Newspaper Page Text
4
of the J^uih
JJiantrv’s Journal,
DEN OTED TO AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE,
NEWS, MEMORIES OK THE LOST CAUSE,
LITERATURE, SCIENRE and ART.
lIK Nil Y MOO ltK,
A. 11. WRIGHT.
I' A T IIICK W A I. S H .
TERMS—S3.OO per Annum, in Advance.
SATURDAY, MARCH 2.'., 1871.
Is There ant Reai. Prosperity in '
the South? —Col. 15. T. Harris, of !
Sparta, furnishes llie Ranner ok the
South ani> I’i.antkuh’ Journal with a
strong and timely paper on the present!
condition of our industrial affairs, to
which wc invite the attention of our
readers. Col. Harris takes an eminent
ly sensible view of the situation. “Too
much cotton” lias lull the planter in
h's present impecunious condition.
“Aokicoi.a ” —Thetp, were several
typographical errors in the article
headed “ The Labor (Question," l,y
Agkicola, in the issue of March 11.
For instance, “the present necessity
of supplying his place an injuri
ous one,” should he “an imperious
one." “ Those sections still producing
the will-o’-the-wisp cotton," should
read, “ those sections still pursuing
the etc., ete.” “In the constantly in
creasing price, while we are required
to ]>ay for it,” should read, “ which we
are required to pay for it."
Wc will be glad to hear from
Agricola na. often as his inclination
will lead him to favor our columns
with his practical contributions.
In an Article Entitled “High
Farming without Manure," from The
I‘lantatum, wo present the strictures
of an intelligent writer on Dr. Pendle
ton’s criticism of M. George Yillt’s
famous six lectures. Part of the arti
cle, which re states M. Ville’s t heory of
experiment for ascertaining the special
need of any given soil, and some of
his results, wc are compelled to omit,
as it occupies much space and is al
ready familiar to most of our readers.
Mr. Van Epps represents that Dr. P.'s
strictures are impolitic becauso they
tend to discourage intelligent investi
gation and experiment, and unjust be
cause M. Yille's theory is not fully pre
sented while his conclusions are dis
torted.
Without entering into the discussion
we present the article as worth a care
ful reading l>y the admirers both of M.
Vide and Dr. Pendleton.
Set in Gold.
The character of an individual ought
to be a priceless jewel, guarded with a
jealous and watchful care—a gem of
purest water set in gold refined, lie
fore, above, and around it, should be
written and acknowledged of men the
word “good.” To secure such a prize
is no difficult matter. It is an edifice
of which every person can be the archi
tect, and the materials for its construc
tion cost hut little. The good hook
tells us that “a good name is to he
chosen rather than great riches,” and
one of the sweetest of Scotia's hards
has sung in choicest rhyme :
“ The rank is but the guinea’s stamp—
The man’s the man for a’ that.”
Riches, rank, station, may give pow
er and command subserviency ; hut a
good character does more—it commands
respect, admiration, and affection. It
is a beacon for other mariners on the
sea of life—a shining light to guide the
footsteps of other wanderers through
BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTERS’JOURNAL.
the world. llow important, then, for
every one to possess such a gift. Its
absence will be surely felt; while its
presence will go ringing down the cor
ridors of time, striking the returning
echoes of some good which it has ac
complished in its passage thiough the
wast es of life.
The great things of the world may
ctumble into dust; the thrones of em
pire may totter and perish; nations may
rise and fall; hut the character of the
good will survive all these and more.
It will not only shine with lustre here,
but in the great Hereafter will he set
in gold, and flame with a refulgent
splendor—a glorious reward for what
ever it has cost to secure it in this
world.
VVliat an inducement for every one
to secure this priceless jewel—a reward
here and a reward hereafter! Why
should any one refuse to make at least
an effort to obtain it ?
Immigration.
The question of immigration is again j
attracting the attention of our people,
and various plans are proposed to en
courage an influx of population to our
State. It is thought that the result of
the recent war in Europe will cause a
state of dissatisfaction in the provinces
ceded to Germany, which will induce
large numbers of the inhabitants to
seek an asylum in America. This may
he so; and it cannot be denied that the
class of people who will thus he ostra
cised will he very desirable as citizens.
Hardy, thrifty, industrious, and intelli
gent, they are just the population need
ed at this time.
The West is the El Dorado to which
the foreign element is always hastening,
because inducements are held out to
them which no other section of the
country offers. At the South we can
offer the same inducements. A delight
ful climate, a fertile soil, illimitable
mineral and agricultural resources—all
combine here to make a most inviting
'and for the immigrant seeking relief
from European Governments, or desir
ing to better wasted fortunes or depend
ent conditions.
It is true that we cannot offer them
the best Government the world ever
saw ; hut it is certainly no worse than
those which they now endure; and
perhaps, in time, Providence may re
lieve us from the incubus of Radical
administration, and so make {he condi
tion of the ■ country a most desirable
one in every respect.
While, therefore, we are not prepared
to suggest or to endorse any particular
plan for the encouragement of immi
gration, yet we think that something
should be done, not only to encourage,
hut to secure it for the Southern States,
and more particularly for Georgia. We
want good citizens; we want our re
sources developed ; we want our pros
perity assured. Anything that will
give promise of a realization of these
wants will meet our hearty support and
advocacy.
Southern Outrages.
The facility with which Radicalism
can manufacture and invent falsehoods
against the South would be astonish
ing, had we not become accustomed to
them. These falsehoods and inventions
are multiplying with the greatest rapid
ity as the time for another Presidential
contest approaches, and will be made
the pretext for such additional legisla
tion and Presidential interference as
will secure the election to the Repub
lican party.
Already the Outrage Committee, or,
more properly, the Outrageous Com
mittee, of Congress has made a report
to that august body, in which the ex-
istence o*‘ a Ku Klux organization in !i
the South is asserted with a boldness ■
and assuran -e almost wonderful. Ev '
cry body who fives in the South, or who 1 1
has lived here since the close of the ,
war, knows that this is an unmitigated j 1
lie, if our readers will pardon us the
expression, for we know of no other
term by which to characterize the rt
port. There is not now, nor has there
been since the dose of the war, any I
organized secret body of men in the 1
Southern States, combined for the pur
pose of enforcing or resisting the laws,
of molesting any so-called loyal citizen,
or of interfering with the rights and |
privileges of any citizen or class of cit
izens. If such a body existed, it was
among the Radicals, and was organized
and sustained by them for the defeat j
of the Democratic party and for their
own sustenance. Wc make this asser
tion in the face of the false and mali
cious report of the Outrageous Com
mittee, and it can be sustained by the ;
best and truest men and women of the
South.
It is true that there may have been, j
and were, in lawless localities, parties
who have taken the law into their own
hands; outrages may and have been
committed here and there; Radical
thieves and scalawags may have been
denounced in no measured terms, where
ever their acts made them known; but
these things were the spontaneous acts
of individuals, acting for themselves—
acts which were not confined to the;
South, hut committed as well in the]
loyal N’orth, East, and West, as well j
as in the rebel South.
And Tor these things we are to ■
be denounced and punished—simply
because the miserable farce of Haiti-!
cal Government in the South has:
been played out—its own respect- j
able members being among the fore
most in denunciation of the wicked
schemes of their party leaders.
Upon the ruins of Radicalism is
arising the edifice of good government
and general prosperity; but the prin
ciple of Republicanism is: “Perish j
government, pence, prosperity—every- 1
ing, hut our party and the spoils of
office.”
Against the lying charges of the
majority report, we have the minority!
report of Messrs. F. I’. Blair and E. P.
Saulsbury, gentlemen whose character
and veracity are above reproach, and
far above the petty slanderers pf a no
ble-hearted and generous people. They
have put the issue in its true light, and
little faith as we have in the Northern
j people for justice and patriotism, we
| still indulge the hope that they will come
: to the rescue of their injured and in
sulted brethren —that they will dc
-1 nounce the mean contemptible
legislation which’ has characterized
their last Congress, and bids fair to
mark the sessions of the present; and
that, when the time comes, they will,
at the ballot-box, give such a verdict in
favor of justice and peace as will settle
j the question of Congressional ami Pre-
I sciential interference in State Govern
j ments forever.
The Mechanical Condition of the Soil.
We have referred often of late to
the advantages of thorough tillage,
; and the effect of it on the produetive
i ness of any given soil. By the
! mechanical condition is signified the
: degree or extent of the tillage, and not
so much the fertility, as the depth,
I mellowness and porosity of the soil.
It is only frequent and deep tillage
that secures this condition and the
greater part of the labor to this eml
| must be done before the crop is plant
ed. The subsoil plow is the cliiel aid
to be depended on in securing depth
uid mellowness as it helps to drain off
juperfluous moisture and opens the soil
to the action of the air on which so
much depends.
The turning under of green crops,
or the supplying of vegetable matter
in any other way is the next best \
means. Plenty of humus, and deep
tillage together, will do wonders on
all day lands. The great profit in
clover raising is in the facility it offers
for keeping up the supply of vegetable
matter in the soil rather than in the
crops of hay it produces.
Frequent stirring of the surface soil !
all through the growing season, is I
strictly necessary to keeping up a good j
mechanical condition. Lands well
prepared in the first instance may be |
readily kept in a light, friable state ]
by frequent shallow ploughing)*, un- !
less the soil is unusually tenacious and j
rains exceedingly heavy.
The advantage of a good state of
the soil is not chiefly, as is often sup-!
posed, in giving the roots room to
spread, and search through a wider
range for foot!, although this is a most
important purpose ; but rather in that
the soil retains moisture better and
longer in the dry seasons, absorbs it
more freely from the air and dews,
and is sufficiently porous to receive the
benefits of the gases and adds of the
air, as was particularly explained in a
previous article on this subject. Our
soils and plants are fed largely from
the elements of the very air we breathe,
when wc give them fair opportunity to
receive the benefit.
It is not inappropriate here to give a
timely warning against ploughing in a
wet soil. This is fatal to all good
mechanical condition, and the best soil
may be permanently injured by one
single injudicious ploughing. When
the earth slips from the plow on a
smooth wet surface instead of crumb
ling and falling lightly from it, more
harm results than good. Perhaps if a
freeze follows, the sods or lumps may
become disintegrated, and tbe evil cor
reeled. But never risk it. Better
find some other work for hands and
teams than to hurry to plowing soon
after a rain. The farmer who does
this will find he progresses backward.
One of the great advantages of
home made manure from littered
stables is the amount of vegetable
matter or bulk of it. This serves to
improve and maintain a good mechani
cal condition, lightness and open ess of
the soil about the roots, besides the
really fertilizing elements it contains.
In this respect it is beyond competi
tion from commercial manures.
I Written for the Banner of the fck>ufh am! Planters’
Journal.
Frost Fruit Trees, and Smoke.
liV PROF. GEO. W. GAINS.
This is the critical time of the year
for fruit in this climate, as the peach
and other trees are now in bloom, and
one or two white frosts would effec
tually destroy the prospect of a good
i supply. Is there any means of guard
ing against the evil ? I propose brief-
Sly to discuss the subject and make a
suggestion. There is not much danger
I of having a black frost, or a cold so
; severe as to freeze the surface of tbe
I ground, at this advanced season; hence
j we have only to take into considera
tion the usual white frosts, which are
far more likely to east their chilling
mantle over the tender buds and ex-
I panding flowers. A white frost is
frozen dew, hence any means that will
prevent the formation of dew will
prevent the occurrence of frost. Dew
1 is formed by the surface of the earth
becoming so cold during the night that,
| like a cold glass, it causes a deposit ot
the moisture from the surrounding
warmer air: this coldness of the
ground arises, as is well known, from
its heat being radiated, or thrown off
into space. Hence after sunset, the
soil, and all growing vegetables es
pecially, lower their temperature seve
ral degrees beyond that of the body of
the air, thus causing a more or less
copious deposit of moisture or dew.
It frequently happens that whilst the
temperature of the air, two or more
feet above the ground, is from five to
eight degrees above freezing, we have
i a killing frost. This reduction of tem-
I perature by radiation is taken advan
j tage of in India to form thin sheets
jof ice for market, although the ther
i mometer in that part of the country
i never falls below -10 degrees, or to
; eight degrees above the freezing
1 point.
| Radiation occurs most freely in a
transparent atmosphere, and in pro
! portion as the air becomes obscured,
less and less beat is thrown off' into
space, and a mantle of clouds stops it
entirely. Thus in cloudy nights the
earth is no colder than the body of
the air, and as long as the temperature
of the latter is above 32 degrees, or
freezing, we have neither dew nor frost
At this time of the year the thermometer
rarely falls to the freezing point in
this part of the country, but not un
frequently descends to 40 degrees in
clear nights, and then we are in danger
of a white frost from radiation. The
full moon gives out sufficient heat to
disperse or prevent the formation of
clouds in still weather, but not enough
to reach the surface of the ground ;
hence a full moon is generally respond
ed to by a clear atmosphere when
there are no stormy winds blowing.
Thus it follows, that a full moon in the
latter part of March or early days of
April is a critical time for fruit, since
the clear still nights permit a free
radiation of beat from the earth,
which is accordingly cooled down to
the formation of frost.
I will now consider by what means
radiation may be counteracted. There
is no reduction of temperature by
radiation under a piazza, under a shed,
under a cloth or sheet, or under a
shelter of bush or straw; neither is
there any cooling off by radiation
when the sky is covered by clouds
|of moisture, clouds of volcanic ashes,
!or clouds of smoke. Why not then
make artificial clouds of smoke on
! critical nights ? The owners of the
large peach orchards in this vicinity
1 build fires, I understand, on such oc
\ ensions to save their crop but this must
be a laborious and costly operation,
if sufficient wood is burned to raise
the temperature of the air several
degrees, over hundreds of acres, for
several successive nights ; probably
the smoke assists in the operation. If
there be no objection to dense smokes
in orchards, I think it would be well
: worth tbe trouble to try the experi
ment on critical still nights; windy
nights are not liable to white frosts.
Funeral of a Bee.— A gentleman
residing near Glasgow, Scotland, says
j lie recently witnessed a singular cere
mony. While out walking, he observ
ed the bees issuing from one of the
hives, and bearing the defunct body of
a comrade, with which they flew for v
distance of twelve yards. lie followed
them closely, and noted the care with
! which they secured a convenient hole
at the side of the gravel walk, the ten
derness with which they committed
the body, head downward, to the earth,
and the solicitude with which they
afterwards pushed two little stones,
: doubtless “in memoriam.” Their task
1 being ended, they paused for about a
moment, perhaps to drop over the
grave of their friend a sympathizing
tear, and then flew away to their hive.