278 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
deposit is called lees or dregs — when this takes place the 
wine is racked or drawn — a cold and dry day is selected 
for that purpose, as the weather exercises a great influence 
on wine; a damp utinosphere, and. a souiliedy wind, ren- 
der it turbid. Weak wines should be racked in the winter 
.season, indiiferent wines in the spring, and the best in 
summer; they should never be decanted but with a north- 
erly wind — wine racked during the full moon runs the risk 
of turning into vinegar — these influences can be easily ac- 
counted for when we are acquainted witii the effect of at- 
mospheric air on wine; for this reason wine should be 
drawn with a syphon instead of a brass or vrooden cock, 
a process which troubles the Ices, exposes the wine to the 
air, and disposes it to become sour. The condenser, they 
use in Champagne, atid other places where grapes are 
cultivated, is still preferable to the syphon. Wine should 
have attained its state of perfection before an attempt is 
made to draw it ; if it be green and harsh, it ought not to 
be drawn before the middle of May; and if the greenness 
still continues, not before the latter end of June, It is 
sometimes necessary to pour back those kinds of wine on 
the lees, and stir them well, to rc-excite a movement of fer- 
mentation, which, alone, will make them perfect — to at- 
tain this end, wine is sometimes made to digest over chips 
of the beech treej: previously bax’ked, boiled in water, 
and dried in the sun, or in an oven ; from 6 to 8 quarts of 
these are sufficient for 60 gallons of wine ; a slight fermen- 
tation is then excited, which clarifies the wine in 24 hours ; 
this operation also corrects any bad taste which it might 
have acquired otherwise. 
OF THE LEES OR DREGS. 
Dregs are a confused mixture of tartar, of coloring mat- 
ter, &c.; these substances although precipitated, are sus- 
ceptible of mixing anew with the liquid, when stirred, or 
by a change of temperature. Dregs disturb the wine, and 
impress it with a movement of fermentation, which 
would cause it to degenerate into vinegar, if necessary 
precautions were not taken to prevent it. To obviate this, 
wine must be racked at different periods ; if this operation 
be not sufficient, if the tenuity and lightness of the lees 
render it equiponderant to the liquid, clarification must be 
resorted to, as it is of the utmost necessity to separate them 
from the wine ; otherwise it alters the taste, renders it tur- 
bid, and will ultimately cau.se it to decompose. 
[To be Coniryned.] 
THE EICS CHOP ON SAVANNAH EIVES. 
From all our sources of information, we are able to an- 
nounce that the rice crop is a very fair average one on 
Savannah river. The harvest water has pretty generally 
been put upon the rice, and planters are doing the works 
of improvement to their plantations which occur between 
hoeing arid harvest. We have heard considerable com- 
plaints of “volunteer rice,” but the general impression ap 
pears to be that it is not near so bad ns it was last year. 
We are without reliable information as to the crops on 
the Altamaha, the Ogeechee and the Satilla. We should 
be obliged to any of our friends on those rivers if they 
would give us a line or two on this subject. Also from 
the Sea Island planters on our coast, and from the upland 
planters throughout the State. 
With regard to upland Cotton, we can generally gather 
pretty reliable accounts from our exchanges, but of Sea 
Island Cotton and Rice, we are left in profound ignorance. 
We have heard many complaints of the utter inattention 
which has been paid to this interest by Newspapers. We 
would assure our a,gricultural friends that it is our inten- 
tion to reverse the rule, but we cannot do it if they will 
not give us their kind assistance. 
It would seem as a reproach upon us if our reader.s be- 
JBeech wood give, ‘s a bad taste, and renders the wine very diffi- 
cult to fine — I don’t know why ? 
ing at a distance, could never even see a paragraph given 
to their particular interest — and interest of so much impor- 
tance. — Savav'iuih Gennnan cf* Journal. 
TriF, C.AMFLS. — The Galveston Confederaie !earns that, 
tire camels designed for the frontier service have been 
landed at Tndianola. The description of the scene and 
tiieir appearance is highly interesting. Thetr immense 
height rendering their debarkation in a standing position 
impossible, tlwy were made to lie down upon a platform,, 
and were thus taken from the vessel. Great demonstra- 
tions of delight were shown by them on reaching land 
once more after a long voyage. Their antics were such 
as to fill with terror the horses, mules and cattle in the 
vicinity, and to cause a general stampede. The pack 
saddles are represented as magnificent affairs, highly or- 
namented in Arabian style, and their keepers, Arabs, ap- 
pear in their native costume, giving the appearance of an 
Eastern caravan, in every particular. In order to show 
their speed, their keepers put them in motion, and to the 
surprise of some two or three persons present, an ordi- 
nary walk kept horses travelling with them in a brisk 
trot. We have no doubt these animals will be found just 
the thing for frontier transportation, both on account of 
capacity of burden and speed of travel. — Feliciana Denw- 
cT'at. 
A STIFLED MULE CURED. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — About two weeks 
since, one of my plow mules got badly stifled, and after 
having exhausted all my skill in fruitless attempts to 
restore the dislocated joint to its former position, I was on 
the eve of giving up in despair when a friend, riding bvs 
saw my mule wms in great pain, and asked the cause, and 
on being told she was stifled and that I had failed ^to get- 
the joint in place, he said: “there is nothing easier than 
that — all you have to do is to swim her across the river 
and ril guarantee she throws it it in place herself.” I con- 
fess I had little faith in his prescription, but it wms so 
simple and attended with so little risk 1 thought I would 
try it any how. I swam her across the Colorado twice, 
and slie came out “all right” I left the river a hundred 
dollars better ofl’ than when I went to it. i turned her oh 
the praire that day and the next hitched her to a plow. 
I think it a a good remedy for stifled animals where the 
injury is of recent date. It is certainly very simple and a 
trial can do no harm. 
Will not some of your numerous contributors give a 
cure for the Foot-Evil in Horses I I have had a good 
many fine horses injured by this disease. I know of no 
“sovereign remedy.” 
When I sent you my remedy for distemper i.n dogs, I 
had no thought of “sheep killing curs,” as your corres- 
pondent “J. C.” seems to think. I pre.sume any person 
would be glad to get rid of all such dogs. I was surprised 
to see your correspondent “pitch into” me as he did. 
Yours truly, Fet.ix. 
Travis CO., Texas, May, 1856. 
Horse Shoes by MACiitNERy. — Robert Griffiths, of 
Alleghany, Pennsylvania, has invented a machine for mak- 
ing hor.se shoes, which is pronounced a success. The 
iron bar of which the slice is made, is fed red hot into the 
machine, and is then cut off the required length, bent by 
levers and formed upon dies, swedgedand punched at one 
continuous operation. One of these machines can make 
ten horse shoes per minute, which requires very little to 
be done to them afterwards to fit them for use. The shoes 
are well formed, and exliibit no straining of the fibre of the 
metal. This machine accomplishes at one continuous 
operation that which requires three or four different ope- 
rations, on other horse shoe machines. 
