180 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



tions of these two bases, so that in relation to these 

 at least, you may regard your soil as absolutely 

 inexhaustible. The very rapid disintegration of 

 the rocks on your farm, wherever they are exposed 

 to the weather is, 'without doubt, due to the pre- 

 sence of the alkalies, particularly potassa, in large 

 quantity. 



In conclusion, I would remark, that I have de- 

 termined the proportions of lime, magnesia, potas- 

 sa, soda, sulphuric acid, and chlorine, with the ut- 

 most care, and am positive that the proportions 

 given, are close approximations to the truth, in 

 spite of the assertions of those who say that ana- 

 lytical chemistry is not equal to the task of deter- 

 mining them. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



William Gilham. 



NELSON'S GUANO ATTACHMENT. 



We call the attention of that portion of our subscribers 

 who use guano, to the advertisement of the above machine. 

 It was exhibited last fall at the Fair, and was approved by 

 all who saw it. It is the implement to which a late letter 

 of our friend, H. M. Nelson, Esq., of Clarke county, referred, 

 and certificates of whose successful action were sent us, 

 and we think, published in the Planter last fall or late in 

 the summer. We have never seen the machine operate, 

 but we know Mr. Nelson to be a perfectly reliable gentle- 

 man as to any fact he may state, and we can say the same 

 thing of all his endorsers. 



HUNT'S MERCHANTS' MAGAZINE AND DeBOW'S 

 REVIEW. 



We receive each of these admirable publications regu- 

 larly every month.. We estimate them as highly as we do 

 any others that we get. Each of them is indispensable to 

 us, and we should think they would be to every farmer in 

 the country who desires to keep up with the commercial 

 and statistical information of the day and our whole indus- 

 trial interests. 



The one is edited and published by Freeman Hunt, in 

 New York city, at $5 per annum — the other by Prof. J. D. 

 B. DeBow in New Orleans, on the same terms. ' 



We feel not the slightest hesitation in advising every 

 man of liberal and comprehensive views to subscribe for 

 these publications. 



ACCEPTANCE OF MR. TIMBERLAKE'S CHAL- 

 LENGE TO DISCUSS THE MAINE LIQUOR LAW. 



The following article which, as its date shows, was pre- 

 pared some time ago, has been sent us as an acceptance of 

 he Rev. Walter Timberlake's challenge lately published 

 in this paper. 



Mr. Editor, — I very much regret that you have 

 denied the privilege to one of your subscribers to 

 be heard in reply to my late communication upon 

 the subject of the Maine liquor law, as I desire no 

 exclusive privilege over any opponent upon any 

 subject or question that may arise. I thought, 

 (though I must yield to your better judgment,) 

 that the Maine Liquor Law was a fit subject to be 

 discussed in an agricultural paper, and that I ex- 



pected a reply, it was what I wanted — you will 

 therefore say to your friend and subscriber who 

 sent you the reply, that I will meet him upon any 

 theatre, to discuss the constitutionality of the 

 Maine Liquor Law, provided he does not take me 

 out of my own county to do so — as I have no idea 

 of becoming a salaried agent or a travelling mis- 

 sionary in any cause. I am no lawyer, but I am a 

 plain, humble small farmer, and have to attend to 

 my own business, and have but little time to write, 

 and no time to travel abroad: fair play, free trade, 

 and constitutional rights, is all that I contend for. 

 I am told that the Richmond Examiner will pub- 

 lish both sides of this question, if so, your friend 

 and subscriber can send his reply to that paper if 

 he is a subscriber to it, and if not, if he will be- 

 come a subscriber, and send me the number con- 

 taining his reply, I pledge myself forthwith to be- 

 come a subscriber to the Examiner — where we can 

 discuss the subject calmly and respectfully without 

 any vituperation whatever. I am as unalterably 

 fixed upon the temperance question as any man 

 can be, and am in favor of temperance after the 

 manner and recommendation of St. Paul. I will 

 notice no reply whatever unless it is signed by the 

 author's own proper name, for I always like to 

 know the calibre of the gun that I have to shoot 

 against, as I may know what sort of me^al to use — 

 or " choose the better part of valor, discretion." 



Jesse Hargrave. 

 Sussex County, Dec. 27, 1853. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 DISTEMPER IN CATTLE. 



Mr. Editor, — Whilst I have pen in hand, I will 

 say to those of your readers who have the distem- 

 per amongst their cattle, to fill a trough nearly 

 full of red clay, and sprinkle over liberally with 

 salt, and put it in the lot where they run or are 

 penned, so that they can have free access to it; 

 and, according to my experience of some 12 or 15 

 years, it will be a preventive to the further rava- 

 ges of this disease. I omitted it one year, Wm 

 lost several of my cattle, but having resumed my 

 former plan, I have lost none since, although this 

 fatal disease has been quite prevalent in my neigh- 

 borhood. I sometimes mix a portion of ashes with 

 the clay, say a third or fourth, and occasionally 

 give a new sprinkling of salt, and it is surprising 

 how fond the cattle will grow of this mixture, and 

 how much they will consume. 



My father was the first that I know of who adopt- 

 ed this plan, being induced to try the same from 

 the fact of having heard that if you could get a 

 cow that had the distemper, to eat red clay, they 

 would get well. He, I suppose, recollecting, that 

 " nature often performed a cure beyond the pow- 

 ers of art, " accordingly salted his cattle some two 

 or three times a week, on a red galled spot ; and 

 although his neighbors' cattle were dying rapidly 

 around him, he had not a solitary case amongst his 

 stock, nor did he ever lose one with this disease. 

 My uncle had the distemper amongst his cattle in 

 1851, and one of his milch cows was found in a 

 gully eating red clay, and she recovered. This is 

 another effect of the powers of nature over that of 

 art, and should lead us to be governed by the dic- 

 tates of the former instead of the latter, which 

 rarely leads us astray. 



In conclusion, I will say, that the cattle should 



