I I I 
140 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
We pul the sacks safelv away, and find nq ne- 
cessity ever after to sun them. Those we have 
now of the last year’s crop areas pure and bright 
as when put up. 
Yours respectiully, Chambers. 
Oak Boicery, A'a , July 25, 1846. 
Another Corn-Sheller. 
Mr. Camak: — I see in the February number 
of the Albany Cultivator a comfhunicaiion from 
Mr. C. N. Bement, in which he speaks in very 
high terms of Mr. T. D. Burrall’e Corn-Sheiler. 
He thinks it quite an improvement upon all its 
predecessors. The cut as presented to us in the 
Cultivator is certainly a neat little affair. I have 
no doubt it is a good article and well worthy of 
public patronage, and its inventor has my best 
wishes for its success. Every farmer should re- 
joice to see such improvements in anything so 
well calculated to facilitate any portion of his 
neces ary business, and certainly there are but 
few articles more necessary upon every farm of 
any extent than a good corn-sheller. 
But Mr. Bement, in h.s amusing account of 
this machine, says it’s “ a mere pocket edition, 
and is capable of shelling from ten to twelve bu 
shels per hour.” 
This is all very well, and no doubt very true. 
But he goes still further and says, ” it cannot be 
beat.” Now, ’tis an old saying, that Doctor’s 
will differ, and why may not fanners difler also 7 
I, too, have a corn-sheller, a plain, substantial 
concern, got up at home, (though the principle is 
not entirely new,) made at home, and kept only 
for home use. All the materials of which it is 
made cost me perhaps not over a dollar, and the 
mechanical labor nothing, as it was done by my 
own rough workmen. It is as plain and simple 
as anything can well be imagined to answer its 
purpose, has been in use for several years, and 
no loss of ti ne in patching or mending; and as 
to durability, I think I can go a little farther 
than Mr. Bement has done, and say that mine 
will not only “last a man’s life lime,” but will 
do his children after him ; and I can see no good 
reason why the grand children that follow should 
not find it a good old s’.ieller, still doing good 
work. But as this is speculating a good ways in 
the future, I will come back to facts as I have 
them before me. 
I have never made but one trial to ascertain 
what quantity I coula shell in any given time. 
A few months since in shelling my seed corn, at 
the winding up, I had a lot of fine large ears. 
The floor had been previously cleaned up, and 
when everythiiTg was made ready, the boys went 
at it in good earnest, and in just 20 minutes the 
last cob was stripped naked; and on measuring 
up, which was done carefully, I was somewhat 
surprised to find we had I'di bushels, being at 
the rate of 37k bushels per hour. I am perfect- 
ly satisfied from this trial that the machine is 
capable of shelling 40 bushels per hour. But to 
do this it requites four hands ; one to turn it, 
and tnree to feed. It shells but one ear at a 
time, but does it in such a hurry that no two 
hands can keep it supplied. It shells large, 
small and short corn equally well, and a large 
ear as quick as a small one. The cobs fall under 
the machine in the edge of the coTn, but I find 
it a very trifling job to separate them in taking 
up the corn. I svould be glad if I had it in my 
power to send you a cut of this machine, and 
still more so if each one of your subscribers 
(who has any corn this scarce, year,) had one of 
the machines to shel 1 it with. P. E. Duncan. 
Greenvills, S. C., April 3, 1816 . 
Florida Coffee. 
“ Within the infant rind of this small flower, 
i’oisoii has residence, and medicine power.” 
Shakspeare. 
Observing in the Cultivator for December 
last, some inquiries made respecting the Flori- 
da C jflee, I take the liberty of answering your 
subscriber, who turns out to be a neighbor of 
mine, and with whom 1 havesince had commu- 
nication on the subject. It has been observed 
ever since this weed made its appearance in 
this part of Alabama, that no animal or bird 
eats its seeds or roots or leaves. This was the 
result ol the observation of planters, and regret- 
ted; but it is a mistake. I have for tvvo years 
past observed that my hogs eat both the roots 
and seeds: as soon as I peiceived this, 1 like- 
wise perceived another tact, which 1 connected 
with ihelormeras cause. I ceased to raise hogs, 
and what I had already raised began to die. 1 
am well aware that throughout the neighbor- 
hood, and as far as 1 could draw information, 
that tne death of hogs, and even a cessation in 
the propagation, to agreatexient, of the species, 
became the general complaint amongst planters, 
Whether I am correct or not, in ascribing the 
calamity amongst the hogs to the right cause, 
I will not determine ; but this is my opinion. It 
has become so general a complaint that now 
most planters are in market buying meat — many 
who never bought before, and some who have 
been in the practice of sellir.g pork. The gen- 
eral scarcity of meat and the failure to raise 
hogs, or the difficulty, has been commensurate 
with the growth of the Florida Coffee, and may 
be the cause. This I leave for furthe.’- observa- 
tion. The root, in taste, is much like aloes. 
The seeds are very hard, and have a taint, nau- 
seous taste— both poisonous, I have no doubt, else 
birds, fowls and beasts ol all kind would not be 
so averse toil, and unless upon the point of 
starvation, for want ol corn and mast, will not 
iou^ch it. Being so well convinced of its dele- 
terious effects upon my own hogs, and thinking 
it might have some influence as a cause of the 
great scarcity and difficulty in raising hogs, will 
be my apology tor troubling the public with my 
crude notions— hoping at the same time that I 
may be mistaken. Your subscriber, 
W. Awtry. 
Burnt Corn, Alabama, July, 1846. 
Paying our r>ebts=-Grouud Nuts. 
Mr. Camak: — In looking over the Calendar 
lor January in the first number of the 4lh vo- 
lume of the Southern Cultivator, I find the 
lollowing: — “it you have any valuable facts 
to add to the general stock' of knowledge, pre- 
pare and send them for publication, as a partial 
return for the advantage you have received from 
others on similar subjects.” Now, my dear old 
friend, I have been a regular subscriber to the 
Cultivator from its first number, and 1 may 
say also that 1 have been an aitemive reader, 
gaining from it much useful knowledge, and a 
severe spurring on to exertion in my vocation, 
which, I believe, in the long run, will add to the 
weight of my pocket as well as to the heft ol 
my crops. I regularly sent my dollar, and as 
regularly received ihe Cultivator,- and appro- 
priated the knowledge gained from its numer- 
ous correspondents to my own benefit for the 
last three years, without once dreaming that I 
was still in debt. 
1 must thank you, friend Camak, for the gen- 
tle hint just quoted above, reminding me that 
although 1 have paid my dollar to the publish- 
er, I am still in debt to my brother farmers for 
knowledge gained. I will now proceed (and 
hope all the readers of the Cultivator will do 
the same,) to pay a portion ol my debt, by tell- 
ing a coTespondent of yours how to make 
Ground Peas or Ground Nuts. 
In the March number of the present volume, 
page 41, I find the lollowing editorial : 
“ Ground Nuts. — Though the cultivation of 
this article is connected with our earliest recol- 
lection ot field labor, yet we must depend on 
some of ourcorrespondents to supply the infor- 
mation wanted.” 
I think the best time for planting the Ground 
Pea is about ihe first of April. Lay oft your 
ground precisely in the old way for planting 
corn, say lour feel each way, throwing three 
furrows together one way, and then crossing 
with one furrow. Shell your peas and then 
drop two knernels in each cross, and cover shal- 
low, whether with the hoe or plow. The poor- 
est sandy land that you have is the best, if you 
can put a handlull of manure in each hill to 
enable the plant to spread out its leaves to the 
sun. After the pea is up, break up your land 
with the scooter plow, and make it as mellow 
as possible. The after culture must be done 
with the sweep, taking care not to run under the 
vines so as to cut off the young peas that are 
just forming. Let the hoe hands follow the 
sweep and carefully pick out the grass and 
weeds from the hill. In no case must ihe vines 
be hilled up, or dirt put upon them. 11 rabbits 
are suffered to nip off the leaves, notwithstand- 
ing they do not touch the vine, it will stop grow- 
ing and refuse to bear. That will show how 
important it is to have the vines lie flat on the 
ground and turn up their leaves to the hot sun. 
The ground pea is like the old negro Rabbit, it 
is good for everything. Horses and mules will 
eat vines and peas. Milch cows are very fond 
of them, and i have never found anything that 
would fatten hogs half so faster make half as 
delicious bacon. As soon as you begin to ex- 
pect'frost. commence gathering by running a 
scooter plow under the vines and loosening the 
ground, so ihat the peas will draw out without 
tearing off of the vine. Then let a hand follow 
with a long grubbing hoe and strike into the 
root of the vine and lilt it up and shake off the 
dirt and turn it over to be cured in thesun. Af- 
ter the vines are cured they may be stacked or 
housed according to convenience. . A. R. 
Woodland, Hamilton Co., Fla., July 25, 1846. 
Planters ! Respect Your Profession. 
Mr. Camak: — At the expulsion of our pro- 
genitors from the garden of Eden, and not un- 
til, by the great increase of their progeny, they 
had eaten all the fruits of that delighitul abode, 
and not until Mother Eve, with that laudable 
curiosity characteristic of her sex, had partaken 
of the only tree left in the garden untouched and 
forbidden, did our eyes and understanding be- 
come open and enlightened. It was then agri- 
culture especially, as well as all other arts and 
sciences, dates its origin. It was that act that 
assimilated us to God, and displayed to man 
his nakedness and ignorance; without which, 
he would now be a naked, ignorant and wander- 
ing savage, seeking a precarious existence by 
instinct. Is it not surprising that the occupa- 
tion ordained by our Creator for man, and tak- 
ing precedence ol all others, should now be in 
its infancy, whilst most of the oiher arts and 
sciences have arrived at their culmination I I 
was led into this train of thought by seeing and 
observing how particular, even our planters are, 
in selecting and devoting their brightest and 
most intellectual sons, to Law, Physic and Di- 
vinity, whilst the dullest were invariably des- 
tined for the farm. True, most of those reserv- 
ed lor the farm are taught to read ; bat what do 
they read, or study? i will tell you by giving 
you an account of some young planters whose 
lather is independent; after which, you may 
judge how applicable the picture is to your own 
acquaintance. In their bed room was a blow- 
ing horn and a fine double-barrelled gun. At 
his door was outstretched half a dozen or more 
emaciated hounds. On his walls were hung, 
with the horn, his ammunition bag and his 
Sunday clothes. With these last, he would in- 
vest himselt to show out his handsome person 
and empty head, at a protracted meeting, a mus- 
ter, or a Temperance gathering, where he was 
sure to meet Lawyers without briefs, Doctors 
without patients, and Farmers too lazy to work, 
with some Divines more vain than pious, and 
some boarding-school Misses, not there lor the 
purpose of catching the young planter, but for 
some other profession, whose votaries had some 
brains, some information, or at least a show ol 
it. Even the common loot pedlers would oust 
the planter’ssons with the ladies. 
Now, sir, how has this this state of things 
happened? It all comes from the prevalent 
prej Lidice against “book farming.” W^e have 
religious, political, and even temperance pa- 
pers, besides scientific journals ; and ot all these 
we may feel proud — but why may not agiicul- 
ture be promoted by papers as well as other 
branches of human knowledge? Let every 
planter then commence his education, and no 
matter how old, he will be bcnefiited himself as 
well as benefit others. He will find that him- 
self and sons will soon cease to bear the op= 
