THE CULTIVATOR. 
29 
sufficient number of the members did not attend on that 
day to form a quorum. As another business meeting 
will be held about the time your January number will 
have reached us, when I intend bringing the matter for¬ 
ward, I will give you these proposed resolutions here: 
e Resolved, That it is the opinion of this society, that 
the present ruinously low price of cotton, arises almost 
wholly from inordinate over-production. 
(i , That a committee be appointed to prepare an ad¬ 
dress to the farmers of the cotton-growing region; set¬ 
ting forth the absolute necessity that exists for an entire 
change in the system of farming pursued among us, so 
as to lessen the quantity of cotton produced—to employ 
a considerable proportion of the labor of our slaves in 
the production of other staples; and of all the supplies 
necessary for the plantation which can be so produced, 
if not with profit, at least without loss. 
«That they shall include, in their address, all the in¬ 
formation they can procure as to the staple crops which 
may be so introduced; with short notices of the system 
of culture necessary for each; cost of production com¬ 
pared with cotton, &c. 
“ That the use of cotton bagging, in baling, be partic¬ 
ularly considered; information acquired as to the cost, in 
plantation labor, of its manufacture; strength requisite, 
&c.; and the particular grounds that may exist for ob¬ 
jections, if any there be, to its use. 
“ That they also inquire, whether the establishment 
of cotton factories generally within the cotton growing- 
states, would not have the effect of counteracting the 
combinations which are formed in the foreign markets 
to keep down the prices of the staple.—Whether, such a 
demand for provisions may not thus be created at home, 
as to render their production at least as profitable as that 
of cotton, and thus divert a considerable portion of the 
labor now employed in the over-production of the latter 
—And if, in the judgment of the committee, manufacto¬ 
ries within the cotton region would produce these results, 
what measures can be best adopted to encourage their in¬ 
troduction. 
“ That they shall submit their address and report at the 
next regular meeting of this society.” 
In all enlightened governments, but our own, agricul¬ 
ture receives powerful aid and support; not so much by 
means of protective duties and imposts, as by the wise 
measures taken for its relief when in any manner op¬ 
pressed. Witness, in Great Britain, the frequent appoint¬ 
ments of committees of the House of Commons, to ex¬ 
amine into the causes of results the most trivial when 
compared with that now in question, and with power to 
call before them for information, individual and docu¬ 
mentary evidence from every part of the country. Al¬ 
though we in this country, have no such powerful aid 
given us, we might do much good by such a plan as this 
here proposed. 
Some weeks ago, I had some inquiries made of me by 
a gentleman in Natchez, who informed me that he was 
one of a company formed with the view of shortly erect¬ 
ing an oil mill there; chiefly with a view to the making 
of castor oil. I assured him, at once, that the bean can 
be grown with profit by the planter; and promised to 
grow, next year, an acre or so, each, of the castor oil 
bean, sunflower, and Bene; also to try the Madia sativa, 
of which I have a small quantity of seed. I know that 
all these plants will do well here. In Illinois large 
quantities of the Palma Christi bean are grown, and the 
manufacture of castor oil is carried on with much profit. 
The farmers, there, so far as my recollection goes, found 
the bean a very remunerative crop. I neither remember 
the average yield per acre, nor the usual price, but have 
taken measures for refreshing my memory. Can you aid 
me? If you have files of the (Chicago) Union Ag. and 
Prairie Farmer, I think you will there find all the infor¬ 
mation wanted. It grows spontaneously along our road 
side, producing, I think, quite as good crops as those I 
have seen in Illinois. I have a variety of it in my gar¬ 
den of extraordinary and productive growth. A plant of 
it, which made its appearance in one of the borders, a 
volunteer, quite late in this present season, has attained 
a large growth. At five feet from the ground the stem 
is 15 inches in circumference; there it throws out three 
branches the tops of which are 17 feet from the ground, 
and spread to a diameter of 12 or 14 feet. Where the 
branches spring out, a spike of seeds has been ripe this 
three months; and now at the top of each of the three 
branches is a very heavily laden spike, the seeds in 
which are not quite ripe; though they certainly would 
have been had the seed been planted sufficiently early. 
The beans of this variety are very large. I find on trial 
that they w-eigh an average of six grains each. The 
stem and leaf-stems have a reddish tinge; the plant al¬ 
together forming quite a handsome tree. Last winter 
was so mild with us here that plants of this variety stood 
uninjured, and in the spring threw out multitudes of 
flower spikes. I am perfectly aware that a plant of such 
gigantic growth would be illy adapted to field culture, 
as a crop in rich land; I mention it merely as a proof 
that there is nothing uncongenial in our climate to the 
growth of the Palma Christi; and because I think that 
this sort would do well as an aftercrop, say on oat stub¬ 
ble ; and would then have abundance of time to ripen its 
seed. 
The Ben£ grows vigorously, and produces an abun¬ 
dance of seed; so, I am told, does the Madia sativa, al¬ 
though I have no knowledge of it myself; the sunflower 
I know will do well—all of these yield a very large pro¬ 
portion of valuable oil. 
I have grown a small crop of Havanna tobacco this 
season, which is said to be of fine quality by those who 
profess to be judges. When properly cured and made 
into cigars a better opinion can be formed. I cut this 
three times, and each cutting was good; if planted early, 
and a handful of cotton seed or some other equally por¬ 
table and effective manure hoed in round the plants at the 
second cutting, I have no doubt but four cuttings 
could be had each season—the two last of course of in¬ 
ferior tobacco. 
The gentleman before spoken of, Mr. Isaac Dunbar, 
has for many years made his own wine. That which he 
exhibited at our last Fair was pronounced decidedly su¬ 
perior to any he has before shown. I think it was the 
best native wine I have ever met with. Mr. D. has a 
vineyard of sufficient extent to make a few barrels of 
wine, and leave enough of grapes to give even his ne¬ 
groes a fair share. His favorite grape is the Herbemont 1 
Madeira—as being perfectly hardy and requiring but lit¬ 
tle attention. At oursummer Fair, this season, one gen 
tleman exhibited seven varieties of grapes, principally 
European sorts. The variety that does best with us, is 
one known as the Jack grape. What it is I can only 
guess at. The vine is of a vigorous, healthy habit; 
young wood having a reddish tinge, resembling the cigar 
box and Norton's seedling; the bunches quite large and 
shouldered; the berries, which are entirely without pulp, 
are of sizes varying from that of an eighty-to-the-pound 
rifle bullet, to that of ordinary sized buckshot; juice a 
rich claret color and very abundant; the flavor fine, with 
a delicious admixture of sweet and sour; and forming 
altogether, when fully ripe, a most delicious table grape. 
If Mr. Camak will inform me by letter cr otherwise, 
how to forward to him, I will have much pleasure in 
sending a couple of plants, that he may test this fine fruit 
in his region. 
When I have again leisure, I may have somewhat to 
say on the cultivation of the vine, through yours or some 
other journal. I will only now add, that excessive deep 
planting will assuredly prove injurious. Moderately 
deep planting, however, the soil being of a proportionate 
depth, is by all means advisable. With you in the north, 
even as far south as Cincinnati and Nashville, and in the 
colder districts of Europe, the vine is trained low that it 
may benefit by the reflection of the sun’s rays from the 
earth; while here, and even in latitudes north of us, to 
avoid this, and to secure the full benefit of the shade af¬ 
forded by its own foliage, and all the air possible, the 
vine requires to be trained high—over a ten or twelve 
feet arbor, if possible. 
I must pass over the subject of “ new staple crops,” on 
which a lengthy series of papers might be written. In¬ 
digo has been successfully and profitably grown here— 
the sole objection to it being the difliculty of making 
sale of the entire crop without having to seek for a mar 
