28 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
in the earth, with a view of producing new 
plants or trees of the same kind. 
30. Sels— are young plants taken from the 
seed bed to be set or planted out. 
Cabbage and various other plants are usually 
propagated in this way, being firstsown in beds, 
from which the plants are taken up and set out 
in fields or gardens. 
31. FaZZruy— signifies land in a state of rest, 
not being planted or sown for a season, but re- 
peatedly ploughed and harrowed, for_ the pur- 
pose of clearing it of weeds, and of dividing and 
pulverizing the soil more perfectly. 
Such is sometimes caWed a naked fallow, be- 
cause the land carries no crop. 
3:^. A Green Fallouj—\s that where the land 
has been rendered mellow and clean from weeds, 
by means of some kind oi green crop, such as 
turneps, peas, potatoes, &c., cultivated by the 
horse-plough and hoe. 
The crop so cultivated and for the above pur- 
pose, is called a falloio crop. In this mode of _lal- 
lowinst, no time is lost by the land being left idle 
or in an' unproductive state. Fallowing is 
sometimes distinguished by the season of the 
j^ear in which the' business is either principally 
or wholly accomplisherl; hence we have sum- 
mer, winter and spring fallows. 
33. Winter Falloioing—is onlj breaking up 
the land, or ploughing it in tne fall, and leaving 
it exposed to the action of the frosts cf winter. 
31. Dibole— is a tool of very simple construc- 
tion, for making holes in the ground, at equal 
distances, in which certain seeds are sometimes 
planted. 
Seeds planted in this way are said to be dib- 
bled in. It is used also in transplanting. The 
handle of an old spade or shovel, sharpened at 
the lower end, may answer very well for this 
purpose. 
35. Tdler— is a term used to signify the 
branching out of a single grain, as of rye, oats, 
or wheat, into several stalks. 
Vvhere the individual kernels of any grain 
throw up many stalks, it is said lo tiller well. 
Each shoot thrown out in tillering may be re- 
moved and treated as a distinct plane. A re- 
markable instance of this is related in, the fifty- 
eighth volume of Philosophical Transactions. 
Of some wheat sown in June, one of the plants 
was taken up in August and separated into 18 
parts, and replanted-: those plants were again 
taken up, and divided in the months of Septem- 
ber and October, and planted out separately to 
stand the winter, v/hich division produced si.x;- 
tv'-seven plants, Tliey were again taken up in 
March and April, and produced five hundred 
plants, from which grew twenty-one thousand 
one hundred and nine heads, yielding three 
pecks and three quarters of wheat, all produced 
from one single grain. 
3G. Ley— a term used in agriculture, to signi- 
fy land ill the state of sward or grass. 
We frequently read of u'heat being sown on 
a clover ley ; by which we are to understand, 
land in clover, directly after mowing, being 
turned up, and sown with wheat on the back of 
the furrows. 
37. Aleadoio— grass land for mowing. 
In this country, the word is seldom used to 
signify upland mowing, but that which is low 
and moist, and seldom or never ploughed.^ In 
other countries, and by some writers on agricul- 
ture in this country, it is the name given to all 
mowing grounds. 
38. Effluvia— are those small particles flow- 
ing out of any substance, which produce in us 
the sensation of smell. 
Thus, most flowers send forth effluvia; and 
substances in a state of putrefaction send forth 
effluvia of a very different nature. 
39. Chemistry — is the science which enables 
us to discover the nature and the properties of 
all natural bodies. 
40. A simple substance — is one which cannot 
be decomposed, or which is not produced by the 
union of two or more substances ; such as iron, 
sulphur, &c. ' 
Sir Humphrey Davy, a celebrated chemist in 
England, reckoned forty-seven known simple 
substances in nature. 
41. A Compound Substance — is one w'hich 
may be decomposed; or which is produced by 
the union of two or more other substances of 
different natures. 
Thus, gun-powder is a compound substance, 
being composed of charcoal, sulphur, and salt- 
petre ; and these substances, or those which 
united together, produce a compound substance, 
are called its constituent or component parts. 
42. The Elements of Matter — are the simple 
substances into which all surrounding objects 
are capable of being reduced. 
All the substances about which agriculture is 
employed are compounds; that is, they consist 
of elements into which they are capable of be- 
ing resolved. Of this, no farmer should be ig- 
norant; and he ought to attain at least to so 
much chemistry as to know the nature, the pro- 
perties, and the combinations of those elements, 
("the number of which is very small,) which are 
continually working such wonders before his 
eyes. 
43. Analysis — is the resolution or separating 
of a compound substance into its elements, or 
constituent parts. 
44. Caloric — is the name which modern chem- 
ists have given to fire ; or rather, it is that ex- 
tremely subtile fluid which produces in us the 
sensation of heat. 
The sun is the grand source of caloric, it is 
afforded also from combustion, and in various 
other ways. Thus, take a small phial about 
half full of water, grasp it gently with one hand, 
and from another phial pour a little sulphuric 
acid, or oil of vitrol as it is sometimes called, 
veiy gradually into the water. The phial will 
become hat, which is in consequence of the calo- 
ric disengaged from the mixture. 
This ^ubtile rnalter pervades the pores of all 
known sub-stances, most of which are capable of 
existing in three different states — the solid, the 
fluid, and the serial form or gaseous state ; and 
these three different states depend on the quanti- 
ty of caloric which may be present in any sub- 
stance, at any one time. The first of these, term- 
ed the solid stoJe, depends on the presence of a 
small quantity of caloric ; such is water in the 
state of ice ; when the quantity of caloric or mat- 
ter of heat is increa.sed to a certain degree, the 
body passes into the second or fluid stale. Such 
is ice or lead when melted ; and by still further 
increasing the quantity of caloric or heat, it rises 
into vapor, called the ceriform or gaseous state, 
or simply ga^ . 
“ Almost all natural bodies are susceptible of 
existing from the mere expansive energy of cal- 
oric in these three states; and the only differ- 
ence among them is, that some require less and 
others a greater proportion of caloric to induce 
these changes. Water, which usually exists in 
our atmosphere as a fluid, can fluctuate b}' a ve- 
ry slight alteration of the thermometer, either in- 
to solid ice, or into serilorm vapor. All the met- 
als exhibit the same phenomenon. If solid, they 
melt by the application of fire into a fluid mass; 
and if that be carried to a given pitch of inten- 
sity, they fly off in fumes and assume the ga- 
seous state. The solid earth is not exempt from 
the dominion of this universal law. Flint and 
sand, when put into the furnace, dissolve into 
liquid glass ; and if exposed ta a still more 
powerful heat, they are dissipated in vapor and 
assume new serial forms. Let it, therefore, be 
remembered, as an established principle in 
chemistry, that when different portions of caloric 
enter into combination with bodies, they pass, 
according to the quantity, into the respective 
states of solidity, fluidity, or aeriform vapor d’ 
45. Gas — is any substance converted to vapor 
by the action of caloric. 
In other words, it is any substance dissolved 
in caloric ; or, it is any substance reduced lo the 
aeriform state by the action of caloric. By the 
ceriform state, it must be remembered, is meant 
astate similar to that of air, which is neither tan- 
gible or visible; that is, it can neither be handled 
with the hands, nor seen with the eyes. 
It may seem strange that the hard si^'- mnces 
from which -we receive so many kno' and 
bruise.s, should in any way be conver - into 
such a state. Yet something of this i^ ■ ; n ev- 
ery day. A log, which it would requi e two 
men to lift, on being burnt, is all cun' eited into 
gas, except a residuum of ashes so small as to 
be collected into a measure and carri,,. by a 
child. So in the putrefaction of an aniin. 1, the 
solid substance lelt is little more than s‘ nkient 
to color the ground; the sest, except so:., fluid 
parts which may have sunk into the soil, is all 
converted into gas. 
46. Alkalies — are substances of an acrid, 
burning taste. — Their most distinguishing pro- 
perties are 
1st. They change the blue juices of vegeta- 
bles, as of violets, or red cabbage, to green. ' ' 
2d. They render oils missible with water, thus 
lorming soap. 
3d. 'f'hey combine with acids, there' - lorm- 
ing various kinds of salts. 
There are only three alkalies. Isi, Potash, 
or the Vegetable Alkali. 2d, Ammonia, or the 
Volatile Alkali. The two first are also called 
Fixed Alkalies; the latter, or Aun nia, is 
called the Volatile Alkali, because it exi.'is as a 
gas, and is that sub.stance which, on oj.i ning, a 
smelling bottle so effectually searches the nose 
and head. 
Jerusalem Artichokes. — Inconnexi ni with 
the advertisement of Mr. J. A. Clarke, on the 
last page, we desire to invite the reader’.^ atten- 
tion to the following remarks of the editors of 
the Tennessee Agricultu''ist, showing the value 
of this vegetable. Among our exchanges, w'e 
have seen numerous references to the Artichoke, 
all of which concur in recommending it as very 
valuable ; but we deem the annexed views quite 
sufficient to induce the planters of Georgia and 
Carolina to make an experiment in raising 
them. 
JERUSALEM AFcTICHOKE— (AefeantAiis Tat.erosus ) 
From the fact that many enquiries have been 
made of late, in relation to this very remarkable 
and u-seful plant, I am disposed to speak a few 
things of its culture and uses. The Jerusalem 
Artichoke is a native of the warmest parts of 
America, and of course was unknown in Eu- 
rope, till after the discoveries in this country by 
Columbus and his coadjutors. Since that lime 
it has been cultivated to considerable extent on 
the continent as well as in Great Britain, but 
the reports of its profits have considerably va- 
ried in that, as well as this country. In the old 
world,, some have cultivated it to afford shade 
to the game; others have converted the stocks 
and leaves into fodder for ca'tle, and others 
again, have encouraged its growth for the tub- 
ers alone. In this country, there are two im- 
portant objects to be kept in mind in raising 
Artichokes: 1st. The improvement of land; 
2dlyL The use of the tubers. However, the first 
matter is the cultivation, and I begin with 
1. Soik Almrst^ any kind ofland w;iil pro- 
duce Artichok;es, and it is remarkable, that they 
will grow in the shade, that is, under trees, or in 
fence corners, very well indeed. Land, howev- 
er, with a tolerably good sandy mold, will give 
the most abundant crop. Low, wet soils, and 
very tenacious clay, are not so suitable. 
2. Preparation of Land. The ground should 
be broken as for corn, that is to say, one good, 
deep ploughing, and a thorough harrowing, will 
answer the purpose admirably. 
3. Laying out. Rows laid off" four feet each 
way with a bull’s tongue or shovel plough, in 
most soils, will be the proper distance 
4. Quantity of Seed. From four to five bush- 
els will be required to the acre, and unless the 
long roots are broken to pieces of three or four 
joints, or eyes each, this quantity will not be 
enough. 
«-5. Manner of Planting, Drop one root at 
