120 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
Ctiltiktor. 
AUGUSTA, GA : ' 
T0I>. XV. ?^0. 4. APRII., 1857. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
“Sugar Making. — W, B. T. — The newpamphlet of C. M. 
Saxton & Co., noticed elsewhere, contains some of the 
anformation you desire. We believe a Mr, Millkr, of 
Savannah, can furnish a Mill with 3 horizontal rollers, to 
he worked by 2 horses or mules, for .$'2‘25. As wc pro- 
gress in the raising of the Chinese Sugar Cane, the neces- 
sary machinery will be much simplified and more cheap- 
ly furnished. See article headed “Sugar Cane Mills,” &c. 
Snap Beans. — C. — One of the best and earliest is the 
*'Early Valentine.” 
Gardening Book. — E. J. G. — White’s “ Gardming for 
the South, is the book for you. It costs $1.25 post paid. 
Enclose us $‘2.25 and we will send it and the Cultivator. 
Fruit vs. Meat. — N. F. — A medical friend advises tts 
not to eat so much meat during warm weather, but to sub- 
stitute fruits — also, never to cat meat and fruit together. 
What do all the other doctors say 1 
Pruning. — L. — If you prune trees just as the buds are 
swelling, it will retard the blossoming several days, and 
often save your fruit from late spring frosts. 
Aristander, of Pike County, Miss., will confer a favor 
■hy sending his full address to the Editors. We trust he 
will not suffer the pen he wields so deftly to lie idle. His 
articles on Drainage will be very acceptable to our readers. 
“Pond” will accept our thanks for the Watermelon 
seed, which we will plant. 
S.OUIS E. EERCKMAN8, Esq., -PEAR CULTURE 
in the 8ontb. 
Any lingering doubts of the superiority of the climate 
the South for the production of the very choicest 
Pears, are about to be solved by the careful experiments 
of our friend, Louis E. Bbrckmans, Esq., formerly of 
Belgium, but now of New Jersey. It is well known that 
M. Berekmans has devoted the greater part of his life, as 
3in amateur, to the culture of fine Fruits, and that he was 
she friend and successor of Van Mons and Espertn — 
whose extensive experiments with Seedling Pears he has 
«arneslly and perseveringly continued. His collection of 
these Seedlings, alone, numbers over Twenty Thousand, 
■from which we have every reason to expect some Pears 
of inestimable value for American culture. These seed- 
lings, and samples of all his other specimen varieties of 
Fruits, M'. Berekmans intends transferring from New 
Jersey to the more genial climate of the South, the coming 
autumn j and, with that view, has purchased a very suit- 
able and attractive situation adjoining “ Fruitland ytui - 
sery,'^ (near this city,) where he de.signs establishing a 
Southern specimen Orchard, in which he will critically 
test all the most promising varieties of native and foreign 
Fruits, but more especially the Pear, which has always 
been his favorite study and specialty. 
Having ample means and leisure — the most unbounded 
and tireless enthusiasm, and the stored experience of over 
a quarter of a century, as capital to begin with, M. 
Berekmans cannot fail of giving our Fruit culture a fresh 
and vigorous impulse ; and we feel confident that his 
accession to our ranks will be hailed with the liveliest 
gratification by all Southern Pomologists. 
INTRODUCTION OF THE CHINESE SUGAR 
Cane, South. 
As some untmthfnl statements respecting the introduc- 
tion of this valuable new plant have been put forth by cer- 
tain persons, it may be well to set the matter at rest by a 
few facts. D. J. Browne, Esq., of the Patent Office, is un- 
doubtedly entitled to the credit of first introducing the 
seed into this country, having brought over from France 
about 200 pounds in the fall of 1854. Previous to any 
knowledge of the seed of Mr. Browne, however, and be- 
fore we knew that any such seed was in the possession of 
the Patent Office, one of the editors of this paper (D. Red- 
mond) obtained, through Parker, White & Gannett, of 
Boston, a few ounces of the seed, which this enterprising 
house had just imported from France, This seed was 
planted early in the spring of 18-55, and had grown knee 
high before wc were aware of the Patent Office distribu- 
tion. Some of the original seed was distributed by us to 
Dr. Robt. Battey, of Rome; R. Peters, of Atlanta; 
Robt, Nelson, (then of Macon); J. Van Buren, of Clarks- 
ville ; Col, John Bonner, of Hancock county, and 
many other agricultural and harticuliural gentlemen 
of this and the adjoining States — nearly all of whom 
were sufficiently impressed with its value to save 
seed for more extensive planting last year (1856.) 
The syrup and forage experiments of Gov. Hammond, of 
South Carolina, Mr. Peters and Dr. Bobt. Battey, of 
Georgia ; ourselves, and many others, were all based 
upon the products of this seed ; and any attempts of other 
individuals to circulate reports to the contrary are too base 
and unfounded for further notice. If any credit attaches 
to the introduction of the Chinese Sugar Cane into 
general culture in the South, the writer claims it; and if any 
discredit is attached to it, he is also willing to accept it. So 
much for a rather small matter, to which we should not 
Irivc thus alluded, had not one or two individuals taken 
the trouble to nmrepresent it. 
As to the varieties of the Sorghum Saeckarahm., or 
Chinese Sugar Cane, we are not aware that the several 
importations of the seed thus far made into America, 
have exhibited any particular difference of product. 
There are, we believe, as many as fifteen different varie- 
ties of the Sorghum Saccharotum , and it remains for eare- 
ful experimentalists to prove which of these will suit our 
soils and climates best. We doubt whether a more usefut 
variety than we now have, for ail purposes, can be ob- 
tained ; but this matter is now in a fair way of solution ; 
as we understand that Mr. Wray is coming over from 
Paris immediately with all his South African varieties, for 
careful trial in the Southern States. We shall watch the 
result of these and all other trials of this plant with great 
interest, and report all important facts connected with the 
subject to our readers. D. k, 
Errata. — On page 106, second column, ninth line from 
bottom, after word “remain,” insert “as they are, that the 
serial currents may also remain.” 
