368 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
were ot equal length. 1 pa.ssed 4 indies of their length 
npinto the buckets while empty, leaving 2 inches out be- 
low. I then made a litt le stand v/ith 4 legs 2 inches long, 
which, with the thickness of the piece, came to nearly 3 
inches. Two large holes were cuitlirough this little stand. 
The stand was then placed into a large tub and leveled by 
3L spirit-level. This was clone by adjusting the tub itself, i 
with the stand in it holding the level, it is evident that, 
in this connection, when water was poured into the tub 
its surface w.ould continue parallel with the top of the 
stand. The water was poured in until it nearly reached 
the lower side of the stand. The buckets, previously pre- 
pared with earth and counterpoised as for the other ex- 
periments, were now set upon the stand, the wicks pass- 
ing freely through the holes in the stand down into the 
water. There they remained 24 hours (neither of them ■ 
stirred). At the end of that time they were taken back 
to the balance, and found still to be in equilibiiurn. They 
were then returned to the stand in the water, and 07ie was 
stirred frequently during 48 hours. At the end of that 
lime they were hung on the beam. Tke stirred portion 
'required to restore the equilibrium. 
Kxvmment Ath . — The equilibrium being restored by 
fhe addition of weights, the buckets were placed again on 
the stand and the other bucket was stirred, leaving the 
former undisturbed for 48 hours. The stirred portion re- 
quired 140 grains to restore the equilibrium. The atmos- 
phere was dry during both these last experiments. 
I further conclude, then, that even with the aid of capil- 
lary attraction, the loss of moisture by plowing in a dry 
state of the atmosphere is more than the gain. 
As to* what “P.” says about the increased porosity giv- 
ing greater capillary attraction, I think he has only to re- 
member that he speaks of my crust as not being impervi- 
ous to moisture, and then to connect with this fact, the 
established fact that capillary attraction is exercised to a 
greater degree through many small tubes than through a 
few large ones. My pervious crust approaches a series 
of smaiUubes. This loose, pulverized, soil resembles a 
series of larger tubes. 
I had an opportunity, during the above experiments, of 
maldng an observation in another quarter, which I found 
to b© of use in its bearing on the subject of inquiry. I 
had a littl« work, in the way of grading, going on, and 
one morning I observed that a portion of the earth that 
had been broken up the day before was as raoist as if it 
bad been exposed to mist, while other portions, also work- 
ed the day before, were not more moist, to appearance, 
than fhs eaFlfe that had not been dug— -by no means damp, 
f in reEesfemg on this fact I called to mind that the damp 
ipottiiojis had been spaded quite late in the evening; and 
4he other portions were those that had been worked 
hiTOUgh the day. I thought the inference to be warranted, 
that the earth which was turned over in the latter part of 
the day had not become so heated as to expel its own 
moisture ; but, on the contrary, was so reduced in temper- 
ature as to condense the vapor of the air, and thus to form 
dew. And from this it would appear that the stirring of 
the earth in dry weather, would be less liable to render 
the earth drier, if it could be done in the latter part of the day. 
I believe if my experiments should be repeated by a 
sufficient number of persons, with the care I used, there 
could remain no doubt in regard to the correctness of my 
theory, as advanced in your number of June. Will not 
others take interest enough in the matter to make some 
Ixials 1 J . 
Alaba^na, August, 1855. 
Remarks. — W e are thankful to '‘J.” for this very inter- 
esting detail of his important experiments, and hope others 
equally qualified will pursue the investigation of the sub- 
ject still farther.— E ) 
EUEAL IVIETSOEOIOGY— “SUN DEAWING WATER.” 
Editors Southern Cultivator — Observing, one after- 
noon, the peculiar appearance of the sun's rays, that are 
commonly regarded as the “sun drawing up water.” I 
pointed it out to Mr. Brown, and asked if he believed it, as 
people commonly did 4 “Certainly,” was his plump re- 
ply, with a challenging “Don't you V’ In vain did I ad- 
vance scientific doubts— lhat it was reflection of light, &c. 
Mr. Brown impatiently interrupted me with, “why, look in 
the road here, captain, at these little frogs jumping about; 
they fell only earlji- this morning in the rain. "Why, a big 
rain caught me once in my swamp-field and I ran under 
a big beech tree to get out of it, when, a-vip, came a terra- 
pin, right out of the heavens, as big as my hand, and sunk 
half of himself in the mud, not five feet from me.” “But,” 
j I suggested, “don’t you think these frogs, if they do fall 
with the rain, are probably taken up by a strong wind — a 
whirl-wind perhaps — and raised a little while and then 
dropped T’ “That may be, captain,” said Mr. Brown, 
“and, if it wasn’t for what I've seen and heard about this 
thing, I might be inclined to believe it. Once I was com- 
ing over the Ferry and the sun commenced drawing rain 
from right around us. I tell you it was a hard matter get- 
ting along. 1 just mashed my hat over my ears and caught 
hold of the bottom of my buggy with one hand and the 
middle long bar of the flat with the other. The water rose 
as thick as the thickest rain you ever saw, and we couldn’t 
see the other side of the river. But the flat hands, they were 
used to such things, and, after taking off their shoes, so 
that their feet might fit closer to the boat, they just pushed 
right through as hard as they could. But Bill Dickens 
says that he was once fishing at Gray’s Landing when the 
sun commenced drawing up water all ’round him. He 
waited a while, when he got uneasy and paddled off as 
hard as he could, for shore. He found it mighty hard 
pulling ; it seemed like it wanted to take him, boat and 
all. He had just got to the bushes when it took his hat, 
any how, and he was so scared he never thought to look 
up to see it sailing to the skies. 'When he got safe on land 
he looked up, but it had got hid in a great big cloud 
above.” “Did he ever get it again T’ was my inquiry, 
while Mr. B. took a long breath, anxious to know the up- 
shot of the adventure. “"Why, yes,” was his reply. “He 
hadn’t been on ground long before a rain came on, right 
where he was, and after it was over he thought he would 
see if it had fell, and, sure enough, as there hadn’t been a 
bit of wind to carry it off, it had fell and lodged against 
some willow limbs in the river, not twenty yards below 
where it had rose from. Good evening, captain, I hope 
you may never be caught in the sun drawing up water,” 
and Mr. Brown rode away. Frog Level. 
A NOVEL OPERATION IN OBSTETRICS. 
An esteemed correspondent at Philadelphia sends 
us the following rather singular statement ; 
Editors Southern Cultivator— You may, perhaps 
think it worth a corner in yonr paper to publish the fol- 
lowing singular statement which I received from “mine 
host,” not long since, at a boarding-house in Philadel- 
phia, He told me that while living in New Jersey he had 
a cov/ in the parturient state. Finding her natural pow- 
ers unable to effect the last act of reproduction, several 
men went to her assistance, exercising the most forcible 
traction, but without success. Upon this he sent for Dr. 
C , of Warren county, N. J., and requested him to 
perform the Caesarian operation. The worthy doctor de- 
nounced all “cutting,” but promised if the treatment was 
