Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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jHsSPf1 - WEEKLY .AMOK THIS, . 19, 1878. ^.1* NUMBER 1G vniflU UKAH AND CLOVER. Growing and cultivating grass, with our Southern farmers, is a comparatively new departure and wo have much to learn in this branch of our agriculture. We need to oxpcriuieut more before wo can fully understand tho grasses best adapted to our cli mate and soil, aud the best method of sowing and cultivating in a latitude this far South. Wo have reason to belicvo that during the present season a larger area of land will be sown to grass and clover by one-third than in any previous siri?lc season, and by hundreds of farmers who*hnve heretofore kept aloo? from grass cxperifc tnenls. Uy a judicious cultivation of clover sod' ?* 388, with the aid of 'sheep and cottlo, any country, jjoftevcr impoverished and worn, may bo dratfe in the course o*' a few years a land of fertility. Wo sow our lands^o grass?the j*?nss grows without cultivation /?its fbOT^ro'over rotting and enriching >the soil wni% our stock by their rich dropYtinos of ninniirn nitil ?til) ,A ':l / ? O" v U,VIv a?o luifrll* ity, cularging the capacity of^lie field for | production. Thus by grass, culture we are ever improving our land ami providing more food for our stock?enhancing the vnluc of our furinsasalso reaping better profits from our stock. No food for stock con be produced near sftmbeaply as grass, and hence be who oniyiRps a few stock should take advantage ?^this truth ?j?d lighutpthe cost - of keeping'his Animals, as a dollar saved is M dollar made. Our section of country for ' the capacity and adaptability for the cultivation of the largest and groatest variety of grasses and forage plants is unequalled.? \Vo conceive that the greatest drawback to successful grass culture in the South since the war by those who havo experimented, to have been caused from bad preparation of the land aud light seeding, in conucction with the disposition of the farmer to allow the young and tender grass to be tramped too severely and grazed too constantly and close, ere the roots aro sufficiently strong and vigorous to secure a good hold in the soil. Of the ninny kinds of grasses and clovers which have been tested and pronounced congenial to a southern -climate sad profitable for cultivating!^ wo will endeavor.to enumerate anddftoimeut upon a tew : CHOV BBf ? .for fffl tll!w^|>Wy<ji!l|i?*KtNIII?ly . 0 either when turned under greeu, or from the decny of its long tap-roots. It produces tine hay and can be grated ; for either or both purposes it is most admirable. It grows and makes a good yield up >n land of a moderate fertility?clay soil is best suited to it. Any land that produces good wheat is said to be adapted to clover. To guard against drought the land to be seeded should bo ploughed deep, and the seed brushed in or rolled, the surface being level and the soil finely pulverized. One gallon or a little over is enough per acre. LUCERNE. This forage plant is now attracting uuusual interest in the South. It will not admit ol pasturage except very lightly. The nutritive qualities of this plant are extremely great, and stock cat the hay with avidity, end thrive wonderfully upon it. Lucerne is not untrcquently used by farmers alone for soiling purposes, for which it is invaluable. Tho yield is enormous. It is a perennial ; makes its appearance early iu April and dies down tho middlo of November or earlier, if the fall is unusually scvero. Cultivation : Make the ground as free from clo^s as possible?let tho land bo such as was cultivated in a hoed crop, nay cotton. Break deop and thoroughly?a subsoil following after a two-horse plough is recommended. At all events, th; land must be ploughed deep, that the tan-roots innv easily penetrate through the soil, down deep enough to prevent the scorching rays of a noonday sun parching and sapping their life. The flrst year lucerne is delicate and easily destroyed, and every attention is necessary to prevent its destruction from weeds and grass. Sow only upon rich land, (any soil will do, so it is rich), in drills from 12 to 18 inches apart. Cover lightly, putting ten pounds seed to the acre. WHITE CLOVER docs well on sandy soil, and should be sown with other grass at tho rate of 2 quarts of seed per acre. MEADOW OAT C1RA88. Among tho list of grasses none is attracting more universal attention, and creating more satisfactory results in the South thau the ahnvA nntnfvi Tfa nnltivntinr aoAirifl at this period, to have been quita limited.? This is undoubtedly one of the best winter Srosses, and when its merits are bettor unerstood will be highly appreciated throughout the Southern Spates. Tbo want has long been felt in the 8outh for a grass that would grow upon sandy lands and furnish an abundance of winter grazing, and from what we onn learn of the character of tho - meadow oat, it will justify us in saying that wo bclievo wo hare discovered tho grass at last. It is claimed for this grass that it is a rapid grower, and is valuable both for grazing and hay; that it can bo grazed from November until other grasses put forth in tho spring. It is a bunch grass and docs not spread from the roots, and thereforo requires thick seeding, say 2 bushels of seed to tho aero. ;; \ * v ** 8L OBCIIARD GRASS. Hero wo find another most valuable grass. It comes e&riy, it productive, nutritious and palatable to all kinds of stock ; makes a permanent pasture, bears close feeding and is a rapid grower. It grows in tussocks and should bo sown in connection with other grasses. Two bushels of seed to the acre is not too much. It is generally the case that thia grass furnishc3 good grazing in this climate all winter. ? BLUK GRASS. It is nom,no longer a question of doubt that blue grass can be grown successfully in that grass sowu in the spring will make no shofc whatever before iho following spring, and theqrthe blades aro hardly noticeablo. ThraojorTour years are necessary to secure a gopd so<J, and after that the pasture can be kef>t permanent. It grows in a limited amount of shade, and makes a beautiful lawn. It iB ono of our best winter grasses. From 4 quarts to a tmshel of seed is recommended. Many fanners sow upon the ground without any preparation, and turn stock on to trnmp it in. ^ TIMOTHY is only suit^Tor hay. Sow^n rich bottom land, well d^ncd. from 1 plfk to a half bushel ol seed per acre. ' RifD-TOP OR HERDS 0RA88 is ndmirably adapted to many portions of the SoutU^_ It will grow in mcdiumly rich *?il aud produce fine crops of hay : but the land'man be moist?^it delights in a 8T8T<t' soil. This grass for hay is uot as valuable as Timothy, the bay not possessing as much nutrition, but this grass is nevertheless a highly profitable species, nnd should be more extensively cultivated.?So. Live Stock Journal. ASHES. Tho statement has been made?we linvc never seen it tested?that a bushel of uuleached ashes weighs about forty-eight or fifty pounds. Assuming it to be forty-eight pounds, a top-dressing of twenty-five bushels to the aero gives 1200 pounds of fertilizers. It is estimated that this quantity of ashes contains about ouc hundred pounds of pot ash, three hundred pounds of lime, fifty pounds of magnesia, twenty-five pouuds of phoyiyfflc acid, and perhaps ten pounds of sulphuricmdid" Tt will be seou that ash eft are about cqnal in value to the best commercial guanos, containing the very olcmcuts most needed by plauis; while guano is valuublo mainly for its nitrogen aud phosphoric acid. The ashes supply the phosphoric acid, but contains no nitrogen. This is the main difference. Tho salts of ashes also are generally rendered iusolublo by water by the action of the fire, but can be made soluble by chemical proccssos. Ashes are a good fertilizer for anything that grows, from fruit trees down to potatoes aud garden vegetables of every kiud. As long as farmers can procuro them at a reasonable price it is one of the best fertilizers iKnv pftn iioa They may be applied brondcast, in the hill or in couipost. Hut in composting care must be taken not to mix them with any thing coutaiuing ammonia, us animal manures of any kind. From tho permanency of their effects, and the number of essential elements they supply, they form perhaps the most economical fertilizers to be had, and if residing near a town the farmers ought to make arrangements with the inhabitants to purchase all they havo.?Ex. Tiie Ciiufa.?Tho chufa is a species of nut grass but unlike the terrible garden pest, it does not survivo the winter. The planting seed must be gathered, dried, and housed. After you suvo what seed you wish, just turn your hogs into the field and they will do the harvesting. As regards planting and cultivating, first, lay off the rows three foot apart, put in baru-yard manure or some kind of good fertiliser, bed on, say two furrows, opeu the bed as you would for cotton, say, two inches deep, as they grow near the surface. Drop ono nut at intervals of about 12 inches apart, then cover. Plant about the 15th of April. Should moles destroy any they can bo drawn as slips and reset, they never wither for being reset. I reset half an acre last year and 1 do not think one died.? Keep clear of grass and weeds, and plow about twice. The yield is about 300 or 400 bushels por aero; hogs prefer thorn to any other food. There is no comparison between corn and chufa; tho hogs fatten faster on ohufa, and wo do not havo tho troublo and expense of a i mi 3 _ l.*4? - _ gubucnug mum. xucy uo uencr on ngnt soil.?It. B. Moodib, in Rural Mcucmjcr. ? Orciiardh.?A writer in the Practical Parmer says that he kept his young orchard well cultivated with hoed crops for several years. They grew eighteen inches to two feet in a season. Only ono trco died. A neighbor set out an 'orchard at tho same time and seeded it to grass. In three years one-third of the trees wero dead, and those whioh lived grew only from two to six inches in ono year. This is about the usual experience. By your words and your notions compel tho world to honor and praise you. \ THE TALKING MACHINE. New York, April 6.?The other dor h wont out to Mcnlo Park, Now Jersey, |J spent the afternoon in the workshof&oi 1 nomas A. Edison, the magician, v making machines that. talk. His laborutAy* is aa interesting as Monte Crete's cave, fid? his achievements ma^c the tales of Arabwye, sorcery teem credible. I saw the talkiafti machine, talked to it, and it talked bac^^Hy You have heard about it, of course, buv^Ej story can not bo an old one for couic, nnd> although the PhononnuAjWfc ; simple as a jack-knife, it c*<Htcs-yfp jql the beholder as a tclegrap)hVhiCMk Indian's superstition. \VitoVwkvV" ~lCfl this city towards Philadelphia. ivifcwsicrNr station, and lias no houses exceptKEdisoD'ji large laboratory and t lie houses of MkkcWttn ists, machinists and assistants. 'IwoJerhidr is a great building, a hundred feet tfif lower floor occupied by ma^higery. ing in iron, and the uppeV as jwhfAwta* and electrical laboratory. A wires enter the roof, connecting vmn&$dde circuit of American cities, aud UhilCoAre nine lightniug-rods over the pJhk^Tf the building. It is filled with a cla^tef like a rolling-mill. ? >" I lbuud Edison up stairs talking w#h t\i mouth-piece of a phonograph, which and speaks with the eauio organ, a tliin sheet of iron, which is a tvinpauum when it is spoken to, and a diaphragm when*It j talks. Ila was boat over it, and rcpfetdd in a solemn voice the sage apothegm, "IotjL mintra, cutra, corn, apple seed and npme thorn, wire, brier, limber lock, three mice ran up the clock." "That's wrong,"^mncbody said, and he looked up and Inujffflknnd said he had forgotten it. IIo then greeted us cordially, but with a diffident manner, as if not accustomed to society, and turned to describe to us the talking machine. Thomas A. Edison is ratftr above the medium height, unshaven and unshorn, slightly shabby, with a pair of bright, aggrcsivc gray eyes, illuminating an otherwise uniutercsting face. He is an Ohio man, and is only thirty-cue. His conversation has a strong Ohio flavor. Indeed, in some respects, ho is provincial, for, if puzzled about a thing, he resolutely exclaims, "I'll git it yit I" tony punwAauiuii _ has no electricity nnd no magnet about it. It is a very simple piece of meohauisui. It consists of a brass cylinder three inches in diameter and eight inches long, mounted on an iron frame, and turned with a crank (Edison has substituted steam power.) The cyliuder is reamed with a fine spiral grove, like tho thread of a screw. Upon it is laid a sheet of smooth tin-foil, against which rests the needle which is vibrated by the voice of the speaker. The sound-waves shake tho tympanum; the tympanum shakes the nicdlo, and the needle makes small corresponding indentations in the tin foil, as the cylinder revolves. So now wo fouud the tin foil encircled by lines of minute'dots, which Kdison said were "a photograph of the atmospheric waves put iu motion by the voic 5." "Now see," he said. And he lifted the mouthpiece and needle, turned tho cylinder back to tho point of beginning, replaced the mouthpiece till the needle was iu contact with the foil, shifted the belt on, and immediately from the mouthpiece came, in a high, clear voice, xuiia, uiiuirii, cuiru, uoru, ive., uown IO "three uiice" that ascended the household timepiece. The articulutiou was perfect.? The inflections and emphasis were precisely' preserved. It was evidently a human voice. Then he tore ofl* the sheet and put on another. "That sheet is uninjured, you see," he sail. "It might be made to repeat that huudrcds of times; it might bo scut to foreign lauds or kept to future ages, and it would saj it just as well, if put on a cylinder like this." Then he talked poetry into it; whistled, shouted, whispered, barked, neighed, stuttered, crowed. Everything wns returned with perfect modulation, the only difference being that something more than half of the volume had been lost. Then your correspondent tried it satisfactorily. A lady and gentleman sang a round into it by use of a double (forked) mouthpiece, "Scotland's burning, Scotland's burning! Look ..out! Look out! Fire ! Fire ! Fire ! Fire ! Pour on water ! Pour on water!" and tho machino sang it over after them three _.:.u . .1:? ?L- 1 VII1JIO, Willi ^ICilV Dpilll), OUIIU I u ^ V1IU uuia upon each other's heels in the most amusing hurry. The two tones of n bass and a contralto voice were also perfectly distinguished. They had & little motnllio sound, but Edison said, "I can remedy that easily enough. I must substitute a membrnno for that pieco of iron, and a sapphire Bjfr.'tliis steel needle." lie then informed tho maohine about "throe blind mico" and about the aspiration and misfortunes of Jack and Gill, and various other matters, whioh it repeated with all the peculiarities and original ntteranoe. The phonograph is very provocative of eccentricities of utterance, for to bear it crow, atainmcr and hicoup as it it were inebriated, is funny enough. V ' juur?benefit?~!-?j>ui itixn rrrditcourso on travels*?in"?[out/]??if?W ^-l#We lands* Allow?tno, be?[a:?Hull! Jjg^ortj commencing?to state"?[Oh? rr -r-^(fo!!?Hah /j jd inventor now exhibited JU? AERKPIIONE, Vfirch makes |}ie human voice perfectly infoufSfileadistaut. He will fix om a^tho^^n'raltou of the Paris Kxpositioi grounds, whioh will shout "A greeting tc jth'c OldtWwld from the United States o! Aperica, yours truly, Uncle Saui!" or any fchttO^f^jaoMhe operator chooses to 6ay.? Tnw,-AB^oticipates, will be of great value to wara -veaflftk off shore, to enable steamer r *U<1 AjrhanQa nnmo .< sea, a**< uanblo locomotives to shout, "A1 out for Coiuuifcus?tweuty minutes for din ncr 1" and, in short, to enable anybody t< address large masses of people for auy pur pose, stumpspcaking, for instance. This monster Python is as simple as : toy-whistle, far simpler than the phonograph The same tympanum is used, but it create; a voice by opening and closing the valve of a steam whistle instead of by photo graphing the' sound-waves. lake the pho nograpb, however, it seems incredible hov the insignificant cause cau preduce the tr.: meudous effect. "What do you expect to do with the pho uograph ?" 1 asked Edison "What is i good for ?" "[ expect," lie replied, "that it will b usnd exclusively bv. bankers and busines uicn instead of a snort-band nmenuensis.? They can thus save hundreds of dollars year. They can speak their letters into it a | fast as they cau talk at the rate of a page c foolscap a minute, and au office boy hire for three dollars a week can copy and seir them, for it can be made to speak at an speed. To such correspondents as have i phonograph he will dispatch the sheet of ti toil, untrunscribcd, and lie will thus addres theui iu his own voice. "It will be used as a reader iu families I can produce a plate oh which an elocutioc ist can deliver the whole of one of Dick eus's novels ; I can duplicate the imprcssio at the rate of twenty cents a copy, an every family that has a phonograph ma lay the sheet ou it and hear the whole novi read in the very voico of the elocutiouis And all for twenty cents ! What a relief will be for weak eyes ! What a boon I blind asylums! What a blessing to tli millions who have never learned to read ! "It will be used to teach music, and ( enjoy music, too. Any family may be: Iiouisc Kellosm's own voice at the cost of few cents, it will bo used to teach lai guages. Philologists will use it to compai different tongues. You see that its nrtici lation is pcri'oct. Your own uiind will suj gest important uses to which it may t put." "What will tho machine cost ?" "A hundred dollars, I expect." Mr. Edisou proposes to apply his disco' ery to many other practical purposes. It claimed that at tho coming (Jhristuins thci will be a thousand nnd one novelties in toy dolls arc to speak in any language that ma bo desired ; the auiuials in Noah's nrk I give forth their natural tones of voice, an there are almost every kind of solf-nctin musical instrument, in every size and shap< The great use of the instrument is expecte to ko found in commercial life. It can I used in connection with the telephone, an messages may be recorded by tho perse sending and also by the one receiving, tlu preserving a fidelity in business transactioi that hithorfo has been unattainable by at: telegraphic progress. ?# ? u A ? !- - *? ? * v a tvumuii is a inigniy nanny ining have about the house. She doesn't cost ai more to keep than you'll give her, and she take a great interest in you. If you j out at night she'll be awake when you g< home, and then she'll tell you all about you self, and moro too. Of eourso she w know where you have been and what kei you out so Into, and will tell you ; yet rigl after she gets through telling you that, si will ask you where you have been and wh kopt you out so lute. And after you tell h she won't believe you; you musn't mir that; and if alter going to bed she says si hasn't closed her eyes the whole night ai 1 then keeps up tho matinee two hours lo gor, and won't go to sleep when she gets 1 chance, you musn't mind that cither; i hor nature. r-'W *= " -? = y A STARTLING TRAGEDY. PflOVJDBNOE, 11. 1., April 5.?A terrible ? tragedy occurred this evening at the Opera r House, ill Pawtuckot, in this State, daring o dim) of those senaatidfcol ai>4 reckless cxhio bitioai in Aarksmanship, originally introduocdjajdf the stage by Frank Frayne and \t HtV .C% Hutler. In this in-. '* ^?h^r - t',C r'^? W?r a woman? ? #*? ^MtoJl&Vpl-' aimVl at on her head. ; OA MtAicW^Ri a variety fetnpany, hailing t jfrooi thjjfclozart Gardens in the cnyof J Bwek'yoTN.. Y . qptmncn&d an cngagct tmeot at the ^L^nCIousc, their k, 'porfuruionco character, _ at a objects, r dosing that pari jgHortnencc by j shooting at- an nppld on' the head of j another member of *th?ohipnny,--known as j Mile. Volaote, who alsJjeppeared as a trap8 HOOTING V^TII A^CPLEOTEI) AIM. v In erder to intensify the sensational character of this act, Miss Franklin, instead of liSlog direct aim at the apple on Mile. Vo? laute's head, faced in an opposite direction ! and obtained her range by means of a small j mirror placed at the wing. This uiirror lias p to be arranged at such au angle that its . lace will bring the face of the person sup_ porting the apple directly in the centre of . the glass. The holder of the rifle places s the weapon over her right shoulder, keeping > tlifl (riin/?r I'linrd Drea-xnd -* I to her nhouldcr, and then takes aim through " . the sights at the reflected image before her. 3 The trick has been repeatedly accomplished . with success, but it requires great coolness and steadiness to strike the reflected apple j with precision, and has always been deemed a foolhardy and dangerous experiment, s A STARTLING TRAGEDY. s This evening the variety entertainment - passed off as usual until the rifle shooting " act, when the audience was horrified by see' ing the unfortunate trapeze porfortner shot " dead. Miss Franklin displayed considerable skill in hitting her target and other objeets while firing directly at them, ar.d she 1 seemed confident aud assured when the final feat was to be attempted. Mile. Volante 0 stepped alertly to her station, smiling at the s niuiifMiftA as she did so. Placing the apple, ~ an ordinary sized one, on the top or her a head, where it rested in her luxuriant hair, s she stood motionless as ;i statue. Miss Frank lain also took her station near the ^ footlights in front of the mirror, and delibd erately aimed over her shoulder through the y glass at her ill-fated friend The audience a sat in silence, curiously watching the pcr11 formers and suspectiug some deceitful trick, iS when suddenly the trigger was pulled and at the same instant a shriek resounded ' through the hall and the uufortuuatc Vol' ante fell forward on the stage. A HORRIFIED AUDIENCE. ^ Everything was now iu confusion, both before and behind the footlights, the audiencc bciug in a state of terror at the denouct meat of what had piomised to be only a jt pleasant bit of sensation. At first-it was ,0 only supposed that Mile. Volantc had been ie wounded, but it was not many minutes before the news spread that the woman had 0 been instntly killed, the fatal bullet having jr entered her forehead and pierced the brain. ? Miss Frauklin was immediately nlaced under " arrest by the local police, and is now locked rc up to await the action of the coroner. Sho a seemed to he half crazed with horror at tho ^ occurrence, only realizing the recklessness *c of her act when it was too late. Mile. Volantc, who so suddenly closed her career in this shocking manner, has only been on the variety stage four or five weeks, and no otio v at Pawtuckct or here seems to know her js history. The tragedy has naturally caused .c great excitement in the Town of Pawtuckct. This accident will, of course, put a stop to ' all such exhibitions, no matter who may atn tempt them. J ,T Our Globe.?If I were in danger of q becoming skeptical, says T. Starr King, I j believe that a vivid apprehension ol tho )C revelations concerning our globo would j appal me into faith. To think of this ball n whirling nud spinning about the sun, and IS be an atheist! To feel that we arc at tho )3 mercy of tho forces that lash it like a top around the ecliptic and of the raving flames that heave and beat for vent; not more than an eighth of its surface inhabitable by man ; seas roaring around him ; tropic heats ,0 smiting his brain ; polar frosts threatening iy his hlood ; hurricanes hovering in the sky ; " earthquakes slumbering uudcr our feet; the ij? condition? 01 1:1c dependent on tho most ct delicate powers, over which the wisest man r* is helpless?to think of these, and not to ill have confidence in a power superior to these pt pitiless forces, not to have u faith that the it land is sheltered by a ceasoloss Jove from tc the hunger of the elements! at Go, learn that you are houseless, without w the scuse of God as overarching you by his power, twistiug tho furious forces of im?c mensity into a protecting tent for your spirit >d home.?Exchange. n- ? n There arc fow who can dam up a a stream i,s of profanity when suffering Ircui an aching corn.