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(NEW SEUIES.I 1 VOL* 11. / NO, (6 How to Cure Meat in Warm Weather. Asa class, there are no people as* conservative yn their habits, of thought and action as farmers. In illustration of this truth, I will refer to the scornful treatment with which tho idea oi curing bacon by injecting brine into the blood vessels of the hog, when first suggested was received, and the total neglect by which the when repeatedly de monstrated through a senes of years, was permitted to be swallowed in oblivion. When my lamented friends, Lewis LeConte, late of' Libert y co., Ga., first in 1849, conceived and pro mulgated the idea, he, and I for indors ing it as feasible, were the subjects of sport and ridicule own in that glorious old community where there is as large a share of refinement as in any other unde? the sun. I can never forget th& feeling « f triumph I experienced, wljn, a few years later, I was told by Ik gentleman, who in ’49; said he woh| eat all the* hogs raw, bristles, jiob* apd %11, that Le- Contc and I jrwfrl'jJh r” 'fflri- trr such W ridiculous process, that he had eaten as delicious meat at Mr. LeConte’s table, cured by his own plan, as he had ever tasted. Not being weary with efforts at well doing, I purpose offering forconsidera tion another theory on the same sub ject. In this plan, Ido not propose to change the manner of operating, or the means now used, but simply to employ an agent as a substitute for the “cold spells” so indispensable in the far South, to delay the putrefactive process long enough tor the salt to “strike” into the substance of the meat, especially in and around the bones and joints. In the ordinary method of curing meat by rubbing salt upon its surface, an amount of time is necessary to allow the brine, which is formed b 7l the solution of salt in the fluids of the meat, to be absorbed by the capillary vessels into the meat. If the weather happens to be warm, putrefaction com mences before the salt “strikes" or is absorbed, and the meat is lost; but if the weather is cold, putrefaction is de layed, the salt is absorbed and per meates every tissue of meat, which is thereby “cured.” . The plan I propose involves no greater expenditure of time, money or labor than is required to procure of a druggist a small quantity of the bi sulphite of soda, and to mix with (he food of the animal 20 grains, three times a day, for a week before killing him. This article, administered as I have directed, would impregnate the tissues of the animal, which would then resist putrefaction after death at long as the usual “cold spells” in winter, would enable them to do in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis iana and Texas. The important fact that the alkaline and earthy sulphites possessed the power, in commou with sulphurous acid, of preventing and arresting the fermentative and putrefactive processes, is the discovery of Professor Polli, of Milan; and the discovery has been utilized by him, Dr. Deßicci, of. Dub lin, and Dr. Pourdon, of Belfiist,-: or the successful treatment of what are kuown as zymotic diseases. Amongst the experiments which proved the cor rectness of their theories, and led to this great discovery, the benefits of BY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY*. AUGUSTA, GA. FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1872. I lose to extend to the art of j i, was this : “Two animals! i, size and condition were j a few days, with exceii- j 9 one of theim, a certain talphite was administered j ie passed off, gave evident presence of .the salt in the Both animals were then j xposed to the same con-! At, moisture, &c., Ac. It! M - and the weather being i when these experiments ont,initrefactive fermenta »n set in, but only in the tom no sulphite had been , the sulphurized animal i.. still remaining fresh for man/ days after the other one had long passed into an advanced stage of of decomposition." It seems clear - to my mind that if the flesh of an animal that has been fed as above described, can be kept “in very warm weather” several days after it has been killed, the farmer may feel absolute indifference to the changes of the weather in winter, and ( by the em ployment of the sulphites, successin* •'curing” all bis meat becomes a fixed certainty. Will the meat of an animal fed on the sulphites become poisonous to man? I answer, emphatically, No. Speaking of its use as a remedy for the zymotic diseases, Dr. Deßiioi says: “I think I can safely assert that I have proved this remedy, the bi sulphite of soda, to be perfectly harmless. It is not, like strychnine, arsenic, iodine, opium or mercury, an instrument with a double edge, cutting equally, for good or for evil, according to the skill or capacity of the physician. It is perfectly harm less, for I have taken it myself in larger doses than are required for therapeutic purposes with perfect im punity.”—G. Tkoup Max well,in Tal lahasse Floridian. Utility of Recording Experiments- 1 Progress is the result of many failures, with partial successes, attained only by slow and persistent effort. Nothing of all that makes up the sum « human comfort, however complete i may seem, is incapable of improve ment. This is true of the steam engine, the telegraph, the printing press, the loom and the plow. It is sad to think that mankind lose more than they retain, because successful ex periments were unrecorded, occasioned bjyioverty, carelessness or selfishness of the discoverer, or his secret dying with him ; sometimes from other and various reasons. With farmers nearly everything is of the nature of an expei intent, either as a science or an art In consequent* of the uncertainty of the season, it may never he otherwise. But as some things are determined, it is reasonable to suppose that others may be. Some of the commonest operations of hus bandly are undecided Take that of pruning apple trees, for instance; there is only agreement as to when it should not be done. About plowing there is as great diversity of opinion, particu larly as regards depth for diffemt soils and kinds of plows to be used. When to cut grass is another mooted question, presenting a great variety of views; one thing only being settled— that hay must be made when the sun shines. When to cut timber has been discussed time otfj, of mind, yet who knows positive about it ? This topic, like others, remaining as un decided as ever. Bo illustrations might he multiplied almost indefinitely. At first it may seem strange that there need bji diversity of opinion upon subjects with which every one is : supposed to be familiar. The difficulty is just here. What |oo often passes for opinion is prejudice, guess work, tradi tion or hearsay. By repetition, a guess becomes opinion, based on a worth less foundation and for this reason tenaciously held to. If farmers would keep accurate records of their work, they would be benefitted, and ultimate ly the community likewise. If a re cord is made of the time for pruning trees and the result of the same, of plowing time, condition of the soil and weather, the telling of timber and for what purpose used, the cutting of grass, time and kind, and fed how ; all this nsuld involve but little labor, and the results would be of the greatest value. % Taking these records for .data,- Something / rani utility could he determined. To a limited extent this is being done—an encouraging fact— but the advancement is slower than if the interest were general. For lack of systematic action, farmers grope in the dark, no wiser in many respects than their ancestors ; for in some branches of agriculture knowledge is at a stand still. No other department of indus try is so laggard. Facts, not theories, are wanted, and if all could see it and each do his part, ere long results would be obtained settling many vexed ques tions, which can never he done hap hazard guess-work. —Boston Cultiva tor. Worth of the Sweet Potato. KY I)«. 11. W. I'ETEKS. The sweet potato is a tender peren nial plant, of the “Morning Glory" family; is a native of China and the Indies, and was imported into and cul tivated in England as early as 1597. It now forms one of tha most import ant crops of the South. In the Ca”o linas, and other extreme Southern States, its yield is enormous—five hun dred bushels is not an unusual crop, but they are greatly inferior in quality to those grown in the latitude of Mem phis and its vicinity. Two hundred bushels to the acre is considered a very satisfactory yield here; yet we have known our friend John Ilarbert, who lives on the suburbs of Memphis, to average three hundred bushels to the acre on a twenty acre field. Mr. Ilar bert is acknowledged to be our most successful sweet potato grower. He never fails to keep them the year round ; never sells any until spring, and disposes of the hulk of his crop in May, June and July, thus always getting a remunerative price. The earlier varieties can be grown with some degree of success in the Middle and Western States, hut they never mature in the extreme North. It is a matter of surprise when we consider how imperfect our knowledge is of this valuable esculent. Its no menclature is so little known and un derstood, that it would be almost im possible to order from a distance any particular variety (except the Yellow Yam) with a hope of getting what you want. The names sweet potatoes are known by, are almost as numerous as the different localities in which they are to he found. We do not find this to be the case with the Irish potato, whose home is jjirther North. The Peachblow, Pinkeye, Russet, Goodrich, Rose, and many others, are recognized and known throughout the whole country. We don’t see why this should not be the case with the sweet potato. If our agricultural societies would give ns less horse-racing, pigeon-shooting, dog shows, baby-exhibitions, and other nonsense, and turn their attention more to subjects of this kind, it would cer tainly accomplish more good for the country. Who ever heard of any one planting sweet potato seed with a view of testing and improving varieties? This is a wonderful age of improve ment ! See how much has been accom plished for the North in improving her great staple—the Irish potato—by such men as Prof. Goodrich, A. W. Ham son, and many others. The sweet potato crop is, without doubt, worth as much to the South as the Irish-petato mto tho North. As an article of feed it is not inferior to any crop we grow. It can be produced at comparatively little cost; is very palatable and nutritions. Horses, cattle and hogs eat sweet potatoes freely. Considering our dependence on the Northern and Western States ior so large a portion of our provisions and food, we should certainly give this great crop more consideration. Another great evil, as we conceive, is the uni versal practice of using the small tu bers for our plants Our best authori ties agree that the same laws that govern in the reproduction of animals hold equally good in the vegetable kingdom. Who would think of using nubbins for seed corn, or saving seed from the small, indifferent cabbage that might not be desirable for the table? Would you breed your mares to ponies if you desired to raise large draught horses? We think this a sub ject well worth our consideration. Much has been said and written as to the best mode of preserving the sweet potato through the winter. Some con tend that banking is the best; others cellars or caves are the best places to keep them. It is the opinion of some tbit the tubers should be thoroughly dried before putting away to keep. Wc have had no little experience, and can say with confidence that it is a mat ter of no consequence whether they are diy or wet when put up to keep at digging time. They are then full of sap, and always go through what is termed the sweating stage very soon after being put in a heap. During this stage they become quite wet, and should have plenty of air. This will last until some time in December, when they should be closed up and kept dry. and at a temperature of 45° to 55° Fahrenheit. If these rales be observed, it matters not by what method they are put away, they will keep from dig ging time until -digging time again. We hope our practical men will take this subject in hand, and that our sweet potatoes will not be behind in the great advance now being made in every di rection. Onion Salve is made with one fourth ponnd of fresh butter and good sized onion, simmered together and strained when out. (OLD SERIES,) l VOL. 111. ; The Value of Cotton Seed as Plant and Animal Food. For a long time but little use was made of the seed of the cotton plant, save as a crude manure by the pro ducers themselves, as they had no market for it; hut as the science of agriculture has progressed and this ar ticle utilized, it may not be improper to number it among the important crops of our country, and will in time occupy a position in agriculture per haps along with cotton itself. It is claimed that machinery has been adapt ed to meet every emergency; certain it is that oil cake is now a very common article of food. Chemical analysis proves that oil cake contains nearly 75 per cent, of nutriment, and brought in comparison with any “pabulum,” say the best of hay (which never contains more than 60 per cent, of nutrition), we at once see the groat importance and superiority with reference to balk, for by reason of its density a vast quantity can be stored in a small The object of machinery is to pass the seed through a certain process by which it is separated into three parts, namely: hull, oil and cake. Seed in its crude state is worth in our various home markets of the South from sl2 to sls per ton, and a ton of crude seed will yield, within a very small fraction, a barrel of oil and about 750 lbs. of oil cake, the former worth about 50 cents per gallon, the latter 18 to 20 cents per pound in the same markets. The cost of machinery is so great as to deter many capitalists from undertaking what would most certainly prove a pro fitable investment. Let us estimate the cost of a press at, say, $3,300. Practi cal works on this subject say a capital of at least $25,000 is requisite lor a fully equipped mill. Now, if ouv plant ers have not a sufficient capital to have each a mill of his own, let a neighbor hood buy, or if they will not do this, better than a sale of the/Crude seed is the purchase of a machine for hulling. One that took the premium at the Louisiana State Fair cost S2OO, and is guaranteed to shell one hundred bush els iu twelve hours. Two rollers of iron with projecting teeth remove the shell from the seed, a draught ot air winnows it and blows the hulls through one opening, while the whole seed falls through another, and the broken frag ments are sifted and find egress through another. For such as wish to use their cotton seed as manure this ma chine is all they need ; for by throwing the belt off from the separator the seed can be ground to any degree of fineness. By referring to the schedule prices of the New York market, we find the va lue of hulled seed in proportion to un hulled as 100 to 33. Now, by deduct ing the rate of transportation from tho point of production to New York the net proceeds can be estimated; besides the planter retains the hulls for manure. By analysis, the principal ingredients of the hull are said to be: Carbonate of potash, carbonate of lime, phosphate of lime. Again, planters may find it to their advantage to feed stock on the hailed seed in preference to shipment, as it forms a good, strong, and, since it con tains all its native oil, we might term it a rich food. If (ed to milch cows the quautityof milk is greatly increasd, and without any injurious or unpleasant effects. My only endeavor has been to no. n