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any loss. Small meat is generally sweeter
than large, it dries through to the bone,
and is more profitable. A hog one year
old is of age here, and is old enough to kill.
Our winters have been so mild of late, that
it is difficult to keep meat, and it should
teach farmers, or any one else that puts up
his own meat, that small or medium sized
hogs are much safer than those overgrown
mountains of fat, which are by many
thought to be indispensable to good bacon.
There can be no doubt but a small ham is
easier cured, or that young meat is sweet
er than old. Let the expetience of the
past be a beacon to warn all meat curers
of the folly of putting up extra large hogs
in a hot climate.— -Columbus Enquirer.
MISSISSIPPI COTTON SCRAPER.
The following letter from Dr. Philips,
in teply to one addressed him by the cor
responding Secretary of the Muscogee and
Russel Agricultural Society, will be read
with interest by our Agricultural readers.
Whenever the scraper arrives, the agricul
turists through this section, and especially
the members of the Agricultural Society
will have the privilege of copying after it.
Dr. Philips has also sent the Correspond
ing Secretary a descriptive card of Mc-
Comb’s labor saving Cotton Press, endors
ed by himself, which will be found at the
Society’s rooms. Those interested in press
ing cotton will do well to examine it. Did
we not know that Dr. Philip’s time was al
ready too much occupied with his exten
sive correspondence, we would venture the
request that he would occasionally give this
part of Georgia a line, for although many a
long mile intervenes between us, he would
be recognized as an old familiar friend by
most of our readers: .
S 6 i
September 11, 1850.
Charles A. Peabody— -Dear Sir:—Yours
of the 28th ult., reached me yesterday.
The Cotton Scraper you desire, I will at
tend to, at my earliest convenience. lam
expecting daily to be called to Jackson, as
I am one of the Central Committee of Mis
sissippi. to receive and attend to articles for
the World’s Fair in London; when I go
there I will to the best of my ability attend
to your request. I would do so by writing
to Vicksburg, or even to Jackson, not hav
ing had to buy a new one the past season, 1
find mechanics do not make alike, I must
therefore select and alter.
You may rest assured that I will ever be
ready to serve your Society, and will be
pleased whenever I am ordeied, to do
whatever may conduce to its prosperity and
success.
1 am not in the “Scraper trade,” but I
know those who are, and can buy for you
the same I buy for myself—more you will
not look for.
My business in -life keeps me in the
country, near Big Black river—although
an M. D. these 20 years and more, yet 1
hardly ought to be considered as physicking
my own family. 1 am in the cotton busi
ness, and sorry to say that 1 devote nearly
all my time, talents and thought to that one
article. It is true I make something to eat,
and I grow some of the beauties, as well as
the luxuries of life, but my time is after all
occupied with cotton.
SUPPLEMENT TO THE RECORDER.
I am rejoiced to see your Society acting
wisely—aye, more so by far than usual—
in thus purchasing a scraper, becanse thus
can you at a very light cost to each mem
ber give it a fair trial, and at once each
member can use or not. I do contend that
it is the part of true wisdom for us all to
unite, procure specimens of tools, seeds,
implements, &c., &c, use, try and then
judge. Why, sir, 1 have spent in 20 years
full 1,000, or perhaps indeed SIO,OOO, to
find out that about two-thirds of what are
praised as the in the world,” are got
ten up as “wooden nutmegs,” for sale. I
have plows, and stock implements, lying
up to wear out thus. Now if a Society of
intelligent,spirited planters could be found,
$lO cash would give them vast experience,
whereas the one man has to pay all. Why,
sir, I have bought Berkshires at S3OO, gin
gearing at S4OO, plows at sl4, cotton seed
at $lO, when I had just as good at home. I
admit the Berkshire and the seed were both
advantages, but not to price.
Excuse this lengthy—“ verbum el preterea
nihil" verbage, and be pleased to assure
your Society that I will cheerfully by
word or deed, be ready to serve, without
injury to my family. Very respectfully,
yours. M. W. PHILIPS.
COTTON PICKING.
The following letter, by a correspondent
of the Memphis Enquirer, and republished
in the Angust number of the Farmer and
Planter, will be found useful and interesting
to the farmers at this time :
Panola County, Miss. Jan. 26.
Mr. Editor : It is usual for cotton
growers to sun their cotton as they gather
it, and then gin it as early as possible.
This, according to my judgment and experi
ence, is clearly wrong. Cotton should nev
er be sunned ; unless it be such as has been
gathered quite wet with rain ; nor should it
be ginned until it has been heated.
Heat diffuses oil, and we know there is a
large quantity of cotton seed. Now, sir,
put it together as you gather it, both morn
ing and evening, and there is sufficient
moisture to make it heat. This being the
case, the oil in the seed is diffused through
out the lint, for it cannot evaporate. When
it remains in this situation a sufficient length
of time to spoil the seed, the cotton should
be then thrown up and cooled. Care should
be taken not to let it turn blue ; this, is uot
so easily done as you might suppose.
The process of turning over and throwing
up will likely have to be repeated two or
three limes before the seed are entirely
spoiled. The trouble of overturning and
tossing it up in the cotton or gin house, is
not greater than sunning it on a scaffold. By
this process you gain the weight of the oil
which is diffused throughout the lint, which
gives the cotton the oily gold color which
is desirable, and also that elasticity and
adhesive quality, like wool, which never fails
to enhance its value.
But, sir, there are other advantages grow
ing out of this operation : the gin will pick
at least one-sixth faster, and clean the seed
much cleaner when the cotton has thus been
compressed together; and instead of cut
ting off short particles, as is always the case
when the cotton is open and fresh, the saws
take it off in large flakes, thereby making
the staple longer and stronger.
Every farmer knows that his early cotton
outweighs, and has a better staple than his
late cotton; and he also knows that the
earlier it is gathered after it opens the bet
ter. Now, sir, these facts show the correct]
ness of my theory ; for exposure io the sun
and rains evaporates the oil from the seed
and makes the lint short and light.
Farmers should secure in dry weather
and from evening pickings, in a house to it
self; or a portion of the gin, sufficient of dry
good cotton, to make seed ; but the balance
of their crop (hey should be sure to subject
to the process of heating and cooling in the
shade. It is said that the British East India
cotton is vastly inferior to ours at present.
If we can make our cotton still better, the
danger from that quarter will be lessened.
From the Colambus Enquirer.
PLANTING OUT TREES, SHRUBS, PLANTS,
BULBS, AND VINES.
As a watchman upon the Horticultural
watchtower in this geographical beat, it is
again our duty to warn our friends of the
importance of Fall transplanting. Fruit
and ornamental trees should be transplant
ed as soon as the leaf has fallen, we have
no frosts here to throw out the roots as at
the North, but the winter rains are beating
down the earth around the roots making it
solid to hold the tree with its spring foliage,
and the wounded roots have healed with
new rootlets shooting out, with their thou
sand mouths, ready to suck nourishment to
sustain the swelling bud on the first dawn
of spring. Thousands of trees are ruined
by too deep planting, a tree should never
be planted one inch deeper than it origi
nally came out of the soil. Too much pains
canqpt be taken in taking up the tree to
preserve the entire roots, with all the fi
bres. Trees that are tenacious of life, do
frequently live, with shockingly mangled
roots, but one of the same kind, taken up
with care, will make a finer tree in one
year, than will one of the mangled ones in
three. Not many, years since, we noticed
a load of wood parading through the Co
lumbus market with all the limbs left on
the trees; having some curiosity to know
for what purposes the wood was thus cut,
we hailed the driver of the wagon and en
quired the price of his wood. “Why, dese
am trees, massa, trees for to plant; here is
de magnolia, de waler oak, de red bud,
and de tulip tree, all jest fresh take
massa, only fifty cents a tree.” And as we
looked upon the mutilated roots, the little
mischief in our nature could not be smoth
ered, we said to the old man we would like
to take some, but he had left so much of
root about the but of the tree, we were
fearful of exhausting too much soil. Well
now, master, says the honest old fellow, I
done cut um off jest as close as I could, tot
dey would please every body. Now this
old negro is not alone in his plan of taking
up trees, there are thousands taken up an
nually, nearly as bad. And now for the
planting. Let the hole be twice as large
as the longest root will extend, fill some
surface mould into the hole, to plant the
tree on, and as the dirt is thrown upon the
roots, work the tree backwards and for-
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