804 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



the soil, and the latter in the atmosphere, and the 

 soil having been left in an open, friable condition 

 by previous and recent tillage, their growth conse- 

 quently was rapid, and their appropriating and im- 

 proving powers increased, pari passu, with their 

 growth. 



It is highly probable that most of the soils of 

 middle Virginia would be benefited by livie, which 

 is, doubtless, greatly to be preferred for most of 

 them, to ordinary marls, and could it be got tolera- 

 bly free from magnesia and silica, and at a reason- 

 able cost, say eight or ten cents per bushel, many 

 would be induced to venture an outlay. But at its 

 present cost, of twenty to twenty-five cents, its use 

 even in composts, is of doubtful propriety. Most 

 of our soils having much black sand, contain a 

 good deal of lime in the form of an insoluble " silicate 

 of lime,^^ which slowly decomposes in the soil un- 

 der atmospheric influences. And the writer has 

 never examined any soil, however poor, that did 

 not contain at least a trace of soluble lime. Quick- 

 lime on all these lands, however, would doubtless be 

 very beneficial, as they have not at anj^ time a suffi- 

 ciency of available lime to produce the necessary 

 decomposition in the soil. Probably the most im- 

 portant offices performed in the soil by lime are its 

 decomposition of inert vegetable and mineral mat- 

 ters, and its conversion of insoluble /ludlus into so- 

 luble humates by first forming ^' huviic acid" which 

 in turn unites with the various alkalies present in 

 the soil, and forms soluble salts, such as the "Am- 

 mates" of lime, ammonia, potassa, d^c. 



Under all the circumstances it would be vain to 

 expect to imi)rove, in any short time, many of these 

 lands. Ours is strictly a tobacco region, and we 

 naturally look more to profit than improvement; 

 still, under a proper system of cultivation and ro- 

 tation, and by a judicious management and appli- 

 cation of manures, much may be accomplished in 

 the end, and our farming account in the long run 

 be made to foot up quite as well as the average of 

 those in far more highly favored sections. Let 

 every farmer in middle Virginia make all the ma- 

 nure he can and take care not to apply it too coarse, 

 and at the same time let him see that it is not al- 

 lowed to get too hot by heaping. Let every negro 

 quarter have a close pen at hand in which to col- 

 lect all the wood ashes of the farm, every bushel 

 (jfi which is more "than equivalent to an equal mea- 

 sure of caustic lime — plough his land deeply and 

 thoroughly — encourage grass by sowing a plenty 

 of seed, and be certain to roll well close after sow- 

 ing — graze moderately with few cattle and those 

 the best, and rest assured he will have the satisfac- 

 tion of seeing, in a few years, his farm both " dura- 

 bly and profitably improved." 



P. B. Pendleton. 



Louisa County, Va. 



Cabbage Worms. — The Charleston Mercury tells 

 us that John Farrar, one of the most practica,l far- 

 mers in the State, says these destructive insects 

 may be destroyed in the following easy and simple 

 way: "Break off" a large leaf from the bottom of 

 the cabbage, and place it on top, upper side down. 

 Do this in the evening, and in the morning you will 

 find near or quite all the worms on each cabbage 

 have taken up their quarters on this leaf. Take 

 ofi* the leaf and kill them, or feed them to the 

 chickens and place the leaf back if there be any 

 to catch." 



From the Ohio Cultivator. 

 PURE JUICE OF THE GRAPE. 



We hardly need to inform our readers that we 

 are advocates of total abstinence from all intoxi- 

 cating drinks, including even Ohio native wines 

 when fermented, as they thereby become intoxi- 

 cating. But we take pleasure in announcing that 

 a process has been discovered by which the pure 

 juice of the Catawba grape can be bottled and pre- 

 served without fermentation, and consequently, con- 

 taining no alcohol, while the delicious aroma and 

 flavor of the grape are finely preserved, rendering 

 the wine a most refreshing beverage, such as every 

 philanthropist might feel pleasure in seeing intro- 

 duced as the common drink of the people. 



The only manufacturer of this unfermented Ca- 

 tawba wine, that we know of as yet, is Charles J. 

 Schumann, Esq., one of the most extensive grape 

 culturists and wine makers of Cincinnati. Mr. S. 

 sent some of this kind of wine to the London Ex- 

 hibition in 1851, where it was highly complimented 

 by amateurs, and obtained a prize medal. It is 

 also becoming highly popular in Cincinnati, and 

 some of the eastern cities, especially for the use 

 of invalids and ladies, and for churches; and if 

 our own opinion is wanted, we can say that we only 

 wish that it could be made so cheaply that we and 

 all our readers who pleased, could afford to drink 

 a glass or two at dinner every day during the hot 

 weather. We have resolved to plant a small vine- 

 yard on Madura Farm next season, in the hope 

 that by the time the vines come into bearing we 

 shall learn the secret of making this unfermented 

 wine, for the use of our family and friends. 



The principal agents for the sale of Mr. Schu- 

 mann's wine in Cincinnati, are H. H. Southgate, J, 

 D. Park and Allison Owen. Mr. S. resides at his 

 farm and vineyards, about eight miles below the 

 city, on the Ohio river and St. Louis Rail Road. 



The following certificate is appended to the label 

 of the Sweet Catawba wine bottles: 



This is to certify that we have chemically ex- 

 amined Mr. C. A. Schumann's Sweet Catwba wine, 

 and found the same to be the pure unfermented 

 juice of the grape, free from any alcohol, the sac- 

 charine matter of the juice i^reserved in its natural 

 state by arresting the fermentation. 



W B. Chapman,) 

 E. S. Wayne, ) 



Cincinnati, Nov. 3, 1853. 



DISINFECTING OF PUTRID, NOXIOUS GASES. 



The following is from the Courier & Enquirer, 

 by E. Merriam, and will be found very efiicacious 

 for the purposes specified : 



A simple, cheap and easy way of disinfecting 

 putrid, noxious, faetid and mephtic gases, and pu- 

 trid animal matter, may be accomplished by the 

 free use of soda ash and quick lime. Dissolve 25 

 lbs. of soda ash in five buckets of boiling hot wa- 

 ter, and while hot slake 25 lbs. of quick lime, and 

 as soon as slaked, (which, if the lime is good, will 

 not exceed five minutes,) mix the fresh slaked lime 

 while hot with the solution of the soda ash, stirring 

 it thoroughly for five minutes, by which time the 

 lime will have taken up the carbonic acid of the 

 soda ash ; then pour the hot mixture into the privy 

 vault, and it will in a few hours convert the impure 

 and fsetid gases into ammonia, and entirely divest 



