21 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
request for my own and the benefit of the planting com- 
munity in general, that you or some of your correspond- 
ents would give us a full history of this iusent, stating its 
habits, and particularly in what condition it hybernates, 
whether in the egg or the chrysalis; what mode of oul 
ture is the best to prevent these worms from coming, or 
after they are on us, what can s'ay their ravages 1 Al- 
though too late to profit by such knowledge this season, 
we could treasure it up for the next. 
The rust is another pest of the cotton planter. Com- 
mencing in spots, it rapidly enlarges its circles, until the 
whole field is embraced in them Every cotton planter is 
familiar with its appearance and effects. WHiat will 
prevent it 1 and- what will destroy it after its advent. 
It is a question among planters wdiether the rot or 
blight of the cotton boll is caused by an insect, or is a 
disease of the plant. Will some of your correspondents 
slate their experience on this point, and give some opinion 
as to the remedy ? 
Is the cotton louse and the small ant we see about the 
young cotton, the same insect in different stages of its 
existence! , H. 
Yazoo County, Miss. 
Li3iE — ITS VAIiUE TO AGlilCUETUEE. 
Editors Socthern Cultivator — aluch has been said 
in regard to the above caption, but I shall offer a few re- 
marks which I have not had the pleasure of seeing in any 
printed form, and should they suit your views you can 
give them a space in your paper. 
Liine has a two-fold tendency, one to do direct service 
to growing vegetation, tlie other indirect. Lime offers 
carbon on its own account by its superior affinity for it; 
it speedily decays vegetable fibre and thi’ows an addition- 
al supply to aid their wants by its changing their con- 
dition into humus. Vegetable substances thus suddenly 
changed, not only offer carbon, but produce moisture by 
loss of their elementary condition. It coagulates alumina 
and renders the soil friable and easy of culture. We con- 
sider lime as a special generator or a reservoir for carbon 
to nascent plants. 
Plants have an innate power of robbing from air and 
soil food to supply their v/ants. The leaves of plants 
have galvanic force in drawung, from atmosphere, carbon, 
roots, &c., on glass, and why not the rootlets drain from 
lim.e its elementary condition in this particular ! It un- 
questionably does. Lime being thus suddenly deprived 
of its purity goes steadily to regain its supply which is 
again converted into use by plants, and thus continues as 
long as an uninterrupted state of affairs exist. 
When we analize our grain crops we find lime an indis- 
pensible article in their composition — they do not mature 
without it. hi an needs this substance for the develop- 
ment of his bones — in bones and grain it exists.in a phos- 
phate. We do not condemn special manures, but when 
we consider the great influence the vegetable kingdom 
possesses in the conversion of elementary substances 
into digestible food for their wants, we almost feel 
disposed to be incredulous on the subject. Natuiehas 
strange ways Oi its own. The Datura Stramoni culls its 
deadly drug from the same soil that the rose would fill our 
olfactories with rarest of perfumes or furnish our table; 
with the daintiest morsel to allay our hunger. Each genus 
seems to have its own road to travel, and change.s constit 
uents to its own liking and adaptation. We do not mean 
by this that lime would be formed from silica, or potash 
from alumina, i ut we are disposed to the opinion ihtt 
where lime or sibfa orpota.->h is present the plant changes 
it to suit its adaptation for its civil wants in that particu- 
lar. ^ 
''Ve have always considered fresh burnt (calcined) lime 
as best adapted to agricultural purposes. In this condition 
it is sparingly soluble in water and enters into combina- 
tion with tlie soil more thorouglily, neutralizing acidity 
and furnishing a greater scope for the rootlets of plants to 
feed upon. 
Plaster to grass crops is said to be more efficient, but 
we do not see the philosophy of this. It is, however, 
more permanent from i's insolubility as a sulphate, and 
would render good service to succeeding crops. 
Lime is soluble in carbonic acid gas, and should always 
have topical application no matter in what form it may be 
applied. This gas is generated by the decay of vegetable 
matter and renders it always susceptible to (he wants of 
vegetation whenever moisture is present. When plowed 
into the soil too deep it may go beyond the reach of the 
roots and to be of no service to the growing crop. This 
illustration is plainly proved by the stalactites in caverns, 
and the petrifying of wood and human bodies in certain 
lime districts where exposed to these influences. 
Pomona. 
Mississippi, November, 185G. 
AGRICUETUKAE BOTAAA"— CHINESE 
Sugar Caue.’’ 
Richard Peters, of Atlanta, Ga., has experimented suf- 
ficiently with the Chinese Sugar Cane to satisfy himself 
that it will be of immense value to this country for mak- 
ing syrup. He first planted it in the spring of 1855, re- 
garding it, as he said, •'•'a humbug,'’ until his children dis- 
covered toward autumn that it was as sweet to their taste 
as the real sugar-cane. 
He planted it again last spring on land that would pro- 
duce in an ordinary season, 40 bushels of Indian corn per 
acre. The seeds were sown in drills about 3 feet apart, 
plowed twice and hoed once. 
When the seed was fully ripe, he had the stalks pulled 
and the seed seed-panicles cut off. The yield of seed per 
acre was 2.5 bushels, weighing 36 lbs. per bushel, and 
1,20G lbs. of fodder. He procured a horse power mill, with 
iron rollers, worked by 2 mules, crushing out juice at the 
rate 8 gallons of syrup per hour, for experimenting. At 
the first trial of the mill, 70 average stalks passed through 
the mill gave 38 gallons and 1 quart of juice ; two gallons 
more of juice were obtained by passing them through the 
second time. The 40 gallons and 1 quart made 8 gallons 
of thick syrup. 
From an eighth of an acre, the yield of syrup was 685 
gallons— being at the rate of 468 gallons per acre. Thirty 
selected canes weighed 49| lbs.; the weight of the juice, 
pressed out was 25^ lbs.; of crushed cane, 23 lbs ; loss in 
crushing, | lb.; and of crushed cane dried in the sun there 
were Oi lbs. 
This unexpected result led Mr. Peters to make an ex- 
periment on 30 stalks of Indian corn one week beyond the 
‘‘roasting ear stage.” The 30 stalks weighed 351 lbs.; 
juice, 15i lbs.; crushed stalks, IO2 lbs.; loss in crushing, 
i lb.; yield of syrup, I5 pints; and it was of a very dis- 
agreeable taste, rendering it entirely unfit for the table. 
Dr. Bobert Battey, of Rome, Ga., made the following 
tests of the Chinese Sugar Cane juice and syrup at the 
mill: specific gravity of the juice, 1 085; syrup, 1.355; 
New Orleans syrup, 1.321 ; thermometer applied to syrup 
indicated 77 degs.; to the juice, 70 degs.; saccharoraeter, 
252 degs. 
The juice should immediately after being extracted, be 
placed in boilers, and boiled slowly until the green scum 
ceeses to rise; then stir in a teaspoonful of air slaked lime 
to every five gallons of juice; ; continue boiling and skim- 
ming until the syrup thickens and hangs down in flakes 
on the rim of the dipper, when immersed and removed. 
The cost of making in upper Georgia, will not, says 
Mr. P., exceed 15 cents per gallon, He proposes to plant 
50 acres next year. He remarks that he is satisfied that 
