University of South Carolina Libraries
tr "mmrnm Miaa TWo DOLLARS PER AH * v^? x*.xom op x>x23xixi.t y xs xitux*.n x. vxOrxT a woh." [PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. BY DAVIS & CREA ABBEVILLE, S. C., THURSDAY MOHNING, OCTOBER 15 1857 VOL* viv Prom the Southern Cultivator. GBAFK GROWING AND WINE MATIN EASY. The attention of all our r<ader desire to participate in tlio pleasur profits of Vineyard culture in the S called to tlie excellent treatise of A. adeuc, Esq., in the present number very many others, we heretofore hadeterred from entering largely into t ture of the Vine, by fear of the ? and difficulty attending it. We ha* taught to look upon the production < \V me in tlio South, as exceedingly matical. No one doubted the capat our sunny clime for the growth grape;" but"?the making of good afterwards?there lay the difficulty ! that difficulty has vanished?the n is solved?"granite laboratories." and cellars are perhaps, well enough i;* way, but by no means indispensable hereafter, any man may plant his Vin with the samo ccrtainty of being ab make a largely paying crop of good that he would feel of making bread his com or wheat field. , I w > We have recently made two visits to the ! vineyards of Dr. McDonald, and our corres- i 1 pondent, Mr. DeCaradeuc. \Yc have in- j ' quired minutely into their systems of plant- i 1 ing and culture?we have examined their j soils, locations and aspects?have eaten i ' their grapes, and drank their wines of vari- * ous flavors and qualities?hut all pure. ?ll)U invifforalintr. and vastlv snnerioi* to tho fur ? - J I - ? III I eign trash for which we pay so dearly.? We have, (so far as our brief time would ^ permit,) familiarized ourselves with their processes for making these wines, and with all the advantages and disadvantages of the J, " business : and the result is, a deliberate conviction that the Field Culture of the Grape, as practiced bv these gentlemen, is ^ one of the surest anil most remunerative j u branches of rural industry, and destined in a very few years to become of great and . j significant impoilance to the South.? i . There are thousands of acres of uplands all 1 I mm around us, too poor for cillier cotton or corn, that will pay from $200 to $300 i?cr .t i , c lliui acre in wine, the third or fourth year from planting, and which, if properly managed, ^ may be made to clear expenses from the j very outset. Much of this land can be purchased for a mere trifle, (live or leu dollars per acre,) and if it will pay oven ^ two hundred dollars per acre in wine, after ' the third year, what other field crop now cultivated in the South can begin to com- * XC pare with it? The experience of the vinters in Ohio, shows an average \ ield of! . four hundred gallons to the acre, and that j we can safely count on equaling tliis, need U ' not be doubted. a In fact, the testimony of both the gentle- l'ltJ men above alluded to, (who have had ^ix- l>ut teen years experience,) as well as the recent ('"1 successes of Mr. Axt, and many others, c','!i justifies us in claiming for the Culture of the l'10 Grape far more attention than it has ever as 1 yet received in the South, and of earnestly s5:1'' urging it upon the notice of our subseri- nn>' bers. We can fully endorse, from our own hoc knowledge, all the statements of Mr. DcCaradeuc;and commend his article to the 1 special attention of our readers. "We do tioi not claim perfection for his system nor docs sm; Tiff., r* i.: ~ir i...i ,1 ? i .t. _i -4 . lur. v>. iiiiii&en?uui uu uu cuiiiuiui mat u six is the cheapest, eftsiest, and surest way of frui profitably cultivating tlie Vine, yet offered abo to tho public. 'J OnATE GROWING AND WINE MAKING MADE rcn EASV. Hlrt Editors Southern Cultivator.?A^ree o n ably to your requost, I now hand you a tli r few remarks about our metliod of planting fru out aod taking care of a Vineyard. I say, to i "our method," for I claim it is peculiar to spr Dr. McDonnald and myself; and we have ant adopted it, not through ignorance of more stal complicated and more costly methods, but, tlio first, on acconnt of its simplicity and cheaj>- pie nest, and then, having well succeeded, why foo should wo alter our course ? I do not pre- Tin tend to say it is the best, nor do I wish to reg deter any so disposed to go to the expense it i of trenching their lands three feet in depth; the bat there are very many farmers who have wo fjot the means to incnr such expenses, who wa wWh to plant out an acre or two of vines arc but sra literally frightened out of it, not C!,ri ? # - M,'l paly by the mystery and difficulties wliicli w;| have, heretofore, been connected with the ?p| business, bat, also, by fear of the money 8tr which kt to com<> out of their pockets before We ?hey receive any returns. First, so many j3 i Jiundred dollars for trenching, and grub- mu :,|ibg, AQd manuring; then as many more 6|,c for ruies; ijien so many more to learn how 8t? t* itiek the cuttings into the ground; and Os then eo many more to learn how to prune; an, then lo learn how to make the wine, how to keep ll and, to crown il all, so many t|u thousands for a collar. And, if it so hap- j jj pens, jie ? ablo and willing to 6tnnd nil this, L ^hundred to one, he is frightened half out ou pf bis senses, and gives up in despair of cd over being able to unravel Uie mystery, and re; WSSter the awfhl science of Wine making, ha especially if he happens to hear of "granite da being built for the express a.? ' purpose of imparting instruct'ou for n re- is i mw?ne*ion! las preparation ok the i.and. c? | prefer new Isnd,?such as would bring In to bushels of corn to the acre; le: a piece on easterly, south- j wi 4 I ol I fr vi r c; i" in !. ci f is , ol 5 S1 I a I > <1 * SI v< ' CI 111 . ai \v cc 1 to <1* b( I Ill A it( 0 plant; (his can bo done, in our Souiu- oc climate, from the middle of November ar lie end of March. I prefer rooted plants; |,r ers give the preference to callings; the m 1 will save you one year, and you can <1^ nt them deeper, which is a great objecl. ki ke yourself a wooden compass, with an | a nimg of four feet six inches at the points, j 1 mark out the distance for your vines f]n lie bottom of the trenches; drop the j-ei L-s in their places, and proceed to plant jC( in. Two men, with shortdiandlcd hoes, (|c plant a great many in a day; one dee- or S the hole to let flie rontc tti\ enin/. itw.l.?>c i . -V...V '"VUV.1 ull per than tlic bottom of the ditch ; the it places the vine upright and holds it wi II tlie: (irst has put earth around it. If m; have .other hands let them follow with tli 5 and relill the trench, so that the top of the vine will be about on a level nr 1 the surface, l'ut a short stake to each tl, >, to mark its place. There is nothing 1 l>c e to do until the spring grass will call tli r plows and hoes into use ; then work 0f n as you would corn or cotton. You tli / plant two rows of corn or peas between ve rows, and they will not interfere with wl vines in the least. JM KIltST rilUNlNO. 1jC 11 (lie winter, at any time between the an of 1 >ocembor and the loth of March, w; j a sharp knife, remove every branch rj, pt one, and cut tli.it down above the vii mil w third evo of the last growth; ,]0 ik the land with a half-shovel plow as corn, passing the nearest furrow about Ive inches from the vines. Give thorn fr< ike about four feet long; they will, in <;< spring, shoot out many suckers, and all out eyes where they have no business; ar out the suckers with a long handled n!1 isel, and rub off all the eyes excepting co two or three you left in pruning; these, (|, hey grow up, should be fastened to the J tc( ii-.-, wiiii OHM ui hint siring, uarK, or ||(] tiling else you may liavo at liantl.? an p tlio land cultivated wiih plow ami , ami plant peas between. I0 SKCOND IMICKIXG. :i fhe second winter's Pruning is a repeti- ,l:, i of ihe first, but j*ou must replace the jr ill stakes by good lasting wood, from pC to eight fuet long. There will be sonic co t. The summer's work is the same as rjt ve. timkd rtlCNIXG. i'hc third winter's pruning is different; Qjlove all branches or canes, save the two re digest; of these, cut the highest about liteen inches long, and the oilier about ce inchcs ?the longest is intended for it; the latter, which is called " spur," is make wood Tor next year. Towards ft.j ing, bend this long branch horizontally, j I faslon the end of it strongly to a short QJ, Ice, placed at a sufficient distance. In ^ West this cane is made to form a com- j tc circle bv fastening the end of it to the t of the vine; this is called "arching.'' ftg e object of arching is to moderate and ulate the flow of the sap, in order that nay fill all the eyes on the cane, for if ^ cane were left perpendicular, the sap . uld pass the lowest ryes, and rush up- ^ rus lino me lop. Dui, in my opinion, ^ lung over does the business, and the >, whoso tendency is always upwards, I most generally stop at the eyes on the per part of the arch, and develope tliem J ongly ; and those below will put out very 1,1 rdily, or not at all?while, when the cane 13 aid horizontally, they all get their share ?' icli more equally divided. The vine >uld also bo strongly fastened to the large kc. All who plnnt vines must plant out c< ier "Willow, whose twigs are superior to Cf j others (or tying, although I have made s of the young twigs of Black Oum, or of > Wild Willow, and of the bark of youug to ckory. pi taring this summer, the vines will throw w L strong branches, which roust be fasten- p< to the the stakes as they grow, until they d< ich the top, when they may be loft to d< ng over. Plow and hoe as usual; plow w c-p in winter, and in summer make use of f0 icrapcr. After this, the winter pruning pi ^ivf,ija, mwiw VI ICO?, 0 ICJTOUUUH UI 1I1IB t; one spur, and one or two bearing X ties, according to the strength of the vine. n< pruning, let the cut be clean and close, m iving no small ends of dead wood, which m 11 surely injure the oty stem. Among $ Ill vinos, a small toothed butchcr-9aw will s r?atly assist the operation. c I do not approve of summer pruning; s incs and fruit require all llie shelter they * in muster to preserve them from our burn- t ig sun. Persons engaged in tlio grape ^ ilture should not lose sight of pruning; it c to moderate and equalize tlio production 1 fruit, thereby improving its quality, and s mringthe health and life of the vine. Wo e often told that this or that person has o vine, whieh is never pruned, climhs to the I immitofhigh trees, hears ahundantly, is s ;ry old, etc. A single vine is very differ- <1 it from twelve hundred to the acre?and j v many parts of Italy, where lliey have t lopted llie tree culture, the quality of the 1 iuo, which formerly ranked high, has o mpletcly heen destroyed. I never wish v see iny vines average more than from reive to fifteen bunches each. Quality is itter than quantity. rn.r? r<..i?i? ? i?. i. - * iu. viium i/i\ accuicu lOIIUVC USUrpCCJ 1110 ost prominent place among tho natives. ( t the West it is l?y far tho greatest favors; perhaps, there aro others ilo not sue- c ed as well. At llie South, most persons j, e following in the wake of our Western v ethren, and have taken it for granted that a me others are worth cultivating, and con- j c 11111 without a trial, or even without ( e lowing them. The Catawba is certainly j u beautiful looking grape, and a great j j( arer; but it is honied and wild musky ? ;Vor, (which is unfortunately too strongly jj lained in the wine,) is a very serious ob- jj jtion for a palate accustomed to a more ^ licate fruit or bevotage. The " boqnet," jj perfume, of wine is a precious quality, n it this has "too much of the good thing." ^ Foreign grapes must be discarded for f( lie-making. After a fair trial, we, like my others, have come to the conclusion at they cannot stand our climate. Of all the natives that have come within n y readi, I give a decided preference to '] u Warren aiul the Isabella, both groat j, arers, but, like tho Catawba, subject to a e rot. The former makes a delicate wine n the color of Madeira, but not so strong; 0 latter, a light beautiful colored Claret, ry similar to Bordeaux wines. I also, like jj lat wc here call the Burgundy and lllack c ly, (both misnamed.)?tho first being the st table grape wo liave iu this country, s| d making a delightful Madeira colored a lie; the Black .July makes a very dark, j, h. red wine, not unlike Fori. These two les arc not great bearers, but llieir fruit t| es not rot. (j MAKING WINE. 9| Mv process for making wine is different n >m that followed in the West and iu ^ jorgia. The grapes being gathered, and a unsound or green berries removed, they |, e thrown into large tubs, or half barrels, i d thoroughly crushed with the hand ; the v liter.Is are then emptied into lar^e vafs ... C - ? HI ogheads.) which arc fillud to within four- j, 11 inches of the lop; covcr theso with j, unospun ami boards, to keep out gnats |, <1 flies. In a very short time fermenta- a hi commences ; the mass swells and rises g the top, and should be pressed down with wooden paddle, two or three times per tl y. The next morning the clear juieo is c awn from a fascct, near the bottom, and I mrcd into a barrel; when no more juice h mes out, the mass in the vat is then car- ? ;d to tho press and what liquid remains ji it is squeezed out; this is usually very ii ick, and is put into another barrel, as it is s< inferior quality. Be sure that your bar- d Is are fi!Ii?<l (o wlililn ?1.ma !.?. V... ...^4.^3 VI HJO I) ing; less than that would leave too much 8 r in contact with the wine, and would use it to sour; more than that would c uso it to overflow in the fermentation h liioli for a few days will ho very 11isle; lien this has subsided, fill the barrels to le inch of the bung, with wine reserved c r that purpose, and close the bungs tight- 11 . Bo very careful that the barrels, tubs, a its, etc., be all perfectly clean and sweet, F the slightest degree of uncleauliness ould be fatal to the wine. u There now remains nothing to do until ^ e next winter, when the wine is drawn 8 toother barrels in order to clarify it. The '' irk Claret is allowed to ferment on the ins for four or five day?, in order to ex- 0 net all the collor; it is then treated as the * licrs. I \notlier item, believed by many to bo posiirely indispensable and tbo cost of which ^ very considerable is a cellar. Till now ^ ir wino cellars have been bat very slight q )ard-hou3cs on the surface, and we have _ c at no wine from acidity, except where we >uld trace it to leakage, or some other n iuse. And in order still moro to cheapen r id simplify the business, and remove all ystery from it, I have taught my negroes t i go through tho entire process, from the j anting and pruning to tho bottling, of the j ine. Thev are fullv as intelliorAnf ??? ?' ? - ? O II :asantry of Europe, And much mora to be 8 upended upon. Here we have another jcided advantage over the Western folks, ho are dependent upon the caprices of ~ reign laborers, and many are the airs they c lit on when they come to this country. 1 By following the above directions, which 1 have endeavored to give in such a man- * ar as to be within the understanding of all, f id making use of a little judgement in * tondifying them according to circumstances 1 to inexpeiienced farmer can Mt him- ' iclf out a vineyard, and skill will conio wil jxpericnco. I wish to Bee ns many as po ible engage in the business, as llio 1110 ve are tlio belter it will bo for all, and ce tiries will elapse before it ceases to pay.vYo hope, ere long, to see a Southern S iety of Wine Growers, with its centre ; Vugusta, offering to the world pure and li cious wines, of all hues and of all llavoi I should state that Dr. McDonald's moc >f planting vines is more simple than min Ie makes no ditches, but only holes, aboi ixteen inches in diameter and eightec Icon, and plants thecuttings in these. II ines aro remarkably fine, as all who s< hem can testify. Ditches require moio 1; ior at first, but then there is the advantag if having that part of your land brokt rliich the plow cannot afterwards reach. A. C. Woodward, S. C., Sept. 1857. A TOUGH STORY. The following story was told in Sandusk )hio, and appears in the iMassillon JYew j\ party or young men in th.it ancici i(.v ntnnso their leisure moments at tl otel in drawing a long bow, or tellin ronderful yarns for the benefit of tlios pparently verdant, who may happen I oine in from other parts. They tried tl fleet of a few extraordinary wolf storii pon a venerable and sedate customer n( ing since who had come to spend tl: ight at the best hotel, and he listened I liem with much surprise and interest lint lieir stock appeared to have run out an lie conversation flagged, when ho remarkc lint he had been much interested in tl ews they had given him, relative to tl rimcvnl inhabitants of that country ; bi ?garded an ercnt in his early life as inoi ecu liar than any they named. Said lie " When a young man, T was travelin 1 western Now York, and late of a storm iglit applied at a log cabin for Iodging.'hc occupant, a woman, refused it, sayin cr husband and sons were out huntinj nd if they found me there, would murd< 1C. " I preferred the chance to the storn tid she consented that I might lie dow eforc the lire. In the night I heard thci oming and scrambled up the chimney. "Thinking I was safe when at the top Lcpped over the roof, and, jumping dow t the back of tho cabin, jumped plum ito a wolf trap. A scream of pain brougli io men and boys out, and they declared cserved a more severe punishment tha oath, so they kept mo both in a trap an iispcnse until morning, and then, headin ic up in a hogshead, with no air or ligl lit through the bung hole, they put me o ?i.,,i i .1 f mcu <11111 niuvc iiiu soiiiu lour nines up ill, and tlien rolled me oft* to starve. TIi uiidoubte'lly should have done but for ery singular occurrence. Tho wolv< mulled mo out and gathered around m rison, when one of them, in turning aroun appened to thrust his tail into the bun ole. It was my only chance. I caugl firm hold and held on like death to .1 n< ro, which frightened the wolf, of coursi nd he started down tho liili, followed b lie hogshead and me. It was a very ur asy ride, over the stones and stumps; hi had no idea how long it was until th ogshead striking a stone fairly, the stavt rorn by long travel, were broken in, and imped out and found myself away dow 1 the lower end of Cataraugus count; ome thirty miles from the scene of th isaster. Good night, gentlemen?I di ot express any doubt of tho truth of yoi Lories, and I hope pou will not mine." It is currently reported that the " ee lub" of Sandusky lias not had a full mcc tig since that occurred. In the western country what one buy: osts at least a dime or a half dime, an ickel pennies or copper cents are just aboi s scarce as "just men made perfect" in olitical convention. Well, not long ag< Down E?ster tried to pass ten coppei pon a "sucker," a native of Illinois, for ime. "What be they?" inquired tli ucker, in unfeigned ignorance. ' I calct ite they are cents," replied the northene can't vou read?" "I reckon .?:<! ?. liter; " and what's more, old hoss, I alio1 don't want to. What is cents mister i I vow to the judges," said the Northene you nro worse than tho heathen." Centsi noney, sartin. Ten of them are worth on lime. Can't you see ? it r.aps, " E Plur, uk Unum"?that's the Latin for "Ila /olumbiii"?and here it's inscribed "on ent." "Look here," responde I the sucke tutting the thumb of his hand into his ea nd inclining his fingers forward," you ma un a saw on r lloosier or a Wolverim >ut I'm blamed if you can Yankee me wit hat contusivo stuff!" Yank had to "g lown" for hjs "pewter," and throwing a te ienco at the sucker friend, he left, exclain og: "The fool air^i Lave a soft plac omowhar, certain." There U a woild where no storiua intruJ -a heaven of safety against the tempea >f life?a little world of joy and love, ? nn<v?r>iw?A anil lr?nnn!lil? Q. ? - . suspicions ui tot there, nor lite venom of slander. Wh< i roan entereth it, lie forgets bis sorroi ind cares, and disappointment r he ope Del lis heart to confidence and |il<taum* ? ningled with remorse. This w$r!d is J) tome of a virtuous, and amiable no(b< Lli From the C/mrlrtlon Mercury. ls_ professional writers. rc Messrs. Kditous :?Vou will recoiled n_ thai I suggested, as a measure most surely conducive towards originating a corps of " professional writers" in our Slate, tlio en^ dowment of Fellowships in tho College at t Columbia. Money couhl scarcely he more ,s economically and nobly employed, sinco I " knowledge must ever descend" from the more highly educated and gifted to those jt who are le-s so ; and that system of education is. therefore, radically defective which doos not make it an object to carry educa>c tion to the highest attainable point. ^ The endowment of Fellowships, however, rft was suggested, not because it is iho only, ' but because it is (piite a feasible plan of enabling students of extraordinary merit in the collegiate department to continue their studies, and make themselves writers and scholars worthy of the name. 15ut so great is the repugnance of people to seeing even the appearance of any one, old enough to s" support himself, living in idleness, that I ^ would despair not only of obtaining the ,e great weight of the State taking the initia^ live in this endowment, but even of private L*' munificence ever running in this channel, ? could it not be easily arranged that every ie Fellow should bo required to perform, by "s lectures or otherwise, the lighter duties of an Assistant Professor. Since I do not 10 contend for a name, but fur a principle, the ? Fellow might bo titled a Tutor, and given '' such subordinate duties as may secure in^ dustry, and, at the same time, have ample id i ? leisure 10 prosecute a liberal course of study. IC These Tutors could afterwards be raised to 10 the Professorships, provided they exhibibi'* led an ability for such an elevation. Hut rc the principle contended for, the principle I ! * would most earnestly force upon your attcntion, is, that in tho very system of eduy cation itself, there sliould exist the oppor~ tunity of ending the pursuit of tho humane ? arts only with the chilling touch of death, =' when the learned studies of time will mcige ;r into tho intuitions of eternity. There should be something in the very system itb self, which may take the enthusiastic lover n of letters, in his youth, by the hand, and r? . _ - . " lead Ititu to still purer and moro celestial heights of knowledge. Then we should not * be presented with the exceedingly strange n spectacle of a State, boasting of its intclliP gence and civilization, in a quandary?I do 11 not shrink from the assertion?in a quan* dary as to whom it should placo at tho n head of her literary institution?not, mark ^ it, because there are so many candidates o prepared for tho duties of the situation, but ll so very few. Let an over-sensitire public n shrink from it, if they please, but it is a a disgrace?a disgrace growing out of our l!i system, which diverts into other canncls 11 most of the talent of onr people?talont, :s which framed the very government of this y Union, and ever since, down through the ^ war of 1812 to tho present day, has direcS ted the thought of America ; talent which, 11 in the "South rn Quarterly," has pro2~ duced the ablest periodical which has ever existed on this sido of tho wato.is; which, y in DeBow's Review, sustains a vcrv hicrh '* reputation, and which is capable of producing as able Professors and professional e writers, if it only be encouraged, as any in !S the world. When the Hon. Edward Everett, a short time after graduation, was elected Frofes'' sor of Harvard University, ho was sent, at ^ the expense of that Institution, to travel four ^years in Europe and complete his education. Here was the true principle.? ^ If you wish a real scholar, you must give ^ him time to train himself, you must support him, and you must put him in the way of such influences as will stimulate his n, mind. It is not contended that our Feb d lows or Tutors should be sent to Europe.? it This would certainly be very generous, and a often very effective, but the expediency of " a trip to Europe" is doubtful. What is r8 contended for, is the opportunity of cona tinuing a liberal course of education, witli0 out an interruption, ns unseasonable as black fr st would be to our corps in early suinr mer, withering the luxuriance of a growing e vegetation.. IV In some of the German Universities, we t?i learn, upon the authority of a masterly f thinker upon the subject of education, a js year since dead, that a system of graduated professorships prevails, paid in proportion _ to difficulty of filling tliem. A student of jj ability soon rises to the lower grades, which competently support him, but not with I. ? ? r Bucii nueraiiiy as 10 biiow his desire to exr eel to slumber, or his love of physical comv fort to be inactive. The only objection to g this system, which appears at first sight, is, l! that it works the student too hard, it does not giro him sufficient leisure. The effort ' to rise, keeps him under continual high } pressure. With each rise comes an increase ,e of doty, and there is some danger of an abnormal, one-sided development. But anything Is preferable to the American sysle tern of turning out every one, no matter Is whether they have the disposition of the >f younger Pitt or of the Poet Cowper, indisre criroinately upon the practical world, to n spend the first six or eight years at least, rs not to the development of intellect or the Ji attainment of knowledge, but in earning at A' if daily bread. Extraordinary merit ? will, it b (rue, rise above and triumph over ft a system it wHl command pa tronage without tho assistance of log-rolling ; it will not have to present its claims as tho ]/rol('</c of this politician, or of that 11 man of wealth ; it will force respect?it will conquer position, lint alas! the groat ^ majority of men arc not capable, unless b cherished beneath the most wholesome influences of extraordinary merit. That sys- ll tcm only is good, which raises ordinary ? men above themselves. a It should, however, be mentioned, that Sir William Hamilton advocates the plan of S1 graduated Professorships. If this system. liable as it seems to some weighty objections, be preferred, then let il be adopted. Hut do not throw a student back upon the *S| practical world as soon as he has begun his progress?as soon as he has overcome the ? difficulties of a start?thus checking his ^ inomci.Uim, and forcing him to desist from the race, just exactly at that time of life ^ (from twenty to twenty-five) when he should press most earnestly forward. Give ^ him employment in the College, if it seems too liberal to support him gratuitously, hut n do not remove tho most distinguished o! 'c your graduates, I should rather say, do n?>t drive them from College influence, and do ai not take their elevating and conservative v influence from the College. Gvie them a ^ chance, and a fair chance, of becoming dis- u tinguished scholars. Give them a chance, t' and a fair chance, of rising, by lileraiy merit alone, to the Professorships of their e Alma Mater. (live them a chance, and a e fair chance, of writing themselves into an c imperishable fame. In attributing the paucity of professional c writers?meaning literary and not political writers?in the South, to our system of d : : ? ' ..... i uuiiuihiuii, il is iiui meant id uu asscricil Hull il no other causes arc at work, but that this is one of the chief, and a most powerful h cause of their fewness. There are other causes, no doubt, and I shall trespnsss upon h your indulgence, Messrs. Editors, in suggesting one or two which occur to me, in s: another article. But the most powerful in- a strumcnt of lessening the influence of all 1' other causes, would bo a change in our educational system. On the other hand, when those causes shall, of themselves, w cause to operate, and professional writers are demanded by the Southern country, not theoretically, but in reality, demanded, as w an indispensable necessity, then the coming stato of things will bring with it a change of our educational system. The sooner the ? change is made, the sooner wo will have n professional writers. JJut when wo have tl professional writers?and at some futuro day we must have them?then a chango tl in our system must follow. In educational pi matters it is the supply which creates the P' want, which that sunnlv ?Ioim nnn untidfu fr i n J * ' When we shall have profession! writers, the w want of Rystem to educato and sustain sucli writers, will be felt, recognised and suppliod. And when our College turns out professional OJ writers, they will create a want of those ^ services which they alone can supply. Literary writers, and a system to educato litcrary writors, have ever existed, and must rj, ever exist together. ^ A CONSERVATIVE INNOVATOR. Cultivation of Cotton in Africa.?The d; British Government has recently published ol somo interesting despatches from its consul, Si Mr. Campbell, at Lagos, in regard to the C\ cultivation of cotton in Africa. lie states bi that the whole of the Yoruba and countries, ;n south of the Niger, as well as several dis- RS tricts north of that river, have been for w many years cotton growing countries; and, j. in spite of the distractions of war and the A| slave trade, their inhabitants havo always ni raised more than was required for the sup- tii ply of their own wants. During the last w year alone over half a million pounds were bj exported to the Brazils, and half as much ar moro was sold to the adjacent countries; th and, taking into account the quantity conflumed at home, it is estimated that over (], seven millions of pounds must bo annually Cl raised in thoso regions. Mr. Campbell is quite ccrtain that llio introduction of Eng- f0 lisli cotton goodrf into that region would have the effect of greatly stimulating and p. increasing the production of the raw mate- m rial. In a subsequent communication Mr. n( Campbell urges the importance and feasi- jn bility of increasing the supply of cotton froin Africa. The only thing necessary to ?| accomplish this is to purcliAse from them tj the surplus cotton they do not require for p, their own use, and also to supply them ma- m chines for cleaning it rapidly. ^ None in it.?" Madamo," said a very polite traveler to a testy old landlady, "if ^ I seo proper to help you to this milk, is tlioro any impropriety in it ?" "I don't know what you mean; but ef 11 you mean to insinuate that tliar is anything na*ty in that milk, Til give you to 8 understand that yu'v struck the wrong ot house! There ain't a fust hair in it, for ^ as soon as Daralhy Ann told mo the cat was drowned in the milk, T went right trai't an' strained it over}" p< ' The young man fainted. d ^ > ? ? d Wo have heard it remarked that when n David hurled the stobe at Goliah the lattor must have been very much surprised, as such a thing never entered hi* head Before. n . ^???? T1 Nothing elevates us so much as the pros- y DC? of a tpirit familiar, jel superior to our c own. 11 THE ENGLISHMAN'S SNTJrF.BOX. The French papers have not, under the illuoncc of llio alliance, ceased to liavo ieir jukes upon Englishmen, and one of tho rollest is toI<l as follows, l>y the Uniun JJrc)nne, from which we translate it : Lord C , well known for his eccenicit'u.s, went lately to the establishment of no of our most celebrated workers in fancy rticlcs. " I want you to make me," said he, " a nufF box with a view of my chateau on the d." "It is very easily done," was tho reply, if my lord will furnish mo with tho deign ? "I will; but I want also, at the entrance f my chateau, a niche in which there shall e a dog/' "That, loo. shall bo provided," answered ie workman. "Jtut I want also that some means should e contrived by which, as soon as any ono >oks at the dog, he shall go back into tho ichc, and only re-appear when lie is no >n?er looked at." The workman looked inquiringly, as if to sccrtain whether his customer was not tho iotim of somo mystification. Reassured y his examination, and, likoa clever man, udcrstaiuling how to take advantage of le affair, he seid to tho Englishman: "What you ask of me is very hard to omply with ; such a snufT box will be very xpensivo ; it will cost you a thousand rowns." "Very well ; I will pay you a thousand rowns." "Then, my lord, it shall be made according to your wishes, and in a month 1 shall avc the honor of delivering it to you." A month later tho workman j)resented intself to Jtord C "My lord/V said lie, "hero is your enuffox." jjord C ? fonl' It :i ? ? VAllltllllVU It, HUU lid : "That is my chateau, with its turrets, nd tlicre is the niohc by tho door-way.?. >ut I see no dog." Did not your lordship,' said the workman ?ay that you wished the dog to disappear hen lie was looked at ?" "I did," replied his lordship. "And that ho should re-appear when ha as no longer looked at ?" "That is true, also," was tho roply." "Well," said the workman, "you are l^>okig at it, and the dog has gone into tha icho. Put tho box iu your pocket, and ic dog will re-appear immediately." Lord C reflected a moment, and len exclaimed, "All right, all right." Ho ut the box in his pocket, took out of his acket-book three bank bills of a thousand ancs each, and handed them to the skilful orkman. ???? < ? ?? ? ORIGIN OF THE WOBD " BOTUNDA." John Phoenix gives the following humoris account of the origin of tho word "romd? "The origin of tho word ' rotunda' is sinilar and not generally known. At the sk of appearing pedantic, I will ' narrate' " Many years ago, shortly aflor the founUion of Rome, a distinguished architect " those days, named Claudius Vitellius withers, erected the first building that rer was surmounted by a dome. This nlding was first intended for a 'savings siitution,' hilt tho Roman that officiated > cashier having left with the funds, it as used successively as a market house* ince llOUSO. thflflf.rfl nnrl 1?-? f - ? iiivubiii^ UVU3C} id finally full into decay, and bccame a iiss of Such it remained until tho me of tho Emperor Alexander SeYeru3? hen that monarch, one day, accompanied tho courtiors, came down to exarr\ino ?d view the ruins, with a view to purchase o lots on which they lay. Hero the mperor's eye was attracted by the ffiilleu >mo, which ho gazed on with great iriosity, and finally picking his stops over ie stones and rubbish that intervened, hQ und his way beneath it, "The ancient Romans had the same irtiality for the cheap distinction that jimates the modern Yankees; they lost > opportunity of leaving their autograph* nil ???? * j'mui.v mm |fnvni? ptnces ; ItlQ CODSOjenco was, that when the Emperor looked ;> was amazed at the number of inacripuns that the interior of the old doma 'csented. It was quite black with ancient id respoctable appellations. ' Ha 1' said ie Emperor, with the air of a nwn vrlic* as made a great discovery, (and an utter isregnrd of all grammatical rules,) 4 it's eon wrote under.' 41 Ilia principal courtier, Naso Snekellius, nmediately repeated the remark, with ycophantic reverence, to the bystanders, etting about as near to it as that stupid OGcial generally did to anything. 4Tho mperor,' he said, * says this has been a roinda. Hats off!' "The Romans all bowed wiilt trm-i - ileniuity, not having the most dim or istant idea of the joke, and the interior of * ome from that day to this has been called rotunda." Jeremy Taylor says,?{> Cheerfulness and , festival spirit fills the soul full of liarmo iy; it composes music for churches and learts; it makes and publhhes glorification f Ood, it produces thankfulness, and ?erve? he end of charity."