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have to report that every head of it is perishing by a pe culiar disease. The heads turn a dead brown color while in early milk, beginning at the top, the grain dies out, and the whole head in four or five days becomes dead and brown, and not a mature grain can I find in the whole of it. The bearded kind seems to be a good wheat. It matures naturally, has a large fine white grain, very stiff beard, and may be what is known as the Mediterra nean wheat. My experience with the dealers and their seed is giv en for public good. If every one would expose such im positions when discovered, then seedsmen would take care to sell only pure seeds. J. n. ALEXANDER. Washington , Ga ., June 11, 1868. • •» Beks. — Editors Southern Cultivator: —Your corres pondent, Mr. (1. Major Taber, of Decatur, Ala., in your June number, gives a few suggestions as to the manage ment and culture of the common honey bee, and goes on to say he will, if any desire it, give his experience of sev eral years practice and study of its nature. As lam be coming somewhat interested in bee culture, but do not know much about it, 1 desire to ask him a few questions. He says not use the “ old fashioned gum”—what kind, shape, and sized hive should be used? llow does he prevent their swarming? llow docs he produce “ artifi cial” swarming ? How does he propagate and rear the young queens, Ac., Ac. ? How high does he situate his hives, &c., Ac. ? I would be glad to hear from him in answer to these queries, and to see a series of “ Hints” in the Cultivator from him, in future Nos. Yours, truly, W. A. 11. Hc.s.som, Miss., June 10, 1808. Htccjmniciil gtjjarfnituf. MACHINERY FOR TIIF SOUTH. Editors Southern Cultivator:— ln looking over the last (May) No. of the Cultivator, I find the Mechanical Department unrepresented, and the space that should be carefully applied and set apart for this purpose, filled with other matter. Far better leave the columns blank. This would make us feel acutely our blank progress, and give a rebuke that would stimulate us to put forth a little more exertion in an enterprise that so seriously con cerns us. We have become very careless, from the fact that we have been so thoroughly trained and used to buying our machinery at the North, that nothing like pe cuniary considerations can have any effect towards driving us from a mechanical dependence on Yankee genius. The South docs not want, as she has not the skill to use, (extensively,) the complicated machinery of our more ad vanced neighbors; and hence w r e shall be poor as long as we scratch and drag along, without a fair and reasona ble development of Southern genius. We have made Northern machinery, books, Ac., better and cheaper, by going there to purchase them. The raising of cotton so cheaply, induced us to do this. And w r e are still doomed to slavery and poverty, and (if not to degradation also,) certainly to inferiority, in proportion as we raise cotton to the neglect of such permanent local interests, as from SOUTHERN CULTIVAiui:. their very nature make a country truly rich, independent and prosperous. This fact we need not go far to prove, as abundant evidence is daily staring us in the face. But let us look again at those columns, just eight and half inches deep. See how they loom up in their dazzling whiteness. If there is no instruction, may w r o not find suggestions ? We can at least resolve to fill the (which is most interested) the Empire State cannot once a month, fill a column, which is devoted to the jueehani cal interests. Shades of our fathers! are w'c%rogress ing backwards? llow painful the thought. Do we look for salvation from “masterly inactivity? Or, shall per severing industry, guided by unerring native genius, re lieve us and give us prosperity? “Say under which King?” Decide, Southerners! \ W. T. COLQUITT. Bowden, Carroll Co s., Ga ., June, 1868. —-xr» c <? TIIE til LIJiTT GIN. Editors Southern Cultivator :—ln your May No., I notice an advertisement of the Gullett Gin Stand. Hav ing enquired its whereabouts since the war without suc cess, I was glad to find that Gullett and his gin still live. In 1800, living in Madison Parish, La., I sent to New Or leans and got two of his 80 saw stands, and put them along-side of two 80 saw Eagle stands. Gullett came and put them up himself. They beat the Eagle, or any other stand I ever saw, both in respect to speed mid sample. Soon after, the gin house was burned, stands and every thing. We rebuilt, and got four of the 80 saw Gullett stands, ami with these four stands, I ginned 40 bales of cotton, by steam, in a day. It made a beautiful sample, and brought a higher price than any other cotton in the New Orleans market. I hone they will be tried in Geor gia this fall. The Gullett Gin and the Brinly plow will do to go together. Both these gentlemen deserve praise from the Southern public. Yours, Ac., G. D. HARMON. Rome, Ga. Cutting and Turning Under Pea-Vines.— Editors Southern Cultivator: —Who ever tries the “Revolving Cutter,” attached to a plow, for cutting and turning un der pea vines, will get disappointed, if they expect to succeed. That cutter that Mr. Gift saw cut a bundle of oats in two on the pavement in Memphis, would not cut pea vines on the soft ground, so as to make the w ork of turning under complete. They would give wag and sink in the ground before the cutter. In a few rounds the sharpest cutter would get what we call stick sharp, and run over the vines, and leave them uncut. If you want to find out all about it, try it. If you wish to improve your land by turning under pea-vines, sow - them very thick, so that they wont run before you can turn them in with a Brinly No. 3, which is now known to be the best plow for that purpose in America. Yours, Ac., G. D. IIARMON. An Irishman, trying to put out a gas light with his fingers, cried out, “Oc’n, murder! the devil a wick’s in it!” 209