280 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
€l)f ^ontjipra Cnltinntnr. 
AUGUSTA, GA : 
TOli. XV., NO. 9 SiEPTEMBER, 1857. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Machine for Cutting Down Trees. — K. — V/e have 
received from Eveleth & Bissell, 33 Pine street, New 
York, a circular giving a cut of this new machine, and we 
extract from it the following statements: 
This machine will easily do the work of from 4 to 8 
first-rate wood-choppers, thereby saving much time, labor, 
and hire of hands. A 2 foot tree can be felled in from 8 to 
12 minutes. The larger the tree the more time is saved, 
proportionately. It will work equally well on hard or 
softwood. It will save several feet of the most valuable 
part of each tree, as it will cut within 5 inches of the ground 
The tree is cut “square off,” so that no re-butting is re- 
quired to fit the log for the saw-mill. Almost nothing is 
lost by chips, as the cutter takes out a section of little 
more than half an inch in thickness. The stump is left 
flat, which hastens its decay. It will girdle trees, if de- 
sired, more quickly and satisfactorily than by any other 
method. Price of Machines 2 feet in diameter, S60; 3 feet 
in diameter, $90 ; 4 feet in diameter, $120 ; 5 feet in di- 
ameter, $150. The price of machines of still larger size 
will be in the same proportion, according to the actual 
cost of construction. Full directions for use will accom- 
pany each machine.” This is all the information we pos- 
sess on the subject. 
Osage Orage Trees.— P. A.— Yes. The Madura or 
Osage Orange, is a beautiful ornamental tree, of an elegant, 
drooping habit, and a shiny, glossj^ green foliage. The 
editor of The Horticulturist speaks of one of these trees 
now growing on the grounds of the late Dr. Edmondson, 
near Baltimore, as follows: “ One of the most extraordi- 
nary things in these grounds, and one of the most beauti- 
ful we ever saw, was an Osage Orange tree, about twen- 
ty-four years old. Its leading shoot had been destroyed, 
and it had become recumbent to surprising degree. By 
pacing the circumference over which it had spread itself, 
we found it covered the space of one hundred and sixty- 
five feet! It is highly ornamental, in this condition, and 
was full of fruit. The limbs laid about with a profusion 
that was positively beautiful and wonderful,” etc. The 
wood of the Osage Orange is close-grained, tough, elastic, 
and very valuable, and it ought to rank high as an orna- 
mental tree. It is dioecious or sexu il in its blossoms — 
bearing the male blossoms on one tree and the female 
blossoms on another. These trees should be contiguous 
in order to raise good seed. 
Strawberries. — Mrs. A. L. C. — See July numherfor an 
article on this subject, “Wilson’s Albany Seeding” is 
undoubtedly one of the most valuable new varieties, 
though not fully tested here yet. 
Keeping Chinese Sugar Cane. — C. N. H. — A cool 
cellar of nearly equable temperature, or a dry pit covered 
with two or three feet of earth, and a plank “ shelter,” 
would probably enable you to keep your cane for a con- 
siderable time. Strip all the leaves off— cut off the tops, 
or seed heads, with a foot of the stalk, pile them so the 
air will circulate through them, and do not put too many 
in a mass when you pack them away. We believe the 
natives of Caffraria simply bury their cane in the earth, 
and use it as fast as needed. The new work on Sorgho 
and Imphee, by Messrs. Olcott, Wray, and others, will, 
we doubt not, give us valuable information on all points 
connected with these plants. 
Mad Dog. — H. — Kill the animal at once, no matter 
how valuable. Hydrophobia is too horrible a malady to 
risk — there is no “ certain ” cure for it. Snake bites can 
be cured, but the same remedies do not apply in both 
cases. The symptoms you describe are not certain indi- 
cations that the dog is rabid j but he should be kept 
chained and watched closely. 
Concrete Houses — - J. K. L. — If you have, conve- 
nient, plenty of large and small rock, and, as you say, 
“lime for the burning,” get a skillful mason or brick- 
layer, and build your house. It can easily be finished (the 
v/alls) in a month or six weeks, with a good set of hands. 
See May and August numbers. We are more and more 
pleased with our concrete house. It is delightfully eool 
and pleasant, during these sultry days. 
Keeping Potatoes. — Wm. W. — It is often impossible, 
almost, to keep the Irish Potatoe from sprouting and 
spoiling, but a correspondent of the New York Times 
says: “The method of the old sea captain should be 
known everywhere, by farmers, housekeepers, and ven- 
ders of vegetables generally. It is by destroying the ger- 
minating principle in the potatoes. This he effected by 
simply boiling them five minutes, after which they kept 
for months, and may be boiled as wanted. Might not 
other vegetables, and even some fruits, (say apples,) be 
treated the same way, and thus be preserved better than 
nowl” 
Chinese Sugar Cane Seed begins to ripen at the top 
of the head or bunch, and is fully ripe and fit to cut when 
the lower short panicles fill out and turn black. 
Sugar Mills. — L. B. — A very good little Mill may be 
obtained from L Hopkins & Co., of this city, for $50. 
See mode of making Sugar elsewhere in present number 
— also extracts from a letter of M. Vilmorin, of France. 
Rescue Grass Seed. — P. A. C. — You can obtain this 
seed from Jacob Ott, ofBiloxi, Miss , at $20 per bushel. 
See notice of Dr. Philips, in present number.. 
Planting Trees Close. — L. Z. — We consider fifteen 
feet each way amply sufficient for Peach trees, and twen- 
ty feet for Apples or standard Pears. Dwarf Pears and 
Apples may be planted eight or ten feet apart. At 15 
feet apart an acre will contain one hundred and ninety- 
two trees; at 10 feet, four hundred and thirty-five trees, 
and at 8 feet, six hundred and eighty trees. We deem 
it an advantage that the trees should shade the ground 
entirely, and if your orchard is properly prepared, and 
cultivated right, for the first two or three years, it will 
never need a turning-plow afterwards. When the 
branches begin to intetlock, a semi annual stirring up of 
the soil around each tree, with a German pronged-hoe, 
tsuch as the vine-dressers of Ohio use,) will be all-suffi- 
cient. The Georgia Citizen, in acknowledging the re- 
ceipt of some fine Peaches, from Charles Collins, Esq., 
gives us another evidence of the advantage of close plant- 
ing as follows: “Mr. Collins’ trees standing dose to 
each other were somewhat protected from the severe late 
frost of last Spring, and therefore, he is one of ihe very 
few, in this section, who is able to show such fine spcci- 
