THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
173 
in a turpentine country, 1 may describe the pro- 
cess oi gathering and distilling this subtle spi- 
rit. The trees are cupped in, the spring; about 
eighteen inches square of the bark is peeled off; 
the cupping is made by one or two cuts of an 
axe, of a peculiar shape, near the root. In the 
summer and fall, the turpentine oozes out 
through this Vent. The negro comes round 
from tree to tree and gathers this oozed matter 
into his bucket. The trees are continually ex- 
uding during the season. The ensuing year 
they are cut a little higher than before, when a 
new crop is obtained. The process may be re- 
peated for five or six years, cutting higher up 
the trunk each year; after which the trees are 
cut down and chopped into short logs, and are 
piled together in peculiar heaps, called “kilns,” 
when a slow fire is put under the heap, and 
thus pilch and tar are obtained from the heated 
pile. 
The fatty matter, or raw turpentine, is pack- 
ed into barrels, brought to the distilleries, boil- 
ed and evaporated in the common way in which 
spirit is extracted in the alcohol distilleries, the 
steam, passing through a large w^rm or refrige- 
rator, which is set in an immense va-t of cold 
water. The surface of the water being hottest, 
passes off, while the attendant keeps pumping 
cold water through a pipe that forces it to the 
bottom, causing the hot water, created on the 
surface, to pass off. The steam comes out in 
spirits of turpentine below, and is barreled tight- 
ly and sent to all the markets of the world, and 
the residue is rosin. 
North Carolina sends out an immense quan- 
tity of Indian corn, staves, turpentine, pitch, 
tar and rosin, besides which she is beginning to 
manufacture cotton and woollens, of which I 
shall further inform you in my next. 
A Traveller. 
Sumach. 
Mr. Camak Recently I have seen in the 
“Southern: Cultivator,” and other papers. 
Sumach mentioned as an agricultural produc- 
tion that would well pay for cultivating it. 
This portion of the world seems to be particu- 
larly well adapted to its growth, and if it can be 
made profitably any where it ought to be here. 
Being entirely ignorant of the manner of cul- 
tivation, and its preparation for market, I address 
the following inquiries to you on the subject: 
1st. What is its use I 
2d. What kind of soil is best suited to its 
production, for quantity and quality! 
3d. What is the best mode of preparing the 
land! 
4th. At what time should it be planted! 
5th. What distance! 
6ih. Are the seeds or roots used for planting ; 
if both, which is the best! 
7th. Whatisthe best variety! Please de- 
scribe, as well as name it! 
8th. What is the process of cultivation ! 
9th. What is the best time for harvesting! 
10th. Whatthe best preparative for market! 
11th. Where is a good market lor it! 
12th. What is it generally worth! 
13th. What is considered an average crop to 
the acre ! How much can a hand cultivate and 
save ! 
Answers to the above inquiries, and any 
other information necessary on the subject, will 
be gladly received by one who wishes well for 
your paper, and a Subscriber. 
Yalobusha county, Miss, y Sept. 10. 
Mastodon Cotton. 
Mr. Camar; — I take the liberty of enclosing 
you herein a letter from Messrs, fteo. Green & 
Son of Liverpool to myself, received a short 
time since, answtring some inquiries of mine 
relative to the character and value ot Masto- 
don cotton in Europe. 1 consider this letter a 
matter of great agricultural importance, and 
have no doubt you will give it a place in 
your valuable paper. 
The small bale of Mr. W. H. Mercer’s which 
the letter speaks of, is one of two bales raised 
by Dr. Mercer of Adams Co., one of the largest 
planters in Mississippi, from seed purchased of 
me. The other bale i saw in New-York last 
J uly, and was in quality somewhat inferior I 
should think to the sample which I enclose here- 
in. All the cotton the letter speaks of was of 
course ginned on the common saw gins. 
It may now, I suppose, be considered as cer- 
tain, that Mastodon cotton, handled and ginned 
well, is worth in Liverpool, with our present 
market, from 16 to 22 cents. The market now 
here being higher than It was in England at the 
date of the letter. If there be a remaining ques- 
tion then in regard to the propriety of cultivating 
the Mastodon cotton, it is this: “Can it be 
raised!” It has been cultivated the present 
year in small parcels in Georgia and South 
Carolina, and I should think, Mr. Editor, that 
a reply to the above question, from yourself, 
would be highly acceptable to your readers. 
If cotton worth 16 to 20 cents a pound can be 
raised in any part of the cotton region, with the 
same expense and labor which now produces an 
article worth hall that sum, itis a matter, 1 take 
it, of no little importance ; and that such is the 
fact, 1, for my own part, have long since been 
thoroughly convinced. Yours, very truly, &c. 
R. Abbey. 
Boston Plantation, Oct., 1846. 
Liverpool, 3d Sept. 1846. 
R. Abbey, Esq., llazoo Oily, Mi— Sir; We 
regret that in reply to your favor of Aug. 5th, 
we can give little satisfactory information as to 
the uses of Mastodon cotton in our manufacto- 
ries. Even had a sufficient quantity gone into 
consumption, v hich there has not, the manufac- 
turers would carefully conceal the uses to 
which they put it and its value tolhevu 
Of the quality and value of the cotton in our 
market, we can give a strong and decided opin- 
ion. We think its length and strength and 
silkiness of staple place it next below Sealsland 
cotton, from which it presents no marked point 
of difference, when not injured by ginning. — 
This is a most important point, because saw 
ginned Sea Island does not rank high in this 
market, owing to ihe staple being cut. 
The writer believes that he has seen every 
parcel of Mastodon cotton in the Liverpool 
market. For some lOd. is asked. We sold 
two bales, dull in color, at Sd.and a rather large 
sale was made early in the season at or9d. 
Had we 100 bales of similar quality to the small 
bale of Mr. V/. H. Mercer, we should ask lOd , 
and we have no doubt a sale might be made 
readily at9d. But you must bear in mind that 
parcels of a bale or two are difficult to place, 
the buyer making rather a favor of taking 
them. 
The principal points to attend to are, first, 
fineness, length and comparative strength of 
staple, which must not be injured by over- 
ginning or working the gin too fast, which con- 
verts valuable col on into a broken mass of 
fibres expensive to separate and involving the 
loss of hall the cotton. Next to this a fine pink 
bloom is desirable, not too much of the cream 
color, and a decree of oiliness in the Tquality of 
the cotton, making the sample silky. These 
points attained the cotton would only be inferior 
to the higher qualities of Sea Islands. W e remain 
your ob’t serv’is, Geo. Green & Son. 
Staggers in Hogs. 
Mr. Camak: — My neighbor, Mr. L.W. Lun- 
dy had what we call the “ blind staggers” among 
his fatting hogs last fall. The first that had it 
was so far gone before he knew it was sick, 
that it died before he could do anything for it. 
He kept a sharp lookout on the balance of them, 
and in a short time found another sick in the 
same umy — prostrate on the ground with its 
feet stretched out and attempting occasionally 
to rise, but in the attempt would stagger and 
fall again, apparently blind. He immediately 
set about applying a remedy he had heard, 
which was simply to split the skin two inches 
on the forehead, and locsen up the skin arounU 
the incision and fill it up with fine salt; atleast 
that is the remedy he had heard of, but had for- 
gotten what to fill up with, and applied spirits 
of turpentine. Three were cured in this way. 
Salt is the most convenient to apply, and is the 
thing used by a writer in the Albany Cultiva- 
tor of 1841, with success. 
The case above mentioned is the only one in 
which I have known this remedy used, and the 
turpentine gave immediate relief. The salt 
may do the same. The remedy is always at 
hand and worth trying at least. 
Some of my shoats had the “thumps” last 
spring. 1 gave them tar on their corn, andcut 
off their tails, and some part of their ears to 
bleed them, and they were soon well. They 
eat the tarred corn, rather mincing it at first; 
but give them nothing else to eat, and they will 
finally eatenough. Jared L. Turner, 
Orackersneck, Ga., Sept. 1846, 
An Outline of American System of Vine- 
yards. 
Mr Camak : — 
On the same principle as correct planting of 
fruit trees, Sciippernong vines put, say 20 feet 
at least apart, and other kinds 10. Trim in 
summer and fall with an eye to one or two main 
stems at each intersection, eventually spreading 
over scaffolding lor arbors, unchecked as to 
length ; and all underneath the arbors to be 
kept clear of weeds, grass or straggling branch- 
es, especially in fall ground, so scarified before 
and alter leaves falling that none blow off, but 
they and trimmings and other litter be incorpo- 
rated with the soil in lieu of directly manuring 
the vineyard. Posts with forks or cleets nail- 
ed each side of the tops to hold the rails that 
support, say thin scantling sustaining the 
branches, are to be inserted 10 feet each way, 
thus leaving room for passage of team, &c, un- 
derneath the canopies. 
Wine Making. — Grapes mashed, say with a 
set of rollers such as Mr. W. Plerberaont invent- 
ed, and the juice run through folds of woollen 
blankets on a frame over a vessel at the side of 
the press. Then spirits or sugar or both added, 
and all put into a clean cask fumigated with a 
sulphur match : a fourth of good spirits, or say 
at least2 lbs. of sugar per gallon. Neara fourth 
of spirits and 1 lb. of sugar per gallon make a 
safe keeping and very pleasant wine. Scup- 
pernong should never be fermented with the 
skins, &c. But for red wine it is welltofer- 
rnent other kinds of grapes a few hours, say 20 
or less in hoi weather, and then add the keening 
ingredients and shake well the cask and con- 
tents. S. W. 
^^rintltural ilkctings. 
Monroe and Conecuii Agricultural Society. 
Me. Camak — Herein enclosed, I send you 
some resolutions passed by the Monroe and 
Conecuh County Agricultural Society, which, 
it is the request ul the Society, you should have 
published in the Southern Cultivator. 
John Green, Corresp’g Sec. 
BurnL Corn, Alabama, Ocl. 10, 1846. 
Whereas, it has pleased Divine Providence 
to remove from amongst us Col. Alex. Mc- 
Donald, of Barbour county, the able advocate 
of practical and scientific Agriculture, and who 
caused the barren piney woods to blossom as 
the rose, and yield abundantly to his skillful 
culture : And whereas, this Society deem such 
men as Col. McDonald public benefactors, 
whose services and example should be com- 
memorated; therelore, 
Resolved, That this Society sympathize with 
his bereaved family for their irreparable loss : 
and, be it further 
Resolved, That in the opinion of this Society, 
the cause of Agriculture has received a severe 
blow by the demise of so able a writer and suc- 
cessful cultivator. 
Resolved, That the Secretary send a copy of 
ihese resolves to the Agricultural Society of 
