124 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
time, we hope that the ambition to excel as agriculturists 
will not degenerate into a base passion for money-making. 
The hospitality of American farmers has been one of their 
most attractive qualities, and we should lament any change 
that would transform them into selfish, heartless, and hide- 
bound hunters after the “almighty dollar.” Perhaps the 
most marked tendency of our present race of men is to 
money-making. It has become the absorbing passion of 
many classes Our mechanics, our tradesmen, our law- 
yers and doctors, and those engaged in the various de- 
partments of traffic and commerce, vie with each other in 
the pursuit of wealth. Foreigners speak of us as given up 
to the worship of mammon. They accuse us of eating 
fast, going to bed late, rising early, neglecting wholesome 
recreations and needful exercise, in order to make the 
most we can out of our business. 
We hope the great agricultural class, who thus far have 
escaped the general demoralization, political, social, and 
business, and who have honored their country by making 
American hospitalitality proverbial at home and abroad — 
we hope that they will not be drawn into the current of 
that shining Pactolus, which, while it flows with gold, yet 
tranforms into iron the hearts of all who plunge into its 
sparkling waters. 
TO MAKS PEA VIKE HAY. 
Messrs. Editors — May I trouble you with an article 
on the Pea Vine, as an article of great value to the South- 
ern man, whether he be a farmer or planter! 1 have 
never found any production yield at the South so abun- 
dant a crop as the cow pea ; and hoping it may throw 
sovie light on your many patrons at a time when corn and 
provender ofall kinds are scarce, is my reason for sending 
you the following article on its culture and preservation; 
Sow the cow peas in drills from two and a half to three 
feet apart. Sow as soon as you consider the vine will 
esc? pe the late spring frost. When the vine grows to, the 
length of three or four feet, sow another row in the middle 
of the former row, after which pull up the pea first 
planted (putting them in convenient bundles for throwing 
up in stacking. I do not mean to tie them.) During the 
morning, and after they have wilted sufficiently to prevent 
them from breaking, which will be in the afternoon, you 
may commence to stack them in the following manner, 
viz : Cut a pole ten feet long and four to six inches in di- 
ameter, and with a blacking or chalk line, make a mark 
from lop to bottom, then hall turn and make another, and 
with a rule lay off' (with a scribe awl) points eight inches 
apart, and at each point bore a hole with a tvro inch augur, 
then half turn and between each of the other holes scribe 
and bore other holes. Through each hole insert a long arm, 
say four or G feet long, projecting 2 or 2 feet on either side, 
then insert the large end of the pole into the ground at 
least two feet, packing well the earth around the pole (like 
a fodder-stack pole). Then ^commence and hang the 
wilted pea vines on each arm, commencing at the lowest 
arm and go regularly up, filling each arm well up to the 
arm above, and so continue to the top. Place on the top 
rye, wheat or fodder to cap it, to turn off the water; 
and as soon as the vines have had time to dry, you will 
find considerable space between the peg above and the 
vines below, which will have shrunk in drying, and thus 
air is admitted. 
The advantages of thus saving the vines are that they 
may be put up in wet weather; and, also, if the vines are 
dried in the sun all the leaves will fall off in hauling and 
stacking. I do not give this as original, but to let you 
know that I have tried it and find it very valuable for 
horses and cows. In this way two or three crops of vines 
may be raised off of the same land the same year, and the 
land be still as good or better than at first j and lands 
which will bring little else, will produce you one or two 
crops a year, and a grain crop in the winter. 
Respectfully, Jas. L. Goreb. 
South Bend, Ark., 1855. 
CALITOENIA PINE TREES. 
We often hear the big trees of California spoken of, and 
we wonder and doubt if the stories be true, and the Cali- 
fornia papers seem to be proud of their “tall” pines, and 
to delight to make us “open our eyes” at their marvelous 
dimensions. The Placer Times mentions a spruce pine 
log, twenty-six feet long, which turned out 4,000 feet of 
clear stuff, without knot or windshake. The tree made 
13,000 feet clear lumber. Trees of other species are much 
larger — for instance, the red- wood — some of which turn 
out upwards of 100,000 feet. One such tree would build 
two houses, each two stories high and fifty feet square, 
furnishing all the square timber, planks, shingles, etc. 
The following account of big trees seem almost incredible: 
“One of the trees is named the ‘Father Pine.’ This i& 
dead, and has fallen to the earth. Its dimensions are as 
follows: length, 400 feet, circumference, 110 feet. The 
trunk ofthis tree is hollow, which has been traced for a 
distance of 250 feet. I'here is a little pond of water in the 
centre of this cavity four feet in depth. The tree, 250 feet 
from the stump, is no less than 12 feet in diameter. 
The cluster, cahed the ‘Three Sisters,’ taken together, are 
92 feet in circumference, and 300 feet in height. The 
centre is bare of brunches for 200 feet above the ground. 
The ‘Mother Tree’ is 91 1-2 feet in circumference, and 
325 feet high. The ‘Mother and Son’ are 92 feet in cir* 
cumference, and 300 feet in height, united at the base. 
The ‘Twin Sisters,’ 100 feet in circumference, 300 feet in 
height. The Pioneer’s Cabin’ is a remarkable curiosity. 
This tree has been partially burned ; the result of the 
scorching is the dividing the trunk into several compart- 
ments, which are known as ‘parlor, bed-room and kitch- 
en.’ The hollow, which is 200 feet in height, is called the 
‘Chimney;’ the tree is 85 feet in circumference. The 
‘Siamese Twins,’ 95 feet in circumference, and 325 feet in. 
height. ‘Guardian of the Times,” 85 feet in circumfer- 
ence, and 325 feet in height. The ‘Old Bachelor,’ 81 feet 
in circumference, and 275 in height. The ‘Old Maid,’ 76 
feet in circumference, and 275 (ect in height. ‘Uncle 
Tom’s Cabin,’ 84 feet in circumference, and 300 feet in 
height. ‘Pride of the Forest,’ 87 feet in circumference, 
and 300 feet in height. ‘Two Friends,’ 85 feet m circum- 
ference, and 300 feet in height. These trees are all em- 
braced in an area not exceeeding one-half mile in extent.” 
WHEAT AND FLORE HI TEXAS. 
The Houston Tdcgra^:h, speaking of the wheat-grov^- 
ing capacities of Texas, say s : 
The great wheat-growing region of Texas lies principal- 
ly north of the 31st parallel of latitude, though very fine 
and heavy wheat, with a yield of 30 bushels per acre, has 
been grown south of it. The principal production is now 
confined to the counties on Red River and the upper Trin- 
ity, where a surplus is grown and extensive preparations 
are making for flouring it and sending southward for a 
market. On Pleasant Run, in Dallas county, 15 miles 
south of the county seat, there are three flouring mills, 
two of them having two run of stone each, and capable of 
grinding about 1200 bushels in 24 hours. The present 
price of wheat delivered at these mills is Si to Sl.25 per 
bushel, while flour commands S13 to $\4 per barrel. At 
these figures the profits from flouring will rapidly bring 
into existence a sufficient number of mills to grind all the 
wheat that can be produced, while the farmers at SI per 
bushel, will make more money than in the cultivation of 
