204 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
said by tbeir ijr^eaers to be pure Paular Meri- 
nos. "These animals also have much notoriety 
in the columns of some of our agricultural pa- 
pers, vvhaie they have been figured, not at all to 
iheir credit, nor as proof, (if the pictures be cor- 
rect lilreness,) in my opinion, of the purity ot 
their blood ; as either Paulars, or as specimens 
or the Spanish Merino at all. How this may 
be, however, I will not pretend to say. Par 
contra to this are the caustic, and, as 1 think, 
unnecessarily severe strictures ot Examiner in 
the Agriculturalist. So far as the facts of the 
Examine! are concerned, my own evidence ol 
the present condition ot fine-woolled sheep in 
America corroborate th -"m ; but his personalities 
can have little bearing on the real argument as 
to the existence of, or purity of blood of oui fine- 
woolled sheep generally. 
In regard to the existence of the Paular as a 
distinctive variety of the Spanish sheep, in the 
United States, I inter that they are & fancy 
breed now existing only in the imagination ot 
their proprietors ; for so tar as I have been able 
to ascertain, but very few of that valuable vari- 
ety ever were imported into America at all; 
and the inveterate propensity ol the “ universal 
Yankee nation” to intermix everything of the 
animal kind, could hardly have left these to es- 
cape the usual late of all things else. I also be- 
lieve this from the statements ol very many 
highly creditable individuals in different parts 
ol the Union, who have much experience in 
sheep-breedintr, and an intimate knowledge ol 
the principal flacks throughout the country. 
Mr. Jarvis, of Vermont, who probably im- 
ported more Spanish sheep than any other single 
individual in the United States, declares in his 
essay last winter, published in the Boston Cul- 
tivator, that his own flock, although kept sepa- 
rate in their varieties lor a long time, were all 
mixed some years ago, and since then he has 
bred them indiscriminately. It is also asserted 
by those who have abundant opportunity to 
know Irom personal observation, and by wool 
dealers, who have purchased his wool, that the 
Saxon blood has prevailed to a great extent 
amon^ his flock ot late years. So also ot most, 
indeed, perhaps, everv other large flock in the 
United States. Now and then, select small 
flocks may possibly be lound, few and tar be- 
tween, the relics of some well-cared-lor, and 
choice animals which have not been intermixed 
with Saxon or other blood. Yet it may in truth 
be said, if we believe the disinterested testimony 
of the great body of wool growers throughout 
the United States, no candid mind can rely upon 
obtaining pure unalloyed Spanish sheep in any 
considerable numbers. It appears to me, that 
the persons who have recommended their ani- 
mals to the public attention through the agri- 
cultural press as pure Merinos, and the blood 
ol which has been impeached should, in justice 
toiheraselves, substantiate th» pedigrees by un- 
rmpeachableevidence. In pursuing this course, 
imposition may be avoided, and the public con- 
fidence restored in such individuals as now 
stand by publie accusation in the unenviable 
position of selling spurious animals under false 
.names; and as both myself and many ot my 
friends require thoroughbred Spanish rams for 
the restoration ot our flocks, it is not to be doubt- 
that such animals, if existing in the United 
States will meet with ready encouragement from 
systematic wool-growers. 
As to the Rambouillet sheep of Mr. Collins, 
I have seen only one or two specimens ot his 
flock. The staple of their wool is remarkably 
nice, and shows all the fine, silky, softness and 
length of the most approved Merino of “the old- 
en time.^’ Yet as these are so few in number, I 
understand that no more of his sheep are lor 
sale at present, my own and the applications of 
others being refused at any price, they do not 
appear likely to supply the public demand, at 
ail events, for some time to come. 
L. F. Allen. 
Black Rock, October, 1844. 
I3r The navigation of the Hudson was open 
at Albany on Monday, 
FRUll AT THE SOUTH. 
I presume ihe idea must have originated here, 
mat our country was unsuited to fruits; but 
that idea does even now exist to a greater or less 
extent, and consequently those who do attempt 
It make failure almost sure, and thus prove the 
hypothesis — at least to their satisfaction. But 
thanks to the inquiring age, the indomitable en- 
ergy ot some, and the light of agricultural peri- 
odicals, this matter is undergoing a vast change ; 
and 1 hope, ere many years pass, that our whole 
country will be convinced that we have a Iruit 
country, and that all of my countrymen will 
avail themselves of this great blessing. I look 
on fruits as peculiarly suited to our wants, and 
thinking as I do, I should be forced into the in- 
lerence that our Creator had fallen short in his 
nerlect work, if our climate was unsuited to the 
easy production of Iruit. 
In warm climates, Iruit is conducive to 
health (ripe fruit, of course,) and if we could 
have it ol a good quality, and in abundance. 1 
think the scourge of our land, fever, would be 
more under our control. In the first place, we 
all know that the bile formed in our system is 
secreted in greater abundance in summer than 
winter, and 1 think it we would use less 
food that has carbon as its principal constituent, 
ihat we should be exempt from at least much of 
this increased flow ot bile. Fruit is an article 
of this description; and requiring less carbon 
to keep our system in opeiation in the summer, 
with a great desire for this article, fruit, 1 think 
that we could wdth marked benefit use it Ireely, 
and to a greater extent than our northern breth- 
ren. 1 do not desire to enter into the subject 
more fully; it has been trenched on by many, 
and only add, that it seems to me, the oxygen in 
the fruii will combine with carbon in the system, 
and pass off harmless. You will therefore con- 
clude I regard fruit as conducive to health, 
which Ido. 
I put it, on another footing, as our pecuniary 
interest. All manner ol stock will feed on fruit, 
and most of them will improve in condition ; be- 
sides, it will act on them as on man as to health 
— prevent disease. What number of hogs an 
orchard of 20 acres of good peaches and plums 
would keep in excellent condition from 1st of 
May to 1st of September or October, I can not 
form an idea ; but 1 know this much, that hogs 
in an orchard of the Chickasaw plum (common 
plum of all this region) will not come to call, 
and presume that they would readily come for 
corn if this truit was not to their taste. I think 
that acre for acre, the same land will feed as 
well as it in corn ; lor if the orchard be culti- 
vated as 1 deem it should be, plowed once every 
spring, and left until the fruit ripens, it will pro- 
dace quite a pasture ot crab-grass, which of it- 
self will fatten stock. And yet another advan- 
tage, which is now no longer hypothetical; Iruit 
is profitable to ship to New Orleans, and those 
who live within even 20 to 30 miles of the Mis- 
sissippi river can make it profitable, though ot 
course not so much so as if living nearer. I do 
not see any reason why we might not sell in 
New Orleans alone 300 to 500 barrels per day 
of choice peaches, beside a large quantity to the 
planters on the Mississippi, where sieepage wa- 
ter prevents their growing peach and standard 
trees, to say nothing of Upper Mississippi and 
its tributaries. Understand, we can ship excel- 
lent Iruit by the middle of Jnne, and some of the 
early varieties two weeks earlier — this is of 
peaches; our strawberries can be sent up and 
down early enough to pay us well, beside which, 
the travelling custom on the Mississippi river 
is immense. We have therefore three good 
reasons, if I am correct in the first ; beside which 
I state the gratification of our own taste and 
that of our visitors, as well as the moral bearing. 
Who wounld think ot offering his friend a glass, 
when he could place before him, from the 15th 
of May to the 1st ot October, the strawberry, 
melon, and peach, in season, and apples and 
pears, &c., all winter 1 
The peaches will grow here to perfection, 
equal to any point in these United States; who 
will affirm to the contrary 1 If any be found so 
hardy, and will come here, I pledge my he<id to 
prove to him he errs, and will go no farther than 
Hatch’s or Lambert’s, or my friend Hebron in 
Warren county. I have bought peaches in the 
Philadelphia market at 12^ cents each, and ex- 
cellent they were. 1 was in that most delightful 
city for two years, and saw choice fruits of all 
kinds, and I do aver, I never saw there a finer 
peach than I can shew on this place in August. 
There has been shipped in one day, at Vicks- 
burg, for New Orleans, on one boat, 200 barrels 
ot peaches; this proves something. 
Many persons rely on seedlings, and will not 
be convinced by the sad experience ol some of 
us. Mr. Hebron has planted out not less than 
1,000 seedlings, and I presume in the last twelve 
years I have done thesime. What are they 
worth, with all our trouble 1 Both ot us have 
budded to the sprouts, or tender limbs ot over 
90 per cent, ot our seedlings, I guess, intending 
to cut down the trees of three to five years old; 
this shows our estimate. 
Too many plant fruit trees on worthless land, 
for nojing else. This might do if they would 
remove four to six feet square of the clay, full 
three feel deep, and fill up the hole with earth 
from virgin soil or the woodpile, and then run 
a subsoil plow eighteen inches deep. I have 
never elsewhere seen nectarines succeed as well 
as in this country; I think they do equally as 
well as the peach. The raspberry of several 
kinds is very excellent. Summer and fall ap- 
ples and pears do lull as well, so far as our 
limited experience pro. es anything. The only 
dilBculiy is, your winter truits transplanted 
here, ripen too soon for us; but I think time and 
experience will renr.edy this in our rearing win- 
ter fruits to suit our latitude. The quincelnever 
saw finer; several varieties ot the plum do 
well, and do not fail in one year out of fifteen. 
The fine plums, cherries, and apricots, have not 
been tested sufficiently to say anything tor or 
against them. Ot the Ihlter 1 know some tew 
gentlemen who say there is no difficulty at all. 
The grape will unquestionably succeed admi- 
rably. Think of sticking a cutting twelve inches 
long into the ground, and: no more preparation ; 
and yet many cut grapes from such culture. — 
The fig — go south ot us tor the best, butj not 
north ol us for better. 
The cultivation of fruits has as yet in reality 
received no such attention as you northern folks 
describe. We dig a hole some filleen or eighteen 
inches square, about a foot deep, make the roots 
adapt themselves to this .size, plant sometimes 
deep and sometimes shallow, owing to ease of 
digging the hole, and let it grow or not ! This 
is truly about the amount of labor in planting 
our Iruit trees. There are exceptions, I know, 
but this is the plan. We then plant corn, or 
cotton, or grain, as it happens to suit, and grow 
our fruits. Is it any wonder that we have not 
the rich, luscious fruit ot the north ? 
But we had better stop here, for I have said 
enough at this time, which I trust most earnest- 
ly, will induce some reader of yours to try the 
cultivation of choice fruits in a correct manner, 
and I do this with the firm belief that he wtl 1 
succeed, and if influenced to do so by this arti- 
cle, that he will feel thankful to the columns of 
the American Agriculturist lor this advice. 
M. W. Philips. 
Edwards’ Depot, Miss,, Oct, 1, 1844. 
N, B. We had frost here on the mornings of 
the 29th and 30th September. I have never 
known it so early before. Judge Noland, who 
has been here some thirty years, says it is the 
first frost in September he ever saw. The frost 
was plain, when the sun was an hour high. 
NIGHT SOIL. 
Our farmers might add materially to their 
supply of manuie, by conslructi.ng their privies 
so as to enable them to make use of their con- 
tents. A gentleman from Connecticut informs 
us that he mixed his soil with muck, adding a 
small quantity of lime and ashes, and made 
manure enough for five acres, which he planted 
to corn, and that the crop is equal, if not superior, 
to any one he has seen. 
