University of South Carolina Libraries
. ' - . - - . -- ......... . . h \ * 1 m e V " ' ? :.*.. . . [*S - ,:v;; \ v L__ ,"f>rr - . k - ?&& ___ _, r -==: " ? - n. ... . -. ... ". .| .. i . -, .. VOL. XLIII. WINNSBORO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1886. ' NO. 22. ? --- ;? ? j :... ' r-.~ ? THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: L proceedings of the last week Bv OF THE SESSION OF 1836. ggjfo. ^ SBr f)ecciii!)cr :il). SENATE. BHB Wlien the general appropriation bill BBBbSI had received its third reading, Senator Bhame moved to increase the appropria tion for the Governor's contingent fund &' from $2,500 to $4,000. After a little dis. ^ cussion the amendment was defeated by r- a vote of 23 to 9. S& Senator Khame then moved to increase Sg the appropriation for the repair and B furnishing of the Governor's Mansion ||L from $2,000 to ?2,700. The amendment B was adopted by a vote of 21 to 8. On Senator Moore's motion 8475 was appropriated for repairs to the arsenal B in Beaufort. On Senator Smythe's motion the appropriation for public printing was increased from $12,000 to $15.'; X>. jOTgROgSn FIGHTING OVEK A "JUDEX." Senator Edwards moved to add to the 1 University appropriation a proviso that tuition fees be charged in the South Carolina College, in accordance with the bill which has passed the Senate. The Senator said that he did this because there much doubt -whether the tuition bill would pass the House at this ses sion. Senator Buist thought this a sad and fearful thing to put on riders of this sort. It might result in a deadlock and prevent an adjournment of the General Assembly. Senator Edwards said that this amendment would bring in $6,000 of the $23,000 voted to the College. He would not k vote for the appropriation without this A proviso. H Senator Smythe said that the unwisB dom of the practice of puttiug legislaStion on the appropriation bills had been AQATI llAHCO V>o/J Ipimyu IHSI sesauii uuui put a rider on the appropriation bill, and each endeavored to coerce the other. | r Senator Murray maintained that it the right of the people to couple | Actions with their grants of money, j favored the rider. It was not i Hive. gKnator Sligh held the same view. j Rnator Hemphill believed in and j K*ed the rider. vote on the amendment resulted? j Hk, nays 17. V Chair voted "aye," and the! Bment was adopted/ Bfctor Murray moved to reconsider KnHHKOie me monca. S?r Buist then moved to adjourn Bb on the bill - until to-morrow, ^ gph&be seen what the House the tuition bill, which 5& order for the day. The this motion in order. Btzay then withdrew his JPH^enator Buist responded by Mftirawiaghis. B ^ator Murray offered an ai l endm eat W adding to the College appropriation all f sums received from tuition foes;" He wanted to make the College a real university, and would cheerfully vote $00,^ 000 to that end if the State could afford i -?V it. This amendment would cost the K - } people nothing, and it would greatly aid s the University. Senators Edwards, Sligh and EempBt hfn opposed the proposition. Bk Senator Wofibrd moved to table?y eas it ? ir xt The Chair said that, as there seemed to be no demand for the this additional appropriation, he voted "aye," and the amendment was tabled. A CANAL RIDER. Senator Murray moved to add to Section 7 of the bill the folio wing additional paragraph: "That the sum of ten thousand dollars be, and the jame is hereby, appropriated to continue the work upon the Columbia Canal, to be expended* by the directors of the penitentiary in utilizing the surplus convict labor upon the work in such way as they may deem best, and that thev be directed to utilize the old I Canal in such way, if possible, as to furnish, water power to the penitentiary." Senator Austin moved to table. After a short debate, hi which Senator Murray effectively supported his amendment, a vote was taken on Senator Austin's motion to table?yeas 17, nays 17. fr The Chair voted "no'' and tbe amendment was saved. Another debate enSenator Hemphill moved to make the amount $5,000. Senator Smy the moved ijg to table it. The vote was the same, 17 to 17. This time the Chair voted "no," and the motion was not tabled. -On the * question of adopting the Hemphill amendment there were 16 yeas to 18 \ nays. Senator Murray then moved to ^ v make the appropriation $8,000 instead & of $10,000, fearing that the figure he K first proposed could not be carried, and the amendment was adopted by a vote SB, After a strong speech by Senator Woodward, and debate by Senator Sligh and others, the Murray amendment appropriating $8,000 for the work was affixed to the bill?yeas 20, nays 14. After this action the general appropri ration bill passe a its third reading and was returned to the House "with its amendments. On Senator McMaster's motion, his Canal joint resolution, -which was the special order for 11 a. m., was postf poned. l. The legislative appropriation bill passed its final roadio^-. n The House-joint resolution providing H| for electing^ ven trustees of the South Caroling University on Wednesdav after hB the^ylection of a Judge of the Eighth He circuit w?s concurred in. / The consideration of the second leadBflji ,/ihg bills was begun. The first on the jfigflf . . "" Calendar was the House bill in relation to costs in equity cases. Several amendx ments offered by the judiciary committee |5|r were adopted, but the vote was reconsiderec, and before the debate on the "T" amendments was concluded the Senate I at 3 o'clock took a recess until 7 p. in. NIGHT SESSION. L t The follow:ing bills received their secL ' ond reading: lienewing and amending HL the charter of Winnsboro; incorporating Kff the Columbia Home Insurance Company; authorizing the town council oJ 8? Wirtnsboio id issue Ixnnls in aid ol tilt* Mount Zion College; relating to tlic | Winthrop training school for teachers: ; - ""I"1" ^maKana^atB?BBMPBSM ' exempting portions of Berkeley and j Charleston counties from the stock law; j incorporating the South Carolina Fire | Insurance Company. j After considering a communication I from the railroad commissioners, showj ing that their report was filed with the | public printer within the time prescribed ! by law, the Senate adopted a resolution, | by Senator Black, directing the commit| tee on printing to inquire the reason | why *the State printer lias not printed i the annual report of the railroad com; missioners. This cleared the Calendar j of all available matter except claims, I which liad passed the House. The ses; sion of. an hour was marked by a won; derfui dispatch of business, and at 8 ; o'clock the Senate adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The following measures received a i third reading: Bill extending tbe time for the pay| ment of the taxes which expired on December 15 to January 15. 1887. The bill further remits all costs and penalties charged npon delinquents. An amendment was adopted in the House excluding the county of Darlington from the provisions of the bill; bill to confer certain rights upon the Port Pioyal and Western Carolina Railroad; bill to amend section t>5 01 tne urenerai statutes, relating to pliosphate deposits, (the bill in "general gives the State a preferred hen on the phosphates for the royalty, and directs the royalty to be paid quarterly on "crude rock" and "not j after it has been dried or cleaned;") bill to provide for the equalization of assessments, <fcc. THE COLLEGE BILL. It was after 2 o'clock when the House .reached the College tuition bill, which bad been at the head of the Calendar for some time. The Senate bill was taken up in place of the bill introduced in the House. The committee on education reported it adyerselv, while two of the members, Messrs. Daniels and Young, recommended its passage. A motion to kill the bill brought on the discussion, which was opened by the Rev. Mr. Archer, Methodist minister and member CvtAMinvtVvnvAi TrrhA XX \J?LL yjjJCUH^OtXlKJKJU.^^ >T JJ.V CtU. T \y\- IA^V*. tuiv passage of the bill He was followed 011 the same side by the Eev. Mr. Young, of Abbeville, one of the minority of the committee. Three or four additional speeches were made. Shortly after 3 o'clock, however, a motion to adjourn until 7.30 p. m. was carried, and the House adjourned without reaching ja vote. *" NIGHT SESSION. The judiciary committee submitted an adverse report on the labor contract bill, which tak<^j itp place at the-ioofc of the Calendar. This virtually postpones the matter until the next session. The discussion of the College tuition bill was resumed and was participated in by Messrs. S. P. Hamilton, Brawley and Kershaw against Messrs. Archer, Pope, jsoozer ana Ansel m iavor 01 tuition. .a. motion to kill the bill failed?67 to 23. Mr. Brawley, however, succeeded in getting in tlie following amendment: "Provided further, that the faculty of the I said University may grant beneficiary scholarships -without the payment of any fees to such competent and deserving ! youths of this State as may be unable to | pay the same, and the trustees of the said University shall prescribe such rules and regulations as may be proper to confine the enjoyment of this privilege to those whose necessities require it." This was adopted 57 to 46, and the bill so amended was returned to the Senate. Mr. Hyde's general incorporation bill passed its third reading. Also a biil to amend the debt settlement Act in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Court. The House was in session until nearly midnight, and managed to put through a considerable number of bids. Tuesday, December 31. SEXATE. The special order for 11 o'clock %vas | the House bill reorganizing the agricultural department. At 12.30 it -was called up. Senator Youmans,- as chairman of the committee on agriculture, "which had reported it "without recommendation, said that as this bill revolutionized the method of conducting the department, and as it "was followed by other measures on the same subject, he thought i that a rcroDer consideration of the sub ject could not be had this session. In order, therefore, that time be allowed for a careful investigation of the whole subject, he moved to continue the bill to the next session. Senator'Talbert said that this measure was due to the farmers of the State, and ought to pass at this session. Senator Youmans replied that he -was a farmer and didn't share this view. Senator Sinkler was always in favor of maintaining the honored institutions of the State, but he saw nothing revolutionary in the bilL It was a graceful concession to the agriculturalists. Senator McMaster wanted full informatioc, and thought it impossible to consider the subject intelligently in the short time before adjournment. Senator SrnitL was a - farmer," but he thought the matter too important to be considered now. There were a number of counties in which the farmers were yet unorganized, and these would be without representation if the bill passed now. Senator Sinkler again defended the bill Senator Wofford saw in the bill a provision for about a hundred and seventy ex-officio members. There had been great tal'k against the few ex-ofiicio members of the College board, but now 170 were to be created off-hand. Think of crivinsr the State Granere and State Asrri cultural Department only five members each out of these hundred and seventy! Think of treating in this way organizations which had done so much for the State! This was enough reason for him to oppose the bill. He was a farmer, but saw no good in it. It was proposed for a purpose, of which he would not speak. He hoped the bill would be continued. Senator . Murray said that the bill could be amended to suit. If the Agricultural Society and Grange were so strong they could control the county delegations. He favored the consideration' of the bill. The matter had been already fully discussed in the papers and in two conventions. Senator Talbert asked what the Grange had done beyond putting money in the pockets of its head men? Senator WoJTord rejoined that if the I E Igeiield Senator ever went to the up country lie woiud find out that it had done a great deal. The vote on Senator Youmans's motion resulted: Yeas?Senators Bell, Biemann, Black, Byrd, Erwin. Hemphill, Howell, Izlar, Kennedy, McMaster, Moore, Munro, Patterson, Keynolds, Bhame, Smith, Smythe, William?, Wingard, Woffoid and Youmans?21. >5ays?Senators Alexander, Austin, Buist, Crews, Edwards, Field, McCall, Moise, .Moody, Murray, Sidkler, Sligh, Talbert and Yvood-vard?14. ^ +V*/* Qor>o4Avo lio/l ?5Tirl U1 U-Ll^ Uoiiijuuatv* TVV^V*? ?**.?. three-fifths of tliem had spoken against the bill. Senator Youmans gave his vote in favor of a continuance with such hearty emphasis and delight as to make a ripple of laughter passed around the chamber. A motion to table a motion to reconrider was adopted by a vote of 20 to 14, and the only Till man measure which had a chance of success was buried. The result is distinctly traceable to a determination on the part of various agricultural Senators not to consent to what fhov "Tillman rHntation." the supply kill received its second reading withe the following amendments: Colleton?County levy raised from oi to fj mills, of whicli?2i to ordinary county purposes and j to roads and bridges, including ?500 for part of the cost of building a bridge over Kantowle's Creek. Edgefield?County levy raised from 3 to 3i mills. Hampton?Provision made for paying the stenograher of the circuit. General?The provision at the end of the bill allowing county commissioners to borrow money under certain conditions was stricken out, on motion of Senator Hemphill. >U lAA UJN The Talbert dog license bill, after having lain neglected on til's Calendar for a week, was taken up with a recommendation from the committee to which it had been submitted that it be continued until the next session. A motion so to continue it failed on a division. After some debate, the vote on the passage was 15 to 15. The Chair voted "no." So the bill seemed killed. At the night session, however, it was reconsidered, and was passed to its third reading by a vote of 16 to 11. THIRD READINGS. The following House bills received their second reading: Changing the name and amending tne cnarter 01 tne Chester, Green-wood and Abbeville Railroad: amending the modn of divesting the rignt of dower of insane married women; amending the charter of the town of Barnwell; creating two school districts in Barnwell countyincorpor*-; ating the Maverick Mills of Barnwell county; providing for the completion of the State House; bill to amend the stock I law as to Horry and other counties. The following measures were killed: j Bill amending the Act prohibiting the; sale of liquor in the town of Lancaster; bill relating to the hunting of doer. The bill exempting portions of Berkeley and Colleton counties from the stock law received its second reading, with Senator Smythe's amendment that it shall not apply to lands of A. S. J. Perry and half a dozen others. The bill for the relief of the King's j Mountain Military School was continued ; until the next session. Senator Sligli's bill to regulate the! taxation of attorneys' costs was continued on his own motion until nest session, as it was too late to be acted on this year. There was a very one-sided fight over the House bill providing for the issue ' of liquor licenses in Berkelev and Beaufort counties. Senators Sinkler, Smythe, Youmans, Buist and Moise spoke strongly in favor of the bill, showing what a deplorable condition these counties had been brought to by the enactment of a prohibition law which is not and cannot be enforced. Senator Murray opposed the bill and made a motion to kill it, but | subsequently withdrew his motion. I Senator Kennedy renewed it. It was I ^ X-3 fm.A "UM1 i/L utueuieu. JLiie uiii pocsbcu ids second reading by the following vote: Yeas 23, nays 9. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The Senate amendments to the general appropriation bill cansed qnite a debate. The first fight occurred on the University section of the bill. The appropriation had been raised in the Senate from ?15,000 to ?17,000, and the skirmish was opened by Dr. Pope, who, as usual, expressed the hope that the House would not caucus. He regarded it as singular that this increase was not asked for until n. . 1..M1 1 1 1_ _ ,1 XT C< J. _ J me um liiiu reacneu. uie oeiiave. Mr. Hntson, chairman of the education committee, and Mr. Pick en, acting chairman of the ways and means committee, explained this omission. The House refused to agree to the amendment. The next amendment was the tuition rider tacked on to the section by the Senate and embracing substantially the provisions of the tuition bill passed by that body. The House unanimously refused to concur. It also refused to concur in the amendment striking out the $10,000 appropriated for the completion of the central building of the Penitentiary. Then the Cf :al rider was reached, an amendment appropriating $e,uuu tor tne work on the Canal, mainly to furnish water power to the penitentiary. This reopened the Canal debate, in which a dozen or more members took part. Col. Thomas, of Richland, made an earnest but brief appeal. He said he supposed the members would vote as their convictions dictated. He hoped, however, they would vote to concur in this amendment, if for no other reason than to give the Richland delegation the consolation of having done something for Columbia. Mr. Davenport, of Greenville, opposed this appropriation. Mr. Davenport made the assertion that nine-tenths of the members of the House were unable to pay their just debts. They must not, because they were here in Columbia living like rich men, for what thev were. Every year these appropriations had to be made. If members continued voting appropriations this way they would vote the shirts off their backs. After discussing the matter for an hour Mr. Cappelman called the previous question, which ended the debate. The House, without a division, refused to concur in the amendment. " All the amendments in reference to the Lunatic Asylum were agreed to, except ' that reducing the per (hem of the regents. At this point Mr. Ficken moved to reconsider the vote thereby the House refused to agree to the amendment increasing the College appropriation from SI5,000 tovSJ TjOOO, stating that he did so in order to give CoL Haskell, who had been indisposed and who had just entered the hall, an opportunity to explain the necessity for the increased appropriation. Mr. Haskell explained that the increase was needed mainly in consequence of the increased popularity in the College of the school of applied mechanics and the agricultural <l*]?atnient. TUr Arnlidr ?JL. JL UJL/C t*U\ I v fought the amencbr.e-t bitterly. In stiking contrast were the remarks of Mr. Tindal, of Clarendon, tiie president of the Fanners' Convention and the representative of that body. He had been, he said, opposed to free tuition in the College, 'out lie could never consent to starve the institution nor to cripple its usefulness by niggardly-appropriations. After some further discussion the motion to reconsider "was carried by a large majority and the Senate amendment agreed to withouiia division. The amendmenfcgiving $475 for repairs of the arsenal at Beaufort was adopted by a vote of 49 to 36. The Senate increase in the appropriation for public printing from ?12,000 to 815,000, and that in the legislative ap? ..a.-? 4-^ c-ia rmn nnf lll/iXL tJUjWU IV vJXVjVW *? w.u mw w concurred in. The Senate amendment appropriating $5,000 to aid in the rebuilding of the State Medical College at Charleston seemed to have starred up the most direful -wrath of the reformers, who once more rallied and made a desperate fight against it. The first opposition came from Dr. Pope, of Newberry, who said that the College had no right to call upon the State for this aid. After some discussion by several members, the amendment was agreed to bv a 63 to 44. MGHT SESSION. In pursuance of the resolution adopted this morning the House to-night confined its attention to bills which had already ** it n - rrrL*_ -x passed tne oenae. xxiis ariaugemeiib developed the fa?that a number of bills which were on tijfc Calendar for a second reading had alreMy been ratified. The bill to prohibit the obstruction of navigation in the rivers of the State by bridges was continued till the next session. The work on the Calendar progressed rather slowly bai?without much trouble until the Anderson-Laurens prohibition bill was reached^:,An effort was made, as the bill proi oiled to consume a good deal of valuable" time, to continue it until the next session. This^was, howcverjr^ted -doviir. yeos~16r<nflys 72, and! the deoate occupied the rest of the night. Mr. Cappelmann moved to strike out the enacting words of the bill. His motion Tcac Irillpcl - A member from Oconee moved to add that county to the bill. This was adopted. Mr. Keitt, of Newberry, moved to add that county to the bill also. Dr. Pope moved to table this motion. If it was adopted he said it would split the Democratic party in Newberry. The motion to table was tabled by a tie vote of yeas <30, nays 50. A vote was then taken on the amendment direct to add Newberry county to the bill. Mr. Hyde then moved to amend by adding Marion. "Voted down. Mr. O'Brien moved to amend by adding Uiiarieston. Voted down. The bill was then read through to the end without further amendments being offered. Mr. Sarratt, of Union, moved to strike out the last eight sections of the bill, reducing it to the level of an ordinary prohibition bill. This reopened the discission, with the evident intention to keep it up until an agreement could be reached. After a long debate a motion to strike out the most objectionable sections of the bill failed by a vote of 37 to 52. Several other amendments were voted down. The bill, with the amendment including Oconee county, passed without a division. The House sat for some time longer discussing unimportant bills. The Close of the Session. Instead of carrying out the daily reports of the proceedings, we give below a statement of the more important matters acted upon. ELECTION OF JUDGE. For Judge of the eighth judicial circuit the following candidates were placed in nomination: P?v Senator JBuist, Mr. W. H. Parker, of Abbeville. By Mr. Pope, Mr. E. H. Graydon, of I Abbeville. By Mr. Ansel, Mr. T. Q. Dodaldson, of Greenville. By Mr. O'Brien, Mr. J. J. Norton, of Oconee. By Senator Murray, Mr. B. F. Whit| uer, of Anderson. i The balloting resulted as follows: i 1st. 2d. 3d. 4th. 5th. | Norton ..57 50 66 71 93 farmer ?z -ii *? 01 >jo Whitner 30 34 36 31 ? Graydon 14 10 ? ? ? Donaldson 8 6 5 ? ? Izlar 11111 Total vote 152 151 152 150 151 Necessary to elect 77 76 77 76 76 Colonel Norton -was accordingly declared elected. THE COLLEGE TRUSTEES. In tlie joint assembly to elect a board of trustees for the South Carolina College, the following named gentlemen were put in nomination: B. W. Edwards, of Darlington; JchnBratton, of Fairfield; Judge Simonton, of Charleston; Paul F. Hammond, of Aiken; Rev. J. A. Sligh, of Newberry; Dr. Robert Henry, of Williamsburg; Senator Izlar, of Orangeburg; Mr. W. G. Hinson, of Charleston; Mr. L. D. Childs, of Richland; J. D. Blanding, of Sumter; J. F. J. Caldwell, of -V- -T T> TT7 1 ewuerrv; v>ui. x\. vv. jwvu,ux jl/*u;jjju&ton; "W. C. Coker, of Darlington: F. W. McMast-er, of Richland; Judge A. C. Haskell, of Richland. Representative Barkley nominated Representative!. G. Mc&issick, of Union. ??Ir. McXissiek withdrew his name. Representative Thomas, of Richland, by authority of 3Ir. L. D. Cliilds, withdrew his name. This left fourteen candidates for the seven places. The result of the first ballot was as fol lows: Total number of votes cast ioV*. Necessary to a choice 70. Izlar juration n->, Diinonton jui', naiSKen ?Hammond 93, Coker 67, Edwards 67, McHaster 58, Sligh 58, Hinson 48, Henry 48, Caldwell 33, Blanding 24, Boyd 2o, J73El;!Endal 2, Donaldson I, Patterson 1. The names oflMessrs. Caldwell, Boyd, Blanding,. M^JVjSster and Hinton were now withdrawn, leaving the racc between Messrs. Cokv, Henry, Edwards and Sligh. The-^ote stood: Henry 90, Coker 85, Edwards 53, Sligh#45. Messrs. Henry and Coker were accordingly declared elected. rm-rrrpT/w ire re TV TTTP mTiT>V.(iV.. The conference committee on tlie College tuition bill reported an agreement, which practically retains theHouse amendments to the bill. The only changes from such amendments are that not only the beneficiary youth; but his parent or guardian, shall be unable to pay tuition, and that the trustees may at any time change a student from the beneficiary to the pay class. All the provisions about affidavits as to property from the county officers are stricken out. In this shape the bill has been duly passed. THE AGBICCLTCBAL COLLEGE. The House, by a decided vote, passed a joint resolution appointing Johnson Hagood, Wm. D. Johnson and B. E. Tillman a commission to travel in this o-rwl Pn-HArui Q tnATST | \sUVLLLVJ.J GiJULV4. A..U. X.UJLV/^j VY*VXJ. ?*> .. -w obtain information as to the establishment of an Agricultural College. But the Senate killed the resolution by a considerable majority. THE CANAL. The Senate's proposition to give $8,000 for work on the canal failed in the House. The latter body offered other propositions, but the Sienate "cut the Gordian knot" by receding from its own proposition. ADJOURNMENT. Both houses adjourned sine die at 4.18 on the morning of the 24th. Snow as a Fertilizer. Tlie opinion prevails, generally among farmers, that snow is quite a fertilizer to winter grain crops. The opinion, doubtless, migrated with our ancestors from England to Virginia and North Carolina, and thence to the more southern states, as population moved southwesterly. That snow greatly benefits grain crops in those regions where it covers the I grouiiu. me greater pari, ui llic muiiu, | j there can.be no shadow of donbt. But how? In the first place by protecting it from cold. Absurd, says one, to say that anything covered with snow is protected from cold. Why snow itself is a terribly cold thing. Admit it is a pretty cold thing, But its temperature need not be lower than 32. degrees,-and the grcunid under it need not be colder than 32 degrees. Suppose just before the snowfall the soil of a wheat field freezes slightly. A light freeze would not hurt grain. Now cover it up with ijix to ten inches of snow, and let the weather turn very cold. Let the thermometer drop down to ten degrees, or as it sometimes does to zero. What then? Will the soil temperature sink down to those J figures? Not at all. The loose, porous snow checks the escape of iieat from tiie j soil, just as a good fur keeps the heat j from escaping from an animal's body, ! and the soil retains its temperature of i approximately thirty-two degrees. The wheat plant is kept about as cold as it | would be in a nice frosty morning, just cold enough for a little ice to form. It is protected from the zero cold, and from (what is of more importance still) the cold, drying winds which invariably attend these severe spells of cold. The destructive influence of cold winds on vegetation is apt to be overlooked. It j intensifies the cold very much and,? as j pointed out in a former article, is often ! the cause of death in plants. Snow, tlien, effectually protects crops from extreme cold and from cold and drying winds. But does it not do more than that? j Does it not really enrich the soil; is it not really a fertilizer? Not much. Snow, like rain water, contains a little ammonia; but only a little. In numerous cases, all the snow and rain water which falls in a year, upon a given area, have been carefully collectsi and examined; the amount of ammonia in them ascertained, and the calculation made aa to how much ammonia would thus be carried into the soil of an acre. The largest amount thus determined has been a very little over ten (10) pounds per acre, the smallest about four (4) pounds per acre; and the most careful observations indicate that the average amount of nitrogen fboth as ammonia and nitric acid) which an acre receives from rain and snow in a whole year, is only about live (5)pounds, representing or equivalent to sis (6) pounds of ammonia. Snow does not carry into the soil any more ammonia than a corresponding rain, all of which soaks into the soil. A fall of ten inches of snow is about equal to one inch of rain, which is a good soaking rain. Now, divide six pounds of ammonia by the number of rainfalls in a year, and see how little ammonia would be carried into the soil by one rainfall or one snow. Thirty rains in a year would make one AAWTATiA.fiff]i /\-f o T*/vnn/^ ni JL CLL Li V/l OJ IV >Y ^CU.xj' V/xiV * I l ujul Vi. w^/vum\? va ammonia into the soil of an acre, or not more of that substance than three pounds of cotton seed meal would supply to an acre; and ammonia is the only fertilizing material which snow contains. It is obviously, therefore, a very poor fertilizer, though it may greatly benefit crops by the protection it affords against cold. At the North, where snow takes the place of rain, the winter leaching of soils is greatly reduced, because the snow melts in the spring and runs off, in great measure, without soaking into the frozen ground. With us it does not remain long enough on the ground to protect grain to any extent; neither does it take the place of rain sufficiently to diminish the leaching of the soil in an appreciative degree.?W. L. J. in the Atlanta Constitution. Lynching at Toccoa. Georgia. Toccoa, Gu., December 21.?The reported burning of Frank Sanders, the murderer of live members of the Swilling family, proved to be incorrect as be was returned to jail. Yesterday, however, a party of 12-1 men surrounded the jail at an early hour, battered down the door and took Sanders to a convenient tree, where they swung him up. It has developed that liachel Baty, who lived in the neighbor noon, was an accuuipiicu iu uic uuug, .wu that it was the design of herself ami Sanders to get married with lhe money thus trained. The woman !::is been put in jail and there are f'rars of another lynching. J'XtMiUESSrt?.- THE SOUTH. Judge William D. Kelly's Kosy Picture of the Strides Made in Kecent Years. i The Washington correspondent of the New York World writes (December 9) as follows: Judge W. D. Kelly, of Pennsylvania, who has been on a six weeks tour through the South, retained to-day. His trip was for the purpose of making a personal inspecti'?a of the progress in that section. His time was chiefly spent in Tcnne&ee and Alabama. In* reply to a World eorresr>ondent he said the sifjns of progress there are indeed marvelous. ] "I made my first journey through the I South in 1SS7 and went again in 1875, "j visiting the same places I just come from, and no one could have convinced I me that the people of that section had made such strides as they have. I could scarcely convince myself that the places I visited were the same that I saw on my former journeys. They are enjoying down there not only progress but prosperity greater than is enjoyed in the (North, and it is all owing to a change of sentiment on the question of labor. The old planters are beginning to recognize not only the dignity but the value of labor." "Is there moral and social progress as n , w k:ii: "Yes; the progress in that direction is equally marked. The people are living in a better class of houses and beginning to show taste in art adornments, and are introducing the comforts of life that were unknown to the middle and lower classes a few years ago. The residences of the people are more neatly kept, the exteriors are painted in taste, and the interiors of those I entered were comfortably furnished, with signs of refinement. The educational privileges of the colored people are now better than those the whites enjoyed when I last visited the South, and those of the whites are greatly improved. The class distinctions 1 * 1 jl - -P J.I i wiiicii were me curse ox mat sccwuu exist no longer, or only to a limited extent; and the social position of a citizen is no longer reckoned by what his father was, but by his own conduct and ability. It is no longer degrading to work, but the producers are more respected than the idlers." "The towns I visited," continued the Judge, "are under prohibitory enactments, and the moral condition of the of the people is much improved thereby. The money that was formerly wasted in drink is now employed to promote the welfare of those who earn it, and the re suit is greater comforts, batter Healtn ana an increased power of production. The negroes are industrious and thrifty as a class, 'and the man who earns a dollar in a mine or a manufactory has a purchasing power in_tho.se little towns e^ual to five times that of the planter who is dependent" ~ upon the yield and the prices of cotton. The rate of wages paid workingmen is about that paid in Pennsylvania for the same class of laborers ana the same kind of employment, and the negroes are proving themselves admirably adapted to mechanical industries." "They love the heat of the mills and sing at "their work. They save their ... 3 xt ?:?^ wages or spenu uieui wjaeiy, iiiru i? tlieir employers are beginning to see that the prosperity of the country depends upon the colored people as laborers they are no longer treated like beasts. I went into their houses and schools, sometimes by invitation and sometimes incognito. I told them simply that I was a Northern man and was interested in seeing how they were getting on, and I cannot express with great emphasis the impression made upon my mind by what I saw and the value of information I acquired. "The people of the South are making ; more money than we. They can produce rough iron more cheaply, because i the materials are hi such close juxtaposition. I stood on coal beds which had iron mines on each side of them, not more than two miles away, and lime stone iying.between. In Pennsylvania I can assert on good authority that it costs seven dollars to get the materials together before the manufacture of the iron commences. In the South, or in f.lmsft narts of it 1 visited, it does not cost more than two dollars. Then, again, land is so much cheaper. "In Pennsylvania land costs from one hundred to seven hundred dollars an acre, "while in the South land can be purchased for one dollar or one dollar and a quarter that is equally as good for the purpose." Where does the capital come from?" "Most of it originally came from the North, but now local capital is becoming interested and the profits of the business are immediately reinvested." "Will the South compete "with the Northern States in the manufacture of iron?" "Yes, and outrun us. They are not making anything but low grade iron now, but sell all they can make at the same price we get for a similar quality. They do not make enough to supply the demand, so that there is no bidding against us, but the time will come when e. ? j;? -? ? _;n JLUrCLUUeS JLUr CUtXtp piuuuutxvii. ?ia-L w felt by the producers of my own and other Northern States." A S?ai!or Shoots His Two Daughter*. Ekie, Pa., December IS.?Christian F. Schau, a sailor, shot his daughters, Minnie and Annie, this afternoon, killing the former outright, fatally wounded the latter, and in attempting to escape shot at police man Higgins, who finally clubbed Schau senseless and effected his arrest. While the family were seated at dinner, Schau arose, locked the door, drew two revolvers and nssatmea nis wne. ms aau^aiers seized his arms it; lie was about to blow their mother's brains out. The mother tore herself from his grasp oil her throat, which was terribly lacerated, opened the door and ran screaming from the room, followed by several shots from her husband's revolver. Failing to bring down his wife, Schau turned on his daughters and shot both. Schau was making for the outskirts of the city when officer iliggins overtook him. Schau defied the officer inrl (im! nt Mm but wfthonl effprt. ITh t!?en turned the pistol to his own head and snapped it ineffectively. The officers laid him senseless. While on the way to the jail a crowd of indignant citizens" made a rush for Schau with cries of "Hang him! Shoot Lis brains out," etc. Other officers came to the rescue and drove the crowd back, and the prisoner was safeiy landed in jail. Schau was very cool and showed no penitence. Later in the day he was prevented from suiciding in the cell by the timely arrival of an officer, lie afterward 1 h*a1?a /?Atrn KittArltr U1VBA* UVTIU wU-lU VliVVi VitcVAiJ, \ X I>* A PRIMITIVE CABIN. Wliat Constitutes a Wedding in the Mountains of West Virginia. (From the WinSeld, W. Va. Letter) After a silence of a few minutes, in which the old fellow had stared at me to his content and sized-me up from head to foot, he suddenly bursfced out: "Stranger, is you married?" Being anlric rArtmr or>rJ I3WCICU JLU uug mn AWMJ HUM capacious mouth broadened into a grin and said: "Wall, while you is out in this country you oughter hunt up a gal and git married," and then turning to a great buxom lass who would tip the s-'-aies at 175 and 16 years old (his hired V-d) he continued: "Now, that is Arn. She wants to get married the wuss kind, and if y'all can make it up, I guess I can scrape round and git some flour, kill a chicken, churn and give you a weddin," and your correspondent thought that if he was looking for physical strength and development, he couldn't do better. When bed time came I was advised to "shell off," which, to my surprise, I had to do before the family, consisting of the old man and wife, ten children (a small crop for this part of the country,) and the fair Ann; so, with my face a lovely crimson, I shelled oft Pretty soon all the family followed my example. From the log rafters of the oneroom house, in which the family ate, slept, cooked and did everything else, iUyvwn UUC1C JJLLUi^ JLGOLV/VjULO Vi VU19U pumpkins, apples, dried and strung, the clothes of the whole family, pieces of pork, and endless other things for comfort and -winter consumption. On the table, three times a day, we got invariably fried pork, sweet potatoes, coffee (minus sugar) and forever and eternally "Johnny constant" or corn bread, and, I may add, buttermilkHouse after house we stopped at, and it was always the same?nothing of the comforts of life. These are fine counties for coal and timber. Thousands of large logs are hauled to the banks of Coal river ready for a rise, and a boom is being built to Ciii/Cii uuc iuya. MODERN CIVILIZATION. Human Beings Living on Oats and Sleeping on Straw, a (From the New York Exch&ge.) It happened that not long ago my / business led me through the classic precincts of Mulberry- street, one of the slums of that peculiar civilization which is summed up in every great city. Years o rrr\ T TrrViO"n TVmTT Pflflf/M* J. first spread his wings as a popular warbler, he used to preface some of his ditties by the remark that he had only been induced to sing them at the urgent request of some of the first families of Mulberry street. While picking my way through the groups of ragged, motiveless, poverty besotted creatures, who . for want of a better name, are still called human beings, my attention was arrested by a large sign ahead on which was written, "Hay, Straw and Oats." This otherwise not unusual sign seemed strange on this street, where there appeared no detached carts, or any indications' that there were stalls m the neighborhood The tact is that in this vicinity civilization is at so low an ebb that any place where a beast of burden will he down is already monopolized by men, women and children, who axe more profitable lodgers. Horses find quarters in more advanced localities, where human beings do not covet the places reserved for them. In the front, of this store were a number of bales of clean straw, of a kind most usually used for bedding horses, and within its walls were numerous bar3 1 Ttr xi. i_* reis ana DOi.es. iuj utLttuuiuii was s>uou attracted by a vyTetched man coming out of tlie door with a bundle of straw under his arm, who was followed by another with a dirty bag in his hand, apparently filled with corn or grain. Pretty .soon a man who appeared to be a helper in ? ? the store came to the door, and I made _v~bold to ask him, as politely as I could, what these people did with the bundles of straw and the bags of grain. "What do you suppose?" was the bluff reply. ?*Yer a little fresh, boss." I assured the man that as a stranger in New York, I had only asked out of curiosity, and hoped he would excuse me. I soon gained his confidence, and went away with some points on bitter day civilization of a very suggestive character to student of "ethical culture." This clerk of the grain store informed me that cellars and basements constituted the lodging places of a considerable portion of the inhabitants of Mulberry street. The enterprising landlord provides a stove in middle of the floor, upon which is a kettle of water. On the sides of the den bunks are built up to the ceiling. The lodger provides his own bedding, which consists of an armful of straw, purchased at the feed store for five cents, and which may do servicefor an indefinite time. Witn the lodg ingis included tiie iatcnen privileges. These consist of the use of the hot water, which is supplied by a faucet in the kettle, and the right to warm or cook whatever fodder the lodger may chance to have on top of the stove. The fodder is usually oatmeal or cornmeal, -which he has purchased at the feed store, added to such swill as he may beg or steal through the day. The bill for lodging and culinary privileges is something like twenty-five cents a week, and when it is considered that twenty or thirty, often of both sexes, are packed into these holes, the business of the hotel keeper becomes a quite lucrative one. And yet this great New York abounds in schools and churches, charitable institutions and art galleries galore! He>-by Appleton". The Torch in Arkansas. St. Louis, December 21.?A special from Little Rock, Arkansas, says: "News lia-5 been received from Vituni, an inland town of Faulkner county, in this State, to the effect that about 3 o'clock on Sunday morning every business house in the town was simultaneously set on fire and burned to the ground, including the barns, cribs and outhouses of Messrs. George and Thomas Harris, residing about half a mile from Vituni. Nothing at all was saved, and the Harris Bros, lost great quantities of com. fodder, cotton seed. hav. &c.. thev being considered the wealthiest fanners in che county. Total loss about $150,000. No one lias yet teen arrested, but suspicion points to one or two bad characters. A point any woman can appreciate Point lace. > - ^ - i- jd