m 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
Good trees will yield about three h»>Teis to the thousand 
boxes at each dip:>ing, for the first three years, one sixtlt 
of tiiis being hard or scrape the second year, and one-fifih 
the third year. The proportion scrape increases as the 
chipping extends higiier up the tree, until it makes halt 
the crop, while the dippings of so/tt Turpentine will be re- 
duced to three or even two a year. It will, therefore, be 
necessary to add some new boxes to the task every year, 
after the fourth, to keep up the profitable business. In 
young, thrifty trees this may be done w'ithout increasing 
the bounds of a task, if the number of boxes was limited at 
first, as previously directed. 
Virgin dip is the name given to all Turpentine gathered 
the first year -from new boxes. Although the first three 
dippings make much the brightest and best rosin, and on 
this account is worth fifty or seventy -five cents a barrel 
more than 
Ycllfiw dip, which is the name of all soft Turpentine 
taken from the boxes after the first year. 
Hard or Scrape is the name for the Turpentine which 
hardens on the face of the chipping and never reaches the 
boxes. This makes a pretty fair rosin, but yields not 
more than a third of the quantity of spirits, and is worth 
about half price. 
The evaporation of spirits from all soft Turpentine is 
very rapid in hot, dry weather ; and this makes it im- 
portant to dip and deliver it at the Still without unneces- 
sary loss of time. 
Virgin dip will yield about five and a half gallons of 
spirits to the barrel (of280 pounds,) for the first three dip- 
pings, and from five and a half to six gallons later in the 
season. 
Yellow dip, if delivered early, will turn out six to six 
and a half gallons. The scrape rarely makes as much as 
three gallons, very often not more than two or two and a 
half to the barrel. 
On an average, all kinds will makedwo barrels of rosin 
from three of raw Turpentine. 
The Distiller, therefore, will have one-third of his barrels 
surplus, which, with slight repairs, will serve as well as 
new ones for future dippings. 
When Virgin dip is worth S2. 50 or S3. 75 a barrel, 
Yellow dip is worth about S2, and the Scrape j^bout Si. 25 
a barrel. 
To justify the distiller in payingthe above prices, spirits 
of Turpentine should be worth 40 cents a gallon in the 
New Orleans market, upon the supposition that the entire 
expense from the Still does not exceed 8 cents a gallon on 
spirits, and 40 cents a barrel on rosin. When spirits are 
selling in New Orleans at 36 cents, the Taw article is 
worth 20 cents a barrel less,, at the Still, at the same rate 
of expense in sending the manufactured article to market. 
The distiller incurs great expense in the single article of 
spirit barrels. Xhese must be iron bound, made in the 
best manner, of seasoned white-oa;k, and well coated with- ' 
in with glue, to prevent evaporation. They should con- 
tain from 40 to 45 gallons, and when ready for use cost 
little short of S2 apiece. As there must be one spirit 
barrel provided to every seven of soft Turpentine, the de- 
mand for these barrels will of itself open an extensive 
new branch of business. Let these, by all means, be made 
at home. 
A word more at the close. It is said above that a Tur- 
pentine plantation v/ill last 8 or 10 years. This is meant 
for Florida and Southwestern Georgia. In North Carolina 
with careful working, it lasts 12 or 14 years. And then 
begins the business of making Tar from trees exactly pre- 
pared for it, by this previous culture. This is nearly as 
piofiiable as making Turpentime,,and will furnish em- 
ployment for several years longer. 
RsMARKs.—We are under particular obligations to 
John M. Potter, Esq., of Decatur coufity, Ga , for a 
pamphlet containing the foregoing information. We dc 
not know wbo is the autlior, but doubt not the article will 
be acceptable to many persons seeking information on 
this important subject. — Eds, 
CEOPS IN MISSISSIPPI. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — The July number of 
your valuable journal is at hand, and as you request some 
information about the crops in the different sections of the- 
country, I have concluded to drop you a line in com- 
pliance therewith. 
At this time we are receiving plentiful showers of rain, 
every few days. The corn crop has generally been laid 
by and it will be a good crop, judging from present ap- 
pearances. My neighbors generally have put in larger 
crops of corn, peas, potatoes and vegetables than usual. 
I think that there will be fine crops of peas, potatoes and 
pumpkins, also. The cotton crop is doing tolerable well 
just now, but there cannot be a full crop, as not more- 
than one-tenth of’the planters in all this region of country 
have got good stands ; some have not finished scraping 
yet. I hear some of our oldest planters say that it is im- 
possible, let the seasons be ever so propitious, to make a 
full crop. 
But I presume you know, Messrs, Editors, that the 
extent of the cotton crop cannot be pronounced upon un- 
til gathered and baled. Last year the seed was heavier 
than the lint, and we were all disappointed in our calcu- 
lations. Those young v/riters who speak so enthusiastic- 
ally of the ^‘beautiful growing crops of cotton,” are not 
aware, perhaps, that by this kind of praise, they are cre- 
ating an impression that will ultimately prove a losing- 
business to them, in lessening the price of cotton. I am a 
lover of truth, but all men of experience know that ap- 
pearances in the yield ol cotton are very deceitful. Nc 
man can, with any degree of certainty, predict what will 
be the yield of his growing crop. Yours, T. R. 
Cottage Hovie, J*ffersun, Co., Miss., July. 1855. 
“GEEEN HORN” WAXETK HYPEE-CEITICAL ANEu 
, PAS'ilCULAE. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — lam a pretty regular 
reader of several agricultural johrnals, and frequently in 
their perusal have suggested to my mind certain thoughts 
and inquiries, which move me strongly to write sometliing 
myself, but I have never yet brought my self-confidence- 
fully up to the point. There is a kind of writing, how- 
ever, wluGh appears to be a‘)>retty easy-going thing, and 
withal quite free — I mSan the •fa^dt-Jinding — so 1 have 
determined to try my hand for once, and take that chan- 
nel. 
I find that many Planters complain of the introduction 
of “scientific highfalutin,” into farmers’ leadings, be- 
cause, say they, fafmers "are not presumed to be “high 
larn’t,” and able to understand it. Well, there may be 
many just occasions for'^such complaint. As where un- 
usual, or foreign language is used, while that which 
native, and in general use is convenient ; but when this 
fault is carried only to the use of terms or names which, 
are strictly teclxnical or scientific, though the reader may 
not understand them on sight, he can (if he can read at all 
and has such books as all reading men ought to have) 
learn or find out, easily enough, their meaning. But 
worse than this is the u^e of the unscientific /aic-falutin, 
if you will allow the expression. Many families and 
neighborhoods have common names for things, plans of 
work, &c., which are in every-day use amongst themselves,. 
but which, in another State or region, are more mysteri- 
ous than Greek or Hebrew, and they are not in the books. 
