THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



at, the latter must also have a share of the 

 credit. Listen — 



" Iron-ploughs, as Kimble's, as Howard's and Ball; 

 Twin harrows and scufflers, made large or small. 

 I have ploughs, too, for draining, for ridging and 

 hoeing ; 



Clod-crushers and rollers, to prepare for sowing. 

 Without manure-boxes, or with, I make drills. 

 From one to ten coulters. Bean, cake, or malt 

 mills." 



Then as to carts — 



" The tipping apparatus is simple and sound, 

 Surpassing all others its service is found. 

 The self-acting tail-board is, too, a good plan, 

 And must be approved of by master and man ; 

 It hangs upon hinges — no need to take off — 

 Folds under the cart-frame, and catches aloft, 

 To York I first sent it to meet public eyes; 

 The Royal Society to me gave the prize; 

 Prince Albert and noblemen all did declare, 

 ' It's the best one-horse cart that I have seen here.' " 



With a little chaff, we have done — 



" Sir, have you chaff-machines now worked by man 1 



I recommend horse-power, my late improved, plan ; 



Many of them I have just lately put down, 



That give satisfaction to farmers around. 



And if you should doubt — hear what I now say — 



You can go to see them ; they're at work to-day. 



I fix it for cutting aloft if you please ; 



And one horse can work it — an old hack with ease. 



Without e'er a driver, one man with two boys, 



Can cut eighty bushels an hour without noise." 



Opinions may possibly differ as to the merits 

 of this poetic effusion; but there is no differ- 

 ence of opinion as to the simple fact, that agri- 

 cultural implement-makers have placed" the 

 means of great advancement within the reach 

 of farmers. In 1851, Mr. Pusey made this 

 important statement, that the improvement in 

 farming-implements made within the preceding 

 dozen years, had been such as to insure a saving 

 on outgoings, or an increase of incomings, of 

 not less than one-half on all the main branches 

 of farming-labor. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 SODA WATER. 



Mr. Editor, — I send you a receipt for making 

 soda water, by the use of which every man may 

 have at command this delightful summer drink. 

 It is made thus : — Take of tartaric acid a quarter 

 of a pound, white sugar three pounds, boiling wa- 

 ter four pints. Dissolve the acid and sugar in the 

 water, and add, to flavor it, three table spoonfuls 

 of essence of lemon. Put two table spoonfuls of 

 this syrup in half a glass of cold water, and stir 

 in half a tea-spoonful of powdered soda. It effer- 

 vesces finely, and is as pleasant and more whole- 

 some than the soda water of the shops. 



I would recommend it to those who suffer from 

 acidity of stomach after dining. 



Yours, Economist. 



173 



From the Soil of the South. 



PREMIUM ESSAY ON HILL-SIDE DITCHING. 



Read before the Second Annual Fair of the Georgia 

 and. Alabama Agricultural Society. 



BY NELSON CLAYTON. 



In performing this indispensable work for 

 the preservation and improvement of land, 

 there is a great diversity of opinion as to the 

 best manner in which it is to be done — differ- 

 ing, too, as to the most essential points. But 

 this difference is the result, in a great degree, 

 of the diversity and irregularity of our hills, 

 knobs and valleys, as well as of the nature of 

 the soil. If all our land requiring ' hill-side 

 ditches were a perfect inclined plain, with the 

 same grade from top to bottom, perhaps this 

 difference would not exist — or if it did, it 

 would be much easier to ascertain and correct 

 the errors and establish something like a uni- 

 form system. Under the many disadvantages 

 by which the work is surrounded, all that can 

 be done is to lay down some general rules, 

 leaving the balance to the experience and prac- 

 tical sense of the operator. "In a multitude 

 of counsel there is safety." I will therefore 

 give here the result of several years' experi- 

 ence and close observation, prefacing it with 

 the hope it may be found of some little service 

 to some one desirous of information upon the 

 subject — not claiming for my essay anything 

 on account of literary merit. 



The frame with which I work is made of 

 two pieces of plank nine feet long, three and a 

 half inches wide, three quarters of an inch 

 thick. Fasten the upper ends of the planks 

 together in the form of a compass, or rafter, 

 placing the lower ends fifteen feet apart. Four 

 feet nine inches from the lower ends of each 

 piece (this can be varied, however, to suit the 

 height of the person who is to carry the frame) 

 attach two small slips of plank (one and a half 

 inches by five-eighths) upon opposite sides 

 across them, which are to act as a support for 

 the water or spirit level, as well as to fasten 

 the two arms of the compass or frame toge- 

 ther, and make them steady. It will also be 

 better to fasten these two narrow strips toge- 

 ther in two or three places to make them more 

 firm. On the middle of these two narrow 

 strips is fastened the level. There can be no 

 doubt of its superiority over the plumb-line on 

 account of its requiring less time to use it, 

 particularly on a wintry day. The frame can 

 now be taken to some place that is perfectly 

 level, and by reversing the ends, ascertain that 

 it is right. If it is not perfectly level, it can 

 be made so by moving one end of the cross 



