PLANTATION TOOLS. 
181 
western states allow me to explain. In the ( 
first place, all the land is laid off into townships 
of six miles square, sub-divided into sections one 
mile square; and these into fourths, eighths, and 
sixteenths; with all the sections in each township 
numbered from one to thirty-six. The one num¬ 
bered sixteen is devoted to the use of common 
schools, for the benefit of all the inhabitants of that 
township. Sometimes these lots are very valua¬ 
ble, and at others utterly worthless; so that the 
benefits of this great grant of land, are very un¬ 
equally distributed, and often, by bad management 
of the inhabitants, sadly wasted. Of the grants 
spoken of to colleges and academies, of course I 
know nothing; perhaps some western man will fell 
us what has become of this enormous fund. But 
at any rate, I have never heard of the first acre be¬ 
ing appropriated to educate farmers, in the busi¬ 
ness of their calling. 
I pray you, tell me if you can, is Mr. Smithson’s 
magnificent bequest, likely ever to aid much in the 
education of American farmers ? [No. Specula¬ 
tions on the origin of the Indians are more impor¬ 
tant.] 
Hauling Fuel. —Burning green wood. I am 
willing to concede everything to the argument in 
favor of dry wood, so far as hauling is concerned; 
but not for all that is claimed in favor of entirely- 
seasoned wood for fuel. I am yet to learn what lit¬ 
tle I know of chemistry over again, if water itself 
cannot be consumed, and greatly increase the heat 
of the fire. And if half-seasoned hickory, beech, 
and maple wood will not make a more intense heat, 
than after it is fully and entirely seasoned, the quan¬ 
tity and time being equal, then I am no judge. 
[Pray, Captain Reviewer, did you ever consider how 
much heat is wasted in warming the sap in green 
wood, before you derive any benefit from it 1] I 
would always have dry fuel, but I do not believe in 
the economy of burning nothing but dry fuel; par¬ 
ticularly while I continue to sit by a good, old-fash¬ 
ioned New England fireplace, with a backlog and 
forestick. 
Yankee Farming, No. 2.—Ship ahoy! Hel- 
lo-o-o! Sargeant, what ship is that ? I was “ sar- 
tin sure” I knew you, as I hinted in my last; but 
you have now blown me out of my reckoning, and 
I “guess” you have put me down in your imagina¬ 
tion, as a Corporal only of marines, and a “ land 
lubber” to boot, instead of a Corporal in your smart 
militia company. I’ll give up the “ Corporal,” and 
fall back upon the title by which my neighbors dis¬ 
tinguish me, namely, “ Captain,” from having com¬ 
manded a merchant ship, sailing out of Boston for 
several years. In describing Uncle Sim, I really 
did think I knew him, and par consequence , you 
also ; but Aunt Nabby, the charming Molly, the 
boys, and above all, that “ middle-sized, -brindled- 
colored, bob-tail dog,” has “ clean done me up.” I 
really don’t know them, nor can I even “guess” 
now who they are. I’ve lost both my latitude 
and longitude, and did n’t make land w T hen I 
thought I had. It’s a regular mirage. Well, Aunt 
Nabby is a character, that’s a fact, with her volu¬ 
ble tongue, and lean, skinny form. How I should 
have been delighted to hear her eloquently holding 
forth upon “ raisin’ chickens and hatchin’ ducks.” i 
0 Sergeant, you let the “punkin sauce” burn too 
( quick, and “ put in your oar” before you were or¬ 
dered, sailor fashion, and “gave way.” Pray, let 
us hear Aunt Nabby again. But take care, Ser- 
eant, that you do not let the cat too far out of the 
ag, or the fair lady may get her back up, and 
scratch your face yet. But I don’t know when I 
have laughed more than I did over the mishap of 
Uncle Sim, shooting the Tom turkey for the owl— 
the “ tarnal critter”—whom he was going to show 
“ what eatin’ chickens is!” Well, Sergeant, you 
are a capital fellow, so “ heave ahead,” and if I was 
mistaken in my man, and don’t know you now, I 
shall hope to be so lucky as to make your acquaint¬ 
ance one of these days. I “give in,” entirely, 
about the “ Corporal,” and will have no more of him. 
“ Fath,” as the Irishman said, “ it isn’t meself, at 
all, at all, me honey.” However, the moral of the 
story is excellent. But what shall we do for those 
poor souls that never yet had occasion for a 
“ poultry house,” and are nearly “ hooted” out of 
their seven senses by something worse than an 
“ owl,” every time there is a disturbance among 
the poultry of a night, upon the trees and fences 
surrounding the house and out-buildings ? 
Letters from. Abroad — No. 1.—Description of the 
Douro country. True to the letter. I well recol¬ 
lect in my younger days, when second mate of a 
brig, bound in there for a cargo of wine, of gliding 
up the “ pure, bright waters” of that river, and wit¬ 
nessed, also, the “ soul-cheering spectacle” of 
gathering grapes, and treading out wine. I hope 
the writer will not forget to tell us about those 
elder berries, and the brandy they make use of, in 
brewing Port wine for us foreigners. The natives 
know' better than to drink such stuff. They are 
satisfied with the pure juice of the grape. 
How to Make Good Coffee. —Can that be good, 
which is not good, however good it may be made 1 
Though I suppose that if I condemn the use of it, 
I shall condemn myself to the anathemas of a 
mightier host than I can war against at this time. 
So I shall leave all who desire to continue the use 
of a slow poison for a daily drink, to prepare it ac¬ 
cording to the directions given.— Reviewer. 
PLANTATION TOOLS. 
I have now in use some of the new plows made 
by Ruggles, Nourse & Mason. They were made 
higher on the beam, at my suggestion, and I assure 
you there is all the difference imaginable. And as 
a proof, that I am not thus influenced, because this 
is a whim of my own, I will inform you that Mr. 
Wm. Montgomery, a planter of full fifty years’ 
standing, ordered two of the cast-iron plows, made 
by the above firm, last year, to try them ; he was 
displeased with them, as he could not keep them 
from choking. Upon seeing my new plows, a few 
days since, he directed me to order some for him. 
Another neighbor has done the same thing. This 
is the best kind of reference. 
I also have one of the improved drawing knives, 
and have had to order one dozen for other persons. 
There are six men making shingles within two or 
three miles of me; my knife was borrowed about 
three days; all six of the men now have knives of 
the same kind. Mine would have sold at $3. The 
j price in New Orleans, is $J. This is the esti¬ 
mate placed on a gooff tool, With your northern 
