110 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
Chinese Sugar Cane. — A number of farmers in this 
town and vicinity have pledged themselves to raise an 
acre or a half acre of the Chinese Sugar Cane, and to pay 
each his proportion of the expense of the machinery ne- 
cessary to grind and boil the products, to the end that the 
raising of the article in this region may be fully and satis- 
factorily tested. Dr. Chaffee, Representative at Washing- 
ton, has pledged the seed necessary to plant eight acres. 
The object is a worthy one, and it is to be Imped that the 
trial will be sufficiently thorough and extensive to be the 
basis of future action. — N()rlhamj?(on Cmirier. 
lUEPORTS OF COIHMITTEF8 — AND 
€tib3)’s Rotary DSgger. 
The undersigned Committee of the Beech Island Farm- 
er’s Club, appointed to test the performances of a “Mapes’ 
&, Gibbs' Rotary Digger,” and “Washington Plow, No. 2,” 
recently purchased by a member of this Club, 
REPORT 
That tliey have witnessed the performances of these 
implements in a loamy clay soil in excellent order to ex- 
hibit them to the best advantage. 
From the cost of the Digger (.^125 at the factory in New 
York), and from several notices of it in the Working 
a journal conducted by Mr. Mapes, one of the 
inventors, and particularly on account of an Editorial ar- 
ticle in the July number of that journal, in which it was 
stated that, with a single yoke of oxen, this implement 
would completely pulverize the soil the width of two and 
a half double horse plow furrows (assumed to he at least 
20, perhaps 30 inches) and IG inches deep, the Commit- 
tee expected to see the most remarkable and efficient ag- j 
ricultural implement yet invented — one calculated to cre- 
ate a new era in farming. 
On examining it, they found tlsat it was an attempt to 
combine the Subsoil Plow, the Roller and the Harrow in 
one. The Subsoil Flow which was attached to the beam 
in front, had a blade 7 inches wide at its greatest width 
and from the bottom of the blade to the beam was 15 
inches. The Roller, which was immediately in the rear 
of the subsoil plow, was 10 inches long and 11 in diame- 
ter. On each side of the roller were the diggers, small 
iron teeth 2| inches wide and 6 inches long. The Roller ! 
consisted of a succession of plates revolving each on a 
journal of its ov/n, and each digger or tooth did the same; 
both the roller and diggers, however, revolving in the 
rear of the plow on a common axel. We tried this imple- 
ment or machine first with one yoke of oxen, but finding 
they could not pull it when made to do its utmost, another 
equally fine yoke was added, and the work was more 
than ample for both yokes. At its be^i, this machine sub- 
soiled and rolled down (the land being in such condition 
that not a clod was made) a strip 7 Indies wide, the cen- 
tre of which w'as 121 inches deep, and the whole on an 
average of 10 inches. It could do no more. 
The Diggers at the sides entered the earth, making holes, 
on an average, 4 inches deep, and scooping out at every G 
inches, a handful of earth. The entire width of subsoiled 
and scarified land was 18 inches, and a very thin coating 
of dead grass choked it up every 30 or 40 yards. 
As good a Subsoil Plow as this can be placed on the 
plantation of any member of this Club for SG, and can be 
made to pulvenze the earth as deep and as wide with two 
good mules. The Roller is of no appreciable value; v.'hile 
the diggers, whose only possible use might be to pierce a 
clod occasionally, and which absorb at least one-half of 
the motive power, are simply a nuisance. 
The unanimous opinion of the committee is that the 
“Mapes’ and Gibbs’ Rotary Digger” is a gross imposition. 
The question was put and not one of the Committee would 
consent to accept of it as a present. 
The “Washington Plow, No. 2,” the cost of which was 
$10 at the factory, was next tried. It was found to be 
rather too much for one yoke of oxen, but two } okes car- 
ried it with ease, and it cut and turned a furrow 12 inches 
deep and 12 inches wide. For breaking up land and for 
hill side ditching and surface drain.s, it is an excel- 
lent implement. While in the opinion of tlie Committee the 
“Digger” never can be improved into a machine of any 
economic value, they think it v/ould be a very great im- 
provement to the latter valuable plow to make the beam G 
or 8 inches longer. 
All of which is respectfully submitted to the Club. 
R. BRADrORD, f 7m , 
S. Cl.ark, 'j 
H. R. Cook, 
Jon. M. Mir.i.ER, | 
Geo. B. 
J. H. Lamar, | 
T. W. WiiATf.r.v, I 
H. L.M AY.-. MN, j 
[Without expressing our own opimru on lihs, subject, 
but merely for the purpose of showing how diiTeremly 
the same matter is regarded by dilTercnt people, %ve a^> 
pend the following Report on this implement, from a 
number of gentlemen at the North, who also witnessed it 
in operation. — Eds. So. Cult.] ^ 
Mapes’ and Gibbs’ Digging Machine. — This imple- 
ment the Committee saw in u.se, and had every reason to 
be satisfied with its performance, as it leaves the soil in 
better tilth and to a greater depth, than can possibly be 
brought about by olowing, harrowing and rolling. This 
machine may be wmrked by a pair of oxen or mules, and 
will disturb as much soil in two hours to a depth of six- 
teen inches, as can be disturbed in five hours by the 
same team witli any plow to the depth of eight inches ; 
or, differently stated, it will disturb five acres to the depth 
of sixteen inches, in the same time that the same team 
can plow two acres to a depth of eight inches. The soil 
is left in a finely divided state, and the machine may be 
so set that the surface will be turned to any required 
depth from one to twelve inches, while the lower portion 
is disturbed without being elevated or mixed with the sur- 
face-soil. 
H. MeigS; Chain-. in. 
John A. Bunting, 
Thos. W. Field, J 
A. O. Moore, 
John V. Brower, 
R. L. Waterbury, 31. D., 
C. F. W-TTI.E, [ 
A. S. Walcott, 
Wm. Raynold, 
S. Blackwell, 1 
John M. Bixby, J 
■S'ev: Ynrl-^ Jan. 3d, 1857. 
GUANO. 
In answer to sundry inquiries as to the price of 
Guano, Iiov/ to know that it is genuine, what kinds are 
best, how to use it, and whether it is profitable for a farm- 
er, we offer the following remarks : 
Guano is sold by the agent of the Peruvian Government 
in New York, at $60 per ton for No. 1, in bags of about 160 
or 170 lbs,, and 500 tons or upward at once, on 60 days’ 
credit. In smaller lots, it is $65 cash. We believe that 
it is not sold in less parcels than 25 tons by the agent. It 
is a mystery to many persons how retailers sell guano at 
less than these prices. They may do so and be honest ; 
because they buy long tons and sell short ones; and, as 
it costs about 21 cents a pound, if sold at 3 oe-nts, which 
