108 
THE SOUTHERN CU 1 .TIVATOR. 
It is p.jssib!e that the Bermuda grass is nutri- 
cious, and does stock admirably well when they 
can get nothing else to eat, but it is not their 
choice grass. 
The Bermuda grass is destined to ruin this 
country unless the arm of the law interposes a 
barrier to its dissemination, by imposing the 
heaviest kind of penalty upon him who dares to 
spread it. Once rooted in a yard, or on any por- 
tion of a plantation, and it is as good to take that 
plantation as a sevenpence is lor a half pint. — 
Look at the fine plantations destroyed about 
Hillsborough, Povvelton and other sections of the 
State by this grass; and is it reasonable to sup- 
pose that the owners of these fertile lands would 
have surrendered them to this grass if they could 
have arres<'ed its course 1 Not they —too much 
sense had they to enter into any such specula- 
tion. John W. Pitts, 
Newhorn, Ga., June 6 , 1815 . 
Bermuda Grasse 
Mr. Camak: — My experience with Bermuda 
Grass commenced some eight years ago. When 
I came to Athens my lot was comphtely set 
with it; and about three quarters of an acre 
was an old field which appeared to have been 
worn out, and had not been cultivated lor seve- 
ral years, in the month of August, I enclosed 
it, and sowed it in wheal and turnips, 1 had 
through the win er a very fine crop of turnips ; 
and in the month of June following 1 harvested 
eight bushels ol fine wheat. In the fall I plow- 
ed it, and in March planted it in corn, putting 
the drills seven leet aparh I plowed the corn 
twice, running three furrows next the corn, and 
leaving the middle of the rows undisturbed. In 
the course of the summer, I cut and saved at 
least five hundred pounds of as fine hay as 1 
could have wished for; and in the fall gathered 
about four barrels of corn. I have cultivated 
the land ever since, and have never put one 
spoonful of manure on it; and I have never 
failed to make a fine crop of corn, peas and 
beans; and I believe the land is much better 
now than it was the first year 1 cultivated it, 
and produces more. 
The land lies somewhat rolling, and there is 
not the beginning of a gully in it. This then is 
another advantage to land, that Bermuda grass 
effectually prevents it from washing. 
Again, my lot and yard were thickly set with 
this grass, f planted my yard in fruit trees — 
peach, apple, pear and cherry trees. They 
have done well, and bear fine fruit without cul- 
tivation; and every farmer knows that broom 
sedge will destroy an orchard in a few years if 
not cultivated. 
In order to destroy Bermuda grass, cover it 
with plank, chips, or pine brush, and you will 
soon get clear of it. 
I find n to be the finest grass I ever hal for 
my horses, hogs and cows, and even chickens. 
But keep it out of your garden. I have dug 
my Irish potatoes and found it had grown 
through some of them. John Felton. 
ALkens^ May, 1815 . 
Bermuda Grass. 
Will the Editor of the Southern Cultiva- 
tor, or Mr. John Cunningham of Green.sboro, 
or any others who have had experience on the 
subject, please answer, through the- ci lumns of 
the Southern Cultivator, the following in- 
quiries?— viz : 
What would be tlie expense of enriching 
land by planting Bermuda Grass and turrJng 
it under, compared with the outlay required 
when leaves and other like substance.s are used? 
Would net the expense of planting, turning 
under, and exira la’your in tending the land af- 
ter the grass, be Zessthan the cost of manuring 
land by any other means of which k’C have any 
knowledge ? 
May not Bermuda Grass be made tr do for 
the South, adl that clover does for the North ? 
After the Bermuda Grass has been turned 
under will it require more labour to tend the 
land than it would if it was well stocked with 
crab grass? Respectfully, P, 
Alonroe, Waltaii Co., Ga., June, 1815 . 
A Grape Crop safer than most others a- 
gaiust injury byiate Frosts and Drouths. 
Most kinds of grain are sometimes injured 
by late frosts in the spring, and most kinds of 
fruit, as apples, peaches, pears, &e., are some- 
times destroyed thereby, as was the case on the 
night of the Sth of April, in this region of our 
country. But the prospect of a grape crop is 
now as good as if no such frost had occurred; 
for the grape leaves and blossoms, for the most 
part, had not pat forth. Again, there is some- 
thing peculiar in the formation of blossoms and 
fruit on grape vines; as they are capable ol an 
entire new growth the same season. Hence, if 
all the leaves and blossoms are destroyed by a 
Irost, they will come out again, and a crop en- 
sue notwithstanding; as in the case mentioned 
by the late Mr. Herbemont, ol Columbia, S. C., 
where grape vines are more subject to injuries 
by late frosts than here. His entire crop of 
grapes he once considered ruined, as the blos- 
soms and all the foliage on his vines w'ere de- 
stroyed; but an entirely new growth produced 
abundantly. In my experience of more than a 
dozen years, I have never failed of a grape crop 
from late frosts, or any other cause; though 
some foreign varieties I once eulrivated, and 
some American kinds, as the Isabella and Ca- 
tawba frequently rotted on the vines ere matur- 
ing. This evil I obviated by cutting off in the 
fall (spring grafting to stocks unremoved is not 
apt to succeed,) the most of the rotting kinds, 
and grafting into their stocks those not liable to 
this misiortune, such as my Halifax, Norton’s 
V. Seedling, Vine Arbour, &c. 
And I add here, that a grape crop stands a 
drouth, in this region, better than most other ag- 
ricultural products. Last season a pretty se- 
vere drouth, in a critical time for grapes, or just 
before most kinds ripen, caused a few only of 
some varieties to drop prematurely, while other 
kinds were not affected. True, last season I 
was ctrt short of as lull a crop of wine as I ex- 
pected by about ten barrels; or I made but thir- 
ty instead of'forty. But this was rnostlji owing 
to a severe storm, of some days continuance, 
here called a gust, which blew down grapes 
enough lor several barrels ol wine. The fallen 
fruit was, for the most part, eaten by swine, al- 
ways kept in my vineyards for such purposes, 
and that of helping to keep the ground scarified 
beneath the canopies. 
I here take occasion to remark, that to those 
having the foresight and industry to take pains 
for it, a vineyard is a sure source of most plea- 
sant and healthful fruit, for a number of months 
in the year, and that, too, when other sources 
sometimes entirely fail. Nothing more healthy 
do we find than well selected ripe grapes. In 
view of the general good health of rny family 
and others in the abundant use of grape fruit, 
and that too in part ol a sickly lime of year in 
this region, I wonder not at the account of un- 
healthy persons, in parts of Europe, being sent 
for their recovery to the vineyards in Switzer- 
land to subsist entirely for the season on a grape 
diet. And when we consider the very great 
benefits of pure wine to the human family and 
its happy tendency, when temperately used, to 
counteract the direful effects of unhealthy food, 
luxuries, intemperance, and disease, I wonder 
not that wine is called by most eminent physi- 
cians the greatest of medicines, and that the un- 
erring voice of inspiration puts it along side of 
bread iiself, the staff of lile. And seeing the 
great excellency and zest of good wine, and the 
unhappy proneness of human beings to pervert 
and abuse all blessings of Providence, (the 
greate&i often most liable thereto,) 1 wonder not 
at the emphatic warnings ofthe greatest moral- 
ists, and of the same unerring voice of inspira- 
tion by way of caveat ; and putting the abuse 
thereof for the article used, calling wine a 
“ mocker,” as well as representing strong drink 
“raging.” This is analogous to the same vol- 
ume of inspiration, (not like the impostor Ma- 
homet’s false revelation denouncing a blessing 
because of its liability to abuse,) representing 
mnivcy or property, a blessing in itself consider 
ed, but the Icve or idolatry of money as the root 
of all, or (apart from the figurative language) 
oi mos\. kinds of evil. And that scriptme wine 
w'as really so, or fermented, and not mere grape 
juice, as some vainly contend for, is quite evi- 
dent from its declared abuse and the very warn- 
ings of the bible against drunkenness thereby. 
But scripture wine was indigenousio the coun- 
try where made, and iherefore not liable to the 
adulterations and effects of foreign im- 
portalinns. 
And may I be suffered here to remark, in con- 
clusion, why not A mericans(in a country where 
native vines grow more luxuriantly than else- 
where,) make their own wines, and saveannual, 
millions of foreign dependence for the article, 
that properly made and used, like in eastern 
wine making countries, known to be the most 
temperate in the world, is more unequivocally 
good, pleasant, healthful and medicinal than 
any of foreign importation? 
in expressing these moderate and scriptural 
views on the subject just touched upon, I am 
perfectly aware I am liable to offend uUraislsp 
or certain classes ol people in our day of ex- 
travagant excitements, who run from one ex- 
treme to another, seeming to abhor nothing worse 
than the golden medium. 
We have now rife in our country the aboli 
tion humbug, tending to sacrifice the liberty and 
happiness of all onr v.'hi1e population for the 
fancied good of the blacks. And the humbug of 
abolishing capital punishments, tending to sac- 
rifice the lives of virtuous citizens to cheat the 
gallows of its dues as to murderers and cut- 
throats. And not the least erf the nltraisms of 
the day is, the temperance one of inlempero.tcly 
denouncing all liquors, wnhouT. exception, and 
their use. And if all the aforenamed tirades of 
far worse than refined nonsense, were hurled 
against human inventions only, I woold not 
liere protest. But I am bold to aver that they 
are not only against the universally benign ex- 
perience of mankind in all ages, (and so the 
voice of Providence,) but most clearly against 
the plainest authority of the word of God. 
Most respectfully yours, &c. 
Sidney Weller. 
Brinckleyville, Halifax co., N. C., May, 1845. 
Suformation Wanted. 
Mr. Editor : — The subject of this short com- 
munication, is simply to elicit through the 
columns of your interesting paper, information 
concerning the proper tillage of some gra<s, — 
timothy, clover, c r any other,, such as the cor- 
respondent, who may deem it neee.ssary to an- 
swer this small request, shall think best adapted 
to the soil and climate of the interior of South 
Carolina. To the writer, w'ho will comply 
with the above request, 1 give my obligation to 
procure the seed recommended, follow his di- 
rections as close as possible, and report the re- 
sults of my attempt — viz: 
The soil, preparation, and manner of planting. 
The quar tity of manure — per acre. 
(( it (! gggfj (( 
Mode of cultivation, and seasons for mowing. 
Such information, reported through the Cul- 
tivator, will be thankfully received by your 
humble subscriber. D. G. Wood. 
Jeffrey’s Creek, Darlington, S. C., May, 1845. 
Palma Cliristi. 
Mr. Camak: — A friend of mine has requested 
me 10 ask, through the columns of the Culti- 
vator, for instruction in the manner of raising 
the Palma Christi, or castor oil plant: — how 
the seed are prepared for the press, and what 
sort of a press is used ? If he can get the pro- 
per instruction in the business he will go into it. 
While writing, I will say a woid or tw'o on 
the manner of raising the sw'eet pi tato. I saw 
last year the result of an experiment which did 
extremely well. The vines were cut off from 
some part of the patch, daily, and given to the 
hogs ; and this was their principal food, until 
all the vines w'ere taken off within 13 to 18 
inches of the root. The ground cracked very 
