SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
207 
Moses, too, after being on Sinai tor forty days and forty 
nights, in “the glory of the Lord,’- obeyed the express 
^oiiimand oi God. himself, when he came down from the 
Mount with the two tables of the testimony in his hands, 
to arrest and punish the idolatry of the Israelites. And. 
the body of Christ, mangled and desecrated as it was, 
was taken down from the cross and from Mount Calvary, 
carried to a garden and then placed in the sepulchre of 
Joseph of Arimathea. 
Acknowledging, then, as I most devoutly do. the sub- 
limity and the sacredness of these — God’s great land- 
marks of creation ; appreciating, too, as I feel 1 fully do, 
all the healthful, patriarchal, poetic and pious allurements 
and surroundings which so properly invest them, in using 
the expres-sion to wJiich Mr Harmon takes exception,! 
simply meant to emphasize ihe idea that though I might, 
■either at home or in a trip for health or pleasure, cheerfully 
join him in his pmus worship of all the “sacred moun- 
tains,^’ or participate in his poetic inspiration around the 
^‘sparkling waters of Mont Vale,” 1 thought, as a plain 
CoUnn Planter, he had placed me too high up \x\ l\\<i 
Mountain Home assigned me. And are w'e not now 
agreed even in this 1 
I have read a letter from one of your subscribers, w’hose 
name 1 cannot decypher satisfactorily, from Portland 
Dallas county, Ala , (it looks like Thos. Lang, Jr ,) ask- 
ing some questions, which I think it proper, in this un- 
certainty, to answer through the CuUivator — very con- 
densedly indeed. 
When my “level rows” meet a gully, I never straddle it 
•with the level. I move the hind foot back, at such dis- 
tance between the last two level points made by it, as to 
enable me to get the level with the fore foot resting on 
the edge of the “gully.” It would then have only to dis- 
pose of the water falling in it. The manner of filling it 
must be determined by the different facilities within easy 
access to each one. 
The distance between my “guide rows” is always de- 
pendent, principally upon the inclination of the surface — 
increasing the riumbers as it is more abrupt and irregular. 
On a gentle undulating surface 15 to 20 paces between 
them has answered very well with me. Better, however, 
have if possible too many then too few on all land. 
A span of 1 2 feet is a very convenient distance between 
the feet of your level. The mode of running off the rows 
I think, is clearly and correcdy given by Mr Jones M 
Gunn of your own county, in die May number of the 
CiilLwator. There is profit in its perusal. 
By the bye! Speaking of Gunns, reminds me to 
tender to my brother in the Artillery, as well as the Agri- 
cultural department, my thanks for his excellent “stitches” 
in support of the “level system of rows and culture.” He 
shouts, too, as well as he ^'stitches'' 1 find ; and 1 think he 
has effectually answered an anonymous article in the 
same number of your paper, over the signature of “Sub- 
scriber,” in which the writer makes strung objections to 
what he choses, though very mistakenly to characterize 
as “Col. Cannon’s Theory” — that I feel I am saved the 
labor, and your columns the space of a more extended 
notice from me, than simply to say to “Subscriber,” that 
his avowal that said article was “the first pieceever writen” 
enables me ihemore readily to excuse him formistakingmy 
positive experience for “theory,” and so misnaming it in 
his comunication from “Cottage Place,” and that neither 
my experience or “theory” should properly be held re- 
sponsible for the imperfect work ol either “early” or old 
sei.lers in his or any other section of country. 
Very respectfully, H J Cannon. 
Melton, Swimnervit.ie P O Fnrtf.eco , Ttnn , May, ’57. 
|^“A11 subscriptions to Vciq Southern Cultivator begin 
'With the January number. 
THE COTTON GIN— ITS HISTORY, »fcc. 
Editors Southern Cultivator : In a late number 
of your paper, two articles appeared on the subject of the 
Cotton Gin. One, over the signature of the “ Antiquary,” 
the other, over that of“ W. A. D.” 
The main object of the former appears to be, to defend 
the claim of Bull as the inventor of the Cotton Gin, the 
latter, to induce me to write its history. To the former, I 
would say, I do not intend, nor will I suffer myself to be 
drawn into a controversy as to the merits of the claims of 
Bull; and to the latter, that I will not attempt to write a 
history of the great invention alluded to, — but to both I 
will remark, I design simply to record, on the pages of 
the Cultivator, some facts that can now be established, 
and which, as is well remarked by W. A. D., “ unless 
collected will very soon be lost.” Moreover, ifW. A. D^ 
will refer to an early volume of your paper, I think he 
will find a history of the Cotton Gin, written by a com- 
mittee of gentlemen, appointed for that purpose by the 
Southern Central Agricultural Society. I have deferred, 
so long replying to W. A. D., partly to collect some facts 
which I thought might be valuable, partly from other 
engagements, and partly — perhaps mostly — from in- 
dolence. 
Before giving the few scraps I have collected, I will 
refer W. A D., and all other enquirers, to my friend P. 
M Nightingale, of St. Simons Island, as the most likely 
repository for authentic information now to be found. 
He is the grandson of General Greene, in whose family 
Whitney taught school at the time of the invention — and 
in possession, I presume, of many of his papers, and, I 
know, of many interesting anecdotes relating to this sub- 
ject. The interest he takes in all such subjects, I hope, 
will induce him to excuse me for thus introducing his 
name. Indeed, his interest in the matter prompted him 
to promise, some year or two since, to collect and for- 
ward me interesting documents on this subject. Lest it 
may be lost, resting in frail memory only, I will record 
an anecdote which Mr. Nightingale told me concerning 
the invention. Mrs. Miller, in the family where Whit- 
ney was teaching, having a gold watch out of order and 
no watchmaker being convenient, and having confidence 
in his ingenuity, gave it to Whitney to repair, who per- 
formed the work successfully. Some short lime there- 
after a gentleman came to the house, having a fine sample 
of cotton wool, and while exhibiting it for the admiration 
of the family, remarked in the presence of Whitney and 
Mrs. Miller, that there was a fortune for the man who 
would discover a machine which would separate with 
ficility the wool, or lint, from the seed of the cotton’ 
Mrs. Miller replied, addressing Whitney, he was the very 
man, for she knew, since he had succeeded so well with 
her watch, he had ingenuity enough to make such an 
invention. After this conversation, Mr. N. says, Whit- 
ney confined himself to his room more closely than usual 
for some lime, after which he asked the family in to see 
his model of a Cotton Gin. It was construcieU with wire 
teeth on a revolving cylinder that drew the lint from 
ttie seed, but the great difficulty was the lint wound 
round the cylinder, there being no contrivance, it would 
