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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, OCTOBER 15, 1882. 3 Jfgrii[tt1ttn{xl gjqpartmetiL The lione Star State. Ed. Southern World—I am a farmer with both hands full on the farm; Grange deputy for this district, with another hand full then.; President and Director of Concord Cp-operative Association No. 52 Patrons of Husbandry, with two or three hands full there; besides the hands required in filling subordinate offices in Grange, Odd Fellows and Masonic lodges, special and standing committee business, etc. The balance of my time I spend in reading the newspapers, watching the progress of the boll worm, trimming and burning lamps by night in the cotton field to destroy the moths that produce the boll worm, (for they are here sure eneough and have done considerable damage,) and wondering whether the cliques and rings in Liverpool, London, and New York haven’t perfected and published to the world the price per pound for cotton for the coming year, notwithstanding the Missis sippi lias twice or thrice overflowed its banks. It could be done in less than thirty minutes, for if the Grand Mogul on 'change should say let it be eight cents per pound, the whole ring would respond at once, “so mote it be." Then Jay Gould would say, let it bo two cents per pound for freight, and his ring would shout “Amen,” and the work is done. I see no reason for delay. Crops are good except cotton, which is not fruiting well; the boll worm is at work. J. 8. West. WKitesborough, Texas. [Our Texas contributor is evidently a man of great energy and usefulness. He writes well, and we will be pleased to hear from him often.—Ed.] Saving Fruit. Editor Southern World.—Having found a good way to save fruit it is my desire to make it known to the readers of the South ern World. I have saved a great deal of fruit this season by a new process which I here describe: When it rained so that I had to take it in I put it on a scaffold under a shelter and smoked it with cotton seed un til the sun shined, then I put it out again. In this way I saved all my fruit except about half a gallon, while it was raining every day and my friends were throwing it away by the bushel. I think all who will try this plan will be pleased with the result. A quart of cotton seed will be sufficient to smoke two or three bushels of fruit half the day. I was raised in Georgia and have there many relatives and friends, but I came to Miss., over twenty-five years ago; I reckon they would all be strangers to me now, and as I cannot see them I wish to give them, as well as other ladies, the benefit of my dis covery through the columns of your valua ble paper. Mrs. 8. E. Champion. Morton, Miss. The Johnson Grass. Editor Southern World.—Seeing so many good articles in your valuable paper in ref- ference to improved farming in the South, Buch as stock and grass raising, and trying to pull the old fogy planter from his old beaten path of all cotton, western meat and bread stuffs and his master, the Commission merchant, who dictates by obligation what he shall plant, names the time when it shall come in, and may I not say that nine times in ten these obligations are sent to the money lenders of the North and East to get money on so as they can get other moneys to take other obligations of the same sort thereby informing the money sharks and speculators precisely the time to expect the bulk of onr staple to come in, hence the low price at the opening of the season when our best cotton is coming in and tbeunnatu- ralnessof corresponding high price forourlow grades of cotton. When the cotton season is well spent; now, as near all of our Southern journals are trying hard to open the eyes of our blind, may I call them farmers ? Nay, planters to» better and easier way of living. Allow me to say something to planters who must confess with shame that I am the for tunate possessor of some such obligations showing that they have been where the giver did not have the money to go indorsed by moneyed men living in New York City. In the first place allow me, planters to say that I felt best in those days of darkness when I could congratulate myself by think ing that at the close of agiven day that I had killed more grass that day than any other day of my life. At that time if some far mer had come np and saw me feeling so good over my success, had told me that 1 had killed my best friend, 1 think my answer would have been that he could have all such friends of mine and not pester me any more with it fora life time, but allow me to say that it is not so now; I wish my lands was six inches deep with grass seed of almost any sort except coco or nut grass that I have not found good for anything yet, but a chicken-enti tig-sow, calculated to make her repent for so cruelly treating the feathered tribe. But to give me my choice of other grasses would take what is considered by some tho next worst pest, Johuson grass; in its absence give me the farmers friend Crab grassor Japan clover. No man can tell from whence it came but we do know it is here, capable of doing wondrous good for all manner of beasts. Want to say to doubt ing farmers to come to our neighborhood where but a few years ago a mowerand sulky rake was a curiosity and see for yourselves 42 mowers running and cutting that de- spisable thing called grass that we once de lighted to see bleached in the cotton row and see what a great and natural change grass makes in any country and does it too like magic. See where the old native scrub cow one nipped the shy bundles of grass. Against tbeodds in their stead the beautiful short horn or the fawn like Jersey calves playfully feeding upon carefully pitched grasses such as the different clovers, orchard grass, blue grass the friend of the poor the native crab grass or the boss of grasses, the Johnson grass; in with those beautiful calves see the fine colts; select a racer from a quarter to a four mile dash if you choose or a fine saddler and with these if you want to raise or see raised the docile lamb look around and see the fine Cots-wold with its wool ten to fourteen incher long, or the Southdown with all of its mutton qualities or the Merino tho finest wool of them all, nipping the dreaded foes of the once un happy planter, now beginning to be the pleasant farmer. These are not fairy tales; come and see, if not true we will pay expenses. G. W. it H. C. Randall. Marion Junction, Ala. Nut Lovengood’s Successor. Editor Southern World—Agin I setdown to drop you er fu lines relatin to crops, cam- meetins an so fourth in this sexshion, hope- in it may not be intrudin too much on your valuable time to ask you to peruyse them. You recollect I wrote to you some fpur or five weeks ago—well, sur, we has had er wet time of hit in this country since then, bin er rainin nearly evary day since I don’t no when—never seed so much water fall at this season of the year in all my life before, the clowds keep bilein up from the south west, which is directly contrary to what the allmurnack ses, as hit ses they air to cum from the northeast in August this year. But we air all liable to make mustakes some times, so is my Bill, who considers bisself a weather judge fur he sed hit wus gwine to clear up arter the new moon, but hit fuled him this time; mind you, I am not cora- pluinin, fur I am not one who believes in kickin agin providence, but like to trust to him who nows what is allows best, spe cially as our crops hav not suffered much from all this rain. I suppose the rain hes drowned out all the catipillersas they hes not made tharappear- mice here yet; an the cotton is well fruted; an the corn stalks air bendin over with great big double-jineted years, can’t save much fodder though, you no, ef hit keeps er rainin this way. Not ebangin the subject, but me an my old woman (Jane) hev jist got back from the camp-mcetin at Little Texas camp ground, whar we spent er most pleasant week er- mongst the brethren, an sisterin, an Method ist preachers an fried chicken an er, well, er heap of other things to tegious to mention in this liinmerted pistul. Thar was er good deel of shoutin goin on most all the time as tlmr generally is at sicli places, old an young women turnin luce the good feelins thar hearts wus tu full to hold. This Little Texas, which is er bout 8 miles lother side of Tuskcegee, is er whale in the way of campmectins, they hev um thar every year, too much cannot be sed in prayse of the hospertality an kindness of the good people in that locality. ■On our way home we cum ercross whor the cullud people war bavin er simmerly meetin, an they war jist gittin in er good way of shoutin as we stoped a fu minutes on the roadside close to whar the preacher wus er swettin an cuttin up ludjerus anticks in the pulpit. They had er galery of seats raised high above the ground seats, an as one cullerd damsel wus doin er little extra shoutin up thar, she furgot herself an jist bounced rite over the galery railin down on the heads of her supprized brethren. Well, I never seed the like before, she jist shouted an wallered all over that whole congrega- shun, regardless of what or who she come in contact with until she jist fainted in the arms of one of the brethren. At this junk- ture Jane ordered me to move on, an I mov ed, an we arrove all safe arter our weeks recreashun. Es I sed befo, I hed once bin a residint of your State, an while livin in Alabama, 1 allmost feel like Georgia is still ray home. But Alabama is er mity good State herself— heap of money to be made down hear ef er fellow will stick to his callin an go to work with his coat off. Lots of reasourses yet to be developed by labor an capital. Old Ala bama is risin an will yet shin fourth a bril liant Btar among tho Southern States. Such is the perdieshun of l’os Butts. Macon County, Alabama. Turning Under PenvineN. Ed. Southern World—The Scientific Amer ican of August 20th, says: “Fcavines act bet ter as a fertilizer, when plowed under after they have become decayed than while green." Long exposure to the weather makes them of very little value as food, and as rich food is considered the best for ricli manure, can you tell what new elements of fertility are added to them by being left to sun and rain to decay? F. Gautier. West Pascagoula, Miss. Answer—We have not seen the article in the Scientific American alluded to, but pre sume the writer did not intend to convey the idea that any element of value is added to the peavines by leaving them exposed to the sun and rain to decay, but that the rapid fermentation of the large mass of succulent vegetable matter exercised a deleterious ef fect on a closely succeeding crop, or that the upturning and exposure of the soil during hot weather is injurious. We think the lat ter objection is the serious one. Another consideration that is against turning under the vines green, is that it leaves the ground in bad mecbanical condition for immediate planting and subsequent germination of seeds. We have no doubt that the hot sun seriously injures the soil when exposed to its full rays without protection of any sort. While it is true, as a general proposition, that the richer the food value of the crop the greater it will benefit the soil when turned under, yet it must be borne in mind, that during the process of decay of the vines the elements that gave them value as food are leached out by the rains and carried directly into the soil where they will be found in a condition for the immediate use of the suc ceeding crop. Very little of value is lost by evaporation from the decaying vines. The leaves and stems successively fall to the ground and are soon converted into a dry humus easily plowed under, and making it a much lighter job to cover the woody parts of the vine. We do not think the question of the relative merits of the two plans—so far as relates to the benefits conferred on the soil are concerned—has yet been defi nitely settled, but incline to the opinion that mere convenience and expediency has governed those who advocate the practice of permitting the vines to decay on the surface. It is well settled, however, that a very great benefit to the soil is the result of this new practice. While it may be true that the old idea of plowing under vines while in full luxuriance of growth may add more virtue to the soil, yet it may be that this virtue is overbalanced by the considerations already referred to, viz: injury to the soil from ex posure to the sun, greater difficulty and cast of the operation, and the immediately sub sequent condition of the soil. We wish we could publish some decisivo experiments covering all those points. The question is only one of a thousand that ought to be investigated and which call loudly for the institution of experiment farms or stations. R- Dalian Wheat. Editor Southern World.—Mark W. John son & Co., of Atlanta, Ga., advertise the "Bill Dallas Rustrproof wheat’- for sale, claiming for it that is true to name and also a large yielder. From their description of the grain and its habits of growth its very similar to the "Fultz,” which we have raised for years—it proving to be a safe variety for this section. Ib it not similar—perhaps identical—with the “Fultz” wheat I have mentioned? If a new and hardy variety I wish to try it, for all grain brought here from south of us (small grain) does better than that got from the north. Several years ago 1 got the “Rust-proof oat” from Georgia, and now raise no other kind. Where did the “Dallas” wheat originate, when and how ? By answering my inquiries you will obligo me, as I am on the lookout for any thing promising improvement in agricul ture. J. H. Scales. Cascade, Va. Answer : Tho Bill Dallas or Dallas is not the same as Fultz, thougli similar in respect to stiffness and length of straw. The Fultz is a strictly beardless, red wheat; while the Dallas has a few bearded heads and may bo called an amber wheat, though the grains are not uniform. This very want of uni formity In color of the grains, and the fact that some heads arc bearded while the great er partaro beardless, seems to be a peculiar ity of all the original samples of Dallas wheat that we have examined. It is very likely that the bearded is a distinct va riety—probably the Mediterranean. Tho beardless beads—which greatly predominate —give the best grain, some of it red and some amber. The Dallas originated a good many years ago, in Edgefield county, South Carolina, whence it was brought to Lincoln county, Georgia,by William Sims and Willinm(Bill) Dallas. Tho latter took great |>ains with it and it took his name. Mr. Dallas died about twelve years ago, and since that time Mr. D. B. Cade, Danburg, Wilkes county, Geor gia lias given the wheat even more attention than did Mr. Dallas. We learn that a Mr. Meriwether, of Cow eta county, Georgia, has purged the Dallas of the bearded kind, by selection, and is of opinion that he has greatly improved it. R. Seeds for the Month. Only a few years ago tho idea was very prevalent that we ought to look to the states north and east of us for seed wheat, oats and barley, and that the South was a sort of Naz areth out of which nothing good was to be expected except cotton, sugarcane, rice and some other products that cannot be grown in the north. The idea evon went further than this, and it was thought that we might improve our cotton by introducing seeds from Egypt; oats by going to Norway and 8wcden ; grapes, to France; and turnips to England,—to say nothing of livestock im portations—cattle, swine, horses and fowls. So far as importations from foreign countries and older portions of this country were con cerned, the idea was based upon a necessity that no longer exists. Once supply the in telligent farmers of this country with the best seeds and stock of older countries, and we need no longer look to them for substan tial improvement. Our own unequalled soil and climnte, with the energy and intel ligence to take advantage of them to the ut most, needs little from the old country. But we ore thinking nnd intending to writo particularly of tho notion that we should send to Maryland, Pennsylvania or Massa chusetts for seed wheat, rye, or oats. Tho idea depended upon the theory that wo should send for seed to that section which produced tho particular crop in greatest per fection. Willie this is to be to a considera ble extent true it hus been found not to ap ply to wheat and oats. The greatest danger to be feared in the cose of these two grains is that they will be attacked and destroyed by nut. If it be true (and we do not doubt it) that wheat is less subject to rust in Maryland and New York, it is not likely that farmers in those states, in tho selection of varietiesand their improvement, willgivo special attention to the capacity to resist rust or their exemption from the pest. Hence, a variety of wheat which would give satisfaction in New York on account of su perior milling quality of the grain and pro ductiveness, might utterly fall, when brought to the South, on account of rust. This is, in fact, the result—almost without exception—of every trial of northern vari eties of seed wheat in the South, and oven more Bignally in the case of oats. Almost all of them have proved nttcrly worthless. It would seem to be—from the nature of the difficulty—tho true theory to look among our own varieties for a hardy rust-resisting seed, or bettor still, to import from a still more Southern and more unfavorable clime; and this theory is sustained by experience. Of all the cotton states, south of Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas are most success ful in the culture of wheat and oats, and their success has been achieved in the use of seed that has either originated at home, or has been introduced from the south and southwest and still further improved by the farmers of these states. The Dallas wheat is of South Carolina origin; tho red rust proof oat was brought from Mexico or Cen tral America and the Burt is an improve ment on the red rust-proof—in respect to earliness—first developed in Alabama; the Red May and Little White May is an old southern variety. Of the varieties of wheat