SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
211 
ter, just before cutting the limb off. As soon as night 
comes, they should be moved home. I have no doubt but 
rubbing of perfumes on the hive is frequently the cause of 
Bees leaving, their smell being very acute, high scented 
perfumes no doubt distress them. The settling of Bees on 
the body of a tree that I am unwilling to cut down, I ob- 
viate by tying a bunch of cotton on the end of a pole, set- 
ting it on fire without blazing, and holding it near the Bees, 
so that the air will drift the smoke on them, which causes 
them to take the wing and settle at another place; and if 
they again settle wrong, I repeat until they settle right, 
and to avoid being stung, I suspend a silk handkerchief 
over my face. I do not loose exceeding 1-lOth of my 
swarms, nor ami stung more than once in 20 hivings. 
Mix China Berries with chips when smoking meat, it 
is an excellent preventive against insects, better than sul- 
phur or any other remedy I know of. Such is the result 
of 2 years trial of two of my neighbors and myself Thanks 
to Mr. Wylie and Stephenson for their information about 
the China Berry. M. T. McGeheb. 
Bradlij Couniy, Ark.. 1857. 
BACKWARD REASON IN SOUTHWESTERN 
Georgia, Strictures, &c. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — Thinking ray broth- 
er planters would like to hear of the prospect of the crops 
in this section, I wdU briefly tell them In the first place, 
the spring has been unusually late, and most unfavorable 
forgetting up seed, and when up, checking the growth of 
the plants -with cold, and shortening them in by frosts, so 
that now corn is half the size it usually is, and cotton a 
bad stand, and where re-planted not up. If a late and 
disastrous spring will brighten the hopes of the spinners 
for a full supply nf the staple from the growing crop, they 
may rejoice, but 1 think, England’s millions dependent 
upon cotton for tlv ir bread, have cause for trembling. 
Every planter knows it is important to secure the first or 
under crop, as the two last are the most uncertain, and 
the re-plant cannot make the first, as the stalk will not 
be sufficiently matured to take it on, and thus, those who 
have re-planted or planted over, and they are many, be- 
come dependent upon the middle and top crop. New 
and strong land^mny force out a full crop with favorable 
seasons, but the old and worn out lands of Georgia and 
Carolina or anywhere else, cannot, it is impossible with 
so late a start. That I know, for I once planted such 
lands. My planting experience extends back eighteen 
years, and I can truthfully say this spring is the most 
backward I ever witnessed, not excepting the year we 
had snow the 15th of April, and frost the next day. We 
havf? had in this section three frosts in April, the 7th, 
15th and 23d — the first and last doing most damage, so 
much so, that I having, after planting my crop, enough 
seed to plant again, had repeated applications from those 
whose cotton vvas killed by frost, and some whose cotton 
never came up. My corn was three weeks in the ground 
before I saw the first plant, and my cotton is not a stand 
yet, though some has been planted four weeks. The pre- 
sent crop will be short' (100,000 bales, and I think, unless 
very favora .le seasons ensue, the growing crop will not 
diminish the decrease. I judge from news from abroad 
and observation at home, of the lateness of getting up the 
cotton, I consider the crop fully one month behind the 
last. 
Will you perntit an old friend of the Cullixator to say 
a few words about i', for all can see faults in their b^-st 
frietids In the first place, 1 think it is departing from its 
old simplicity ami assuming too much of a scientific or- 
der for the masses After reading many of your articles, 
I have thought how many of your readers will be benefit- 
ted^ in proportion to tlie number, who understand them. 
Let us have plain bold theories to induce practice, and the 
facts of that practice in words that all may understand. 
Suppose I made an experiment and began telling it to 
you in this language. In experimentum apriculturumy 
plovem non breakabus estatum clodium, cum litatis even- 
tuatis, absurdo Italium grassuyn. Would you understand 
it? Just so, is the Cultivator becoming “ dutch” to the 
masses. 
Again, agricultural journals are becoming too much the 
channels for puffing extraordinary seeds, rare plants, won- 
derful trees, &c., inuring to the benefit of a few, and the 
neglect of the planter, for whose pleasure and improve- 
ment these journals are gotten up. If any one has any- 
thing to sell, let him puff it in an advertisement and pay 
for it. I do not say your paper does it, but I see a ten- 
dency that way. As an instance, the Chinese Sugar 
Cane has been an esteemed friend of the Cultivator for 
months, and in the May number just to hand, there are no 
less than five articles about it, besides the advertisement. 
The last I am glad to see, as I wish the paper not only sus- 
tained, but prospered. I mention the Sugar Cane only as 
an instance of the way new things are taken hold of, 
written about, and eventually written to death, when no 
more juice can be squezed out, and then burned, as was 
the Multicaulis. I mean nothing personal, but as an old 
friend, I wish the Cultivator io keep up its old ways of 
telling new things. 
I arn truly, yours, Rebek. 
Hopehazy, Baker County, Ga., May, 1857. 
[Truly 1 the position of an editor is no sinecure ! With 
as many different tastes and peculiarities as he has readers 
to suit he is fortunate, indeed, if in seeking to avoid giv- 
ing one offence, he does not displease a dozen others. 
Knowing this, we have endeavored to make our paper a 
medium of free discussion on all matters connected with 
agriculture and rural life, allowing each and all of our cor- 
respondents to speak his own thoughts in his own way, 
but holding ourselves only responsible for opinions. 
There is little that is new and interesting to be said on the 
ordinary routine of planting, and it a treat to ourselves 
and the majority of our readers to have a fresh subject, 
and one that promises such practical and satisfactory re- 
sults as the Chinese Sugar Cane. As regards the charge 
of being too scientific and learned for the masses, we plead 
^‘unt guilty/^ — “on the contrary, quite the reverse” — and, 
were it so, we hold it better to endeavor to raise than to 
ZiTtuer the standard of agricultural education. A gentle- 
man who is, evidently so well versed in the classics as our 
friend “Rebek,” will, we trust, never find himself “beyond 
his depth” in the plain and matter-of-fact pages of the 
Cultivator . — Eds.] 
SHEEP RAISING IN THE SOUTH. 
Editors Southern Cultivator: I have read so much 
about the above, that I am tempted to give you our expe- 
rience in that line. 
Two years since, we bought forty head of ewes, have 
killed about thirty for mutton, have now one hundred 
head and one hundred and twenty lambs ; four have died, 
and we lost several lambs that might have been saved if 
we had had better pasture to protect from hogs. They 
have cost us nothing except for salt and attention. The 
wool will this year be worth about SI 20, which is half 
the prime cost of the sheep, and the lambs fully S200 
more— which will certainly pay — but they were attended 
to, and not left to run about and shift for themselves. 
A kansas River ^ 1857. Arks. 
