THE TRAVELLER. -No. 5. 
147 
©fitted by free access to this substance for one 
week when their lambs are taken from them. I 
am also convinced that salt has the effect of 
diminishing the secretion of the liver, and that 
it is from this cause that the good effects of 
salt are so obvious in the feeding of animals. It 
is well known that incipient disease of the liver, 
is favorable to the production of fat. When 
lambing ewes are allowed a large quantity of 
turnips, with a small amount of other food 
through the winter, abortion is a frequent oc¬ 
currence ; their supply of milk is very deficient, 
and their lambs are dropped of various sizes and 
are far from healthy. If the ewes are allowed 
free access to salt, the lambs are still more un¬ 
healthy, and many die of indigestion and dis¬ 
ease of the liver. The mortality of the lambs, 
in these cases, may, I think, be fairly attributed 
to the amount of salt taken by the dam; for, 
admitting that a small portion only is directly 
given them, the quantity positively taken in 
their food in turnips, is somewhat considerable. 
This is a point—the normal or natural quantity 
of salt contained in the different roots, &c., con¬ 
sumed by animals as food—which will throw 
much light upon this most important branch of 
agriculture. 
“ That the use of salt is highly beneficial to 
certain stock, and at certain times, there cannot 
be a doubt; but, from my own knowledge, it is 
no less equally true that the too free and indis¬ 
criminate use of it to all stock, and at all times, 
is highly prejudicial.” Medicus. 
THE TRAVELLER.—Ho. 5. 
From Charleston to Savannah, some 160 miles, 
the passage is made by very comfortable steam¬ 
ers in about twelve hours. Savannah is one of 
the best-planned towns in the south. Its broad 
streets and shady squares are luxurious pro¬ 
visions for healthy enjoyment of city life. The 
position of the town is remarkable. It is upon 
a sandy bluff 40 feet high, and the only high 
point on the river in that vicinity. An immense 
tract of rice land is within sight; that upon the 
island directly in front of the city was bought 
up a few year ago by the corporation, to pre¬ 
vent the cultivation of rice so near the town on 
account of the supposed injury to the health of 
the citizens. 
Savannah is a very wealthy and very enter¬ 
prising place. The railroad to Macon, 190 
miles, is one of the evidences of that fact; and 
although it passes through much comparatively 
poor land, its business adds greatly to the pros¬ 
perity of the city. Mr. Cuyler, the president of 
the company, is entitled to be respectfully men¬ 
tioned, not only for his politeness to me, but for 
his excellent management of the business of 
the whole concern. This is a much more 
pleasant route to reach Macon than the one by 
Augusta and Atlanta. The population of Sa¬ 
vannah is now about 17,000. Three excellent 
daily papers are published with a liberal sup¬ 
port, which indicates the elevation of the peo¬ 
ple—success to them. 
The day I left Savannah, January 3d, was a 
beautiful sunny day, contrasting strongly with 
the appearance of the first freight train we met 
coming down, covered with snow. This rail¬ 
road grade is worthy of note. It rises very reg¬ 
ularly about two feet to the mile, for 70 miles, 
when it passes a slight elevation and descent to 
the Ogeechee River, 101 miles from Savannah, 
and 200 feet above. Between there and the 
Oronee there is a grade of 30 feet to the mile, 
which is the greatest on the road. The depbt 
at Macon is 340 feet above the level of that at 
Savannah. The elevation of land above tide 
water determines the character of climate as 
much as latitude. The first hills on the route 
up, are' seen near Macon, which is surrounded 
with those of moderate elevation, dotted with 
beautiful residences, surrounded by lovely gar¬ 
dens and other evidences of luxury and com¬ 
fort. 
Macon is a great cotton depot. Like nearly 
all Georgia towns, it is built upon very broad 
streets, which being sandy, are not muddy 
though unpaved. Much of the soil of the sur¬ 
rounding country has been wickedly destroyed 
by a system of cultivation prevalent all over 
the south, of plowing very shallow, up and 
down hill, which has had the effect to send the 
surface all down to the rivers to extend our 
territory a little further into the Atlantic Ocean. 
The waters of all the rivers of Georgia, once so 
pure and limpid, have never run clear since the 
country has been inhabited by the whites. 
Probably no soil in the world has ever produc¬ 
ed more wealth in so short a time, nor been more 
rapidly wasted of its native fertility, than the 
central portion of this state. The cheapness of 
land and its great fertility has been its ruin. 
On the night of January 7th, I left Macon in 
the mail stage, for Tallahassee, 220 miles ; fare 
$22; time, 60 hours; roads to be imagined ; 
taverns unimaginable; coaches, horses, and 
drivers to match ; and taken all together, not to 
be matched anywhere else upon this earth ! yet, 
this road passes through some of the richest 
counties of land in the state. Many of the 
