidly, 

 then the candle immediately burnt brilliantly 

 to the bottom. 



An Irish well-digger lost his life in my neigh- 

 borhood from a disregard of my advice. With- 

 out knowing the man I passed him one after- 

 noon, and heard a brisk talk between him and 

 another Irishman about the air in the well 

 which he was digging not being pure enough 

 to support the blaze of a candle. I halted and 

 cautioned the poor fellow against going m there 

 until he could get a burning candle or lamp to 

 the bottom, assuring him of the complete effi- 

 cacy of the bush and limewater. I know, said 

 he, "that will do for a mine but it won't do 

 for a well." I assured him the cause was the 

 same and the remedy the same in both cases — 

 again cautioning him to follow my advice at 

 the peril of his life. His reply was, "By 

 Jazus, I'll bet you a dollar against ten cents 

 that I am right." He went in recklessly the 

 next morning, hi spite of the remonstrance of 

 his employer, and lost his life by it in an in- 

 stant. I passed the place two or three hours 

 afterwards and found a crowd around the well, 

 trying to get out the dead body. One had 

 advised burning chips, and another a chafing- 

 dish of burning charcoal — all making the mat- 

 ter worse and worse. I went up and with some 

 difficulty prevailed upon the other Irishmen 

 present to try the bush and lime. A few passes 

 of the bush enabled the candle to burn to the 

 bottom, and the dead body was drawn up. So 

 much for bigotry — so much for chemistry. 

 Some knowledge of it seems necessary, from 

 the cook-shop to the palace. Even a good 

 oook is a pretty good chemist, without knowing 

 it 



T. H. A. 



February 4, 1855. 



For the Southern Planter. 



FRUIT TREES AND FRUIT CULTURE. 



Frank: Gr. Ruffin, Esq. 

 . Dear Sir,— The icy hand of winter has been 

 on us for the past twenty-three days; the earth 

 has been bound up with frost, and the ground | 



covered with snow. The cattle have picked 

 their food clean, and up to this time have win- 

 tered well. The most of our fat beeves have 

 gone to market, at prices ranging from $7 to 

 $9 50 at home. Up to the 22d of January 

 my sheep were not fed a handful, and looked 

 remarkably well, being regularly salted once a 

 week with other stock. The winter has been 

 uniformly dry and our roads good. Yesterday 

 and last night we had a good rain; the snow is 

 disappearing, and a smoky atmosphere indicates 

 a thaw. The birds are singing this morning, 

 and we may now look for a more genial season. 

 The spring is approaching, and I have con- 

 cluded to send you a further list of select fruits, 

 from which the amateur farmer and all lovers 

 of good fruit may select, with the assurance 

 that in due time they will reap an abundant 

 harvest, if they labor and faint not. But let 

 me admonish them that simply sticking a tree 

 in the ground will avail them little, without 

 good after-culture. They may, with the same 

 chance of success, plant a field of corn and 

 leave it to the grass and weeds. 



To begin right, select your orchard lot, and 

 enclose it well with a good fence. I like the 

 Jefferson fence best, or a better fence from 

 wood is made by a heavy hewed or sawed post, 

 4 inches thick and 9 inches broad, bored with 

 a 2J inch auger, for 5 large broad rails, with 

 the hearts up, well fitted; the posts set in the 

 ground 2 feet deep, and the upper rails pinned 

 with an inch auger through the post. Such a 

 fence, well put together, of locust or cedar 

 posts and chestnut rails, will need little repair 

 for twenty years. Cherry Grove, the farm now 

 owned by Mr. McClung Patton, formerly the 

 residence of the late Col. James McDowell, 

 one mile above Fairfield in our county, has such 

 a fence, not of as heavy material as I have de- 

 scribed, or as well put up, which I have known 

 for thirty-five years; how long it was put up 

 before I saw it first, I cannot say, but perhaps 

 ten or fifteen years ; it is now going to decay, 

 but with repairs might yet last ten years. The 

 material is chestnut and locust. Col. McDowell 

 was an eminently practical man, of great good 

 common sense, and one of the best magistrates 

 known in the county of Rockbridge. 



I make the Jefferson fence by cutting my 

 stakes 6 J feet long, sharpening the lower end, 

 and make a pin 2 or 2 J inches on top, to fit a 

 cap, usually made of chestnut, 1 1 inches thick, 

 and bored by a 2 or 2£ inch auger. These are 

 my wet day jobs. The stakes are better to 

 be seasoned. Let every thing be prepared in 

 winter, or of wet days, and ready for use. 

 When needed, take a heavy crowbar 4 or 5 

 feet long, a little sharpened, and one good hand, 



