Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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mcotyd fo gijrtraltarij, gorlitulturq, goinqslit <8tonomg, folift 5i^ratur?, politics, and (he Current Units of the gag. VOL. XVII.?New Series. UNION C. H., SOUTH CAROLINA, APRIL 10, 1886. NUMBER 15. Written for the Times. RKMINI80BN0ES or the MACBETH LIGHT ARTILLERY. bt one of them. The Macbeth Light Artillery has an nnwritten history that must be wrested from oblivion by the eurviving members of the oompany, or it will soon be forever lost. Daring the war I read all tho official reports of the battles in whloh it took a part, and many reminiscences since, and if any allusion has ever been made to the company it lias not been my pleasure to ace it. 1 am induoed to write out my recollections of it, more with the view of drawing out others, than any hope of interesting the general reading publio. That the efficiency of the Macbeth Light Ar tillery may be better understood, I deem it worth while to apeak briefly of the first Company that led Union in defence of the ordinance of seceesion, passed 20th Dec. 18C0, by the representatives of the people of South Carolina assembled in convention at Columbia. In anticipation of that Act, a company had been organised in Union with that fearless soldier, J. M. Gaddsrry as Captain. As soon as the ordinance of secession was passed he led the convention, of which he was a member, and immediately proceeded with his company to Charleston, where preparations for war was actively going on. The company was assigned duty on Sullivan's Island and became one cf the ten that composed Coi.. Maxcy Grkoo's first South Carolina regiment. Coi.. Crboo's command was soon transferred to Morris' Island, where it remained until after the fall of Fort Sumpter. The infantry on the surrounding islands ware witnesses, rather thaa participant! of the bombardment that humbled the stars and stripes and hoisted the Palmetto flag over Fort Sumpter. To us the war now seemed over, and our thoughts were of going home without military glory. A few evenings, however, after the fall of Sumpter, while the regiment was on dress parade, Cou Gkkgu made us speeoh, telling us that we came to Charleston to fight the enemy, that we had been disappointed, but there was still a chanoe for us. The enemy had invaded Virginia, and Gov. Fletcher asked South Carolina for help. Shall he call in vain ? All who are willing to go step four paces to the front. More than three-fourths of our company stepped to the front and contrasted most favorably with the other companies, which were pretty equally divided between the front and rear lines. After we returned to our oamps, a patriotic appeal was made to the company by our worthy and pjpular orderly sergeant, Cuarles. W. Boyb, in his easy flowing style and, with few exceptions, those who did not volunteer at dress parade now wheeled into line. The next day we were transferred to Charleston and took the train at the North Eastern depot for Rich nond. Ovations, feasting, patriotic speeches, love making were in order at stations, towns, and cities along the line of travel. The war spirit had est aside the etiquette or formality of an introduction, and onr company, being composed largely of young men, lore making at first sight, was to them the most interesting feature of those patriotic demonstrations. We had some young married men in the oompany, who were very much in the way of the blushing youths who had no experience in the art of courting. The former sent cupids darts direct to the hearts of the girls, while the latter thoug'it it neoessary to approach them as Grant did Riohtnond, by ciroumlooution. Many hare since learned that directness was a quicker if not the better plan. The trip from C harleston to Rlohmond was an enjoyable one, and long to be remembered. On reaohing Richm on d we were assigned quarters at the Fair Grounds. Our camps were thronged daily by the citizens of Rich mono, ?qu wo were nuuueu as uiuuu w 11 wo had swallowed Fort Sumpter, Maj. Anderson and bis men. .We did not think it necessary to dampen their admiration for us, by telling them that in taking Fort Sumpter we were sol. diers at a distance. In a few weeks our delightful stay in Riohmond ended, and we took the train for Manassas Junction. Fretty much the same scenes were enacted along the line of travel that we had witnessed in our trip to Riohmond. . We heard a great deal about Manassas as a strategic point, and imagined that it was a eity of some importance, and that we would have a delightful time there, as we had had in Riohmond. You can well imagine our disappointment when we found ourselves emptied out in a barren old field with scarcely a house in lew. Rut there was no tims for lamentations vsr the contrast bstwsen ths uninviting field of Maoassas and ths happy home that glided so. swiftly by in Riohmond. We were now living amid stirring times. Wsr elonds wsrs now gathering thicker and darker and the excitement more intense. I have no diary for refreshing my memory, but it was, perhaps, ths next dsy after we reached Manassas, that Col. Ellswobth invaded Virginia, entering the State at Alexandria, and captured a company of Virginians stationed thsre. As Kllsworth descended from the hotel with ths seoeasion flag that floated from the dome, he was shot dead by Jackson, the proprietor, who in tarn was himself shot and bayonetted to death by the federal soldiers. Such was the exeiting news, a i! a..?l asaaninn IVU I1B19V ?a|illil?Ut aiiu covap tug soldiers brought on.lho first train from Altiu* dria, whiift reports th?t the enemy were marching on Manassas were rife the lire-long day. As ft preoautlonary measure, I suppose, Col. Obroo lead his regiment after dusk two or three miles along the illrt road to Alexandria, ad blronsoed for the night on the banks of Dull Bun. None of us dreamed that night of the interest the coming events would give that insignifieant little stredm in the history of sni eanlrJ. The next day was Sunday, and as we ware marching back to camp, a woman, who had doubtless heard of the exciting rumors of the previous day, took us for yanks and prompted by the inspiration of an ardent love of country, lost no time in debating the manner of her going, but with her dress to her knees, to expedite her speed, the good woman went in all haste to make known our approach to Qen. Bonham, of 8outh Carolina, who was then in command at Mauassas. A Tennessee regiment reached Manassas during the night and, like Kemper's battery, which was already there, knew nothing of Qittiau's nocturnal visit to Bull Run. To stimulate the practice of sol. dierly promptness, as well, perhaps, as to indulge a joke, tho long roll was beat, and when we oaroe in sight those two commands were in line of battle ready to give us an inhospitable reception. We halted long enough to make ourselves known, and theu inarched to our camps under a flag of truce. Regiments were now daily coming from tho South and our regiment, being pioneer troops, was advanced to Centreville, seven miles nearer Washington. We found a company of Virginians at Centreville, and I saw uo better looking soldiers during the war. It was commanded by Captain Marr, a man of fine appearance, a graduate of the Virginia Military School, and looked every inch a soldier. When we took up quarters at Centreville, Capt. Marr moved his command to Fairfax C. II., seven miles still nearer Washington. There were no events of interest during our stay at Centreville to relieve the monotony of camp life, save an occasional false alarm, followed by beating the long roll and marching out of our camps to meet an enemy that did not come until after we returned to our Knmcu 1 rt .QntliK Pavnlina I? ?'? lL" MVM.VM >U MVU?M VVftVllUd. * ?. T? mo UVI U VIIUV IUV measles began its devastating work and filled more graves with Confederate soldiers than did the bullets of the enemy . One of our number fell a victim to [its ravages, nnd wo laid him away wih military honors in the church yard of a little Episcopal church on top of the hill. Tne next excitement grew out of the news that Capt. Thomas, of the Federal army, had dashed into the town of Fairfax, wounded Col., afterwards Gen. Ewell, and killed Capt. Marr. Capt. Thomas was a native of Virginia and afterwards commanded the Federal forces at (he battle of Franklin, Tenn cssee. The body of Capt. Marr was brought to Centrcville the morning after the fighj, and it had a depressing effect on our men. Col. Gregg sent our company that evening to Fairfax C. II., in answer to Col. Swell's call for help. He drew us up in line aud read the words he had written Col. Kwell ud Ui*y,vir(, In (SmI, U not tk? wy words,?"I have sent you a company in whose courage and steadines you can depend." We arrived after dark and found a sumptuous supsupper awaiting us at the hotel, given to the company by the citizens of the town. We slept that night in a church, and I never heard that anybody stood guard. The next morning we returned to our camps at rentreville; but in a few days Col. Gregg advanced his whole command to Fairfax C. II. We were six months volunteers, and our term of service was drawing to a close ; but it was foreign to Col. Gregg's ambition to return to South Carolina without the smell of battle, and no doubt, he believed the same spirit animated the bosom of each member of bis regiment. So, on the morning of the second day after we went into oamps at Fairfax C. II., with three days cooked rations in our haversacks, and reinforced by a section of Kemper's battery, we started for Drnnesville, where we were told the enemy had crossed the Potomac and we would there meet a foeman to try our grtt. As we were marching out of town a hen came running so dangerously near our company that Lieut. Jossrn F. Gist, with the skill of a practiced fencer, took off her head?prophetic of what became of the imaginary enemy at Dranesville. The Lieut's haversack was full of well cooked meats, and he left the hen fluttering where she fell. Dranesville was an inconsiderable little place, twenty miles north of Fairfax C. 11. Wearrived thereabout sundown, worn and jaded and no enemy with whom to measure arms. We knew nothing of the importance of husbanding our resources. Indeed, our improvidence was so groat that three days' rations were consumed or wasted in twenty-four hours. The next morningtwe fell into line to retrace our steps, hungry and dejected. I do not know that it was in the original programme to return by another route leading several miles nearer Washington and by a little station on the rail road between Alexandria and Fairfax C. II., beariog the name of Vienna, or it may have been that a fresh trail of the enemy was tho temptation that now induoed C>1. Gregg to make a call at Vienna. At any rate, we soon noticed that we were deflecting to the left of the road we came, and were told that Vienna was oar objective point, and that the yanks were there repairing the rail road. As we neared the station silence was enjoined, and wa slipped down through the pines to the station ss cautiously as the hua tsman would pursue a flock of wild turkeys. As usual, disapj pointment was the coin in which we were psid for onr trouble. The command now tur ned towapiI Aiip Atmna Kill, ppa ura Kad marflkad three hundred yards, we heard the train of the enemy and scarcely had time to double quick back to our position en top of the bill over looking the station and Gadberry's company to deploy as skirmishers to a line of woods 300 yards in front. The train was shut out from our view by woodland on our left. Boom, boom, in rapid succession from Kemper's two guns told us that the enemy bad ronnded the curve in the road, and work ef carnage begum We oould hear the command of the enemy? ' fall in?double quick. It was in the direction of ' Washington, however, and not towards us* , By some means the engine came uncoupled ' from the train, and two flats and as many coaches, with six or eight of tho killed and wounded fell into our hands. Col. Gregg could not have chosen a more advantageous position if be had had ever so much time for selecting it, and the enemy could not have approaohed us under greater disadvantages than they did, if we could havo had the ordering of it. They were exposed on open flats in front of the engine, and it is not surprising that the Washington papers reported next day 117 of them killed and wounded. It was one of the first fights of the war, and ifthe time and number of shots fired are oonsidored, it was the blooddiest battle of the war. I am quite sure that more than ten minutes did not elapse from the time we first heard the train until the filing ceased . And I am equally confident, that the firing did not exceed five minutes. We bad already marched 15 miles that day, and 7 miles were stretched out between us and our camp. We were not equal to Jackson's foot cavalry, and but for the little incident at Vienna, many of us would have given out on the road. When we reached the ciraps it was all aglow with excitement. Old mnn Loveberry Musgrove, who was left with others in eharere of the catnns. declared that he knew Col. Gregg was after them, for he could see the smoke from the cannons going up in the shape of a Palmetto tree. In a few days our time of service expired and we left for our homes. War had now become a reality, and our backs were towards the enemy, and that may have had something to do with tho marked absence of any patriotio demonstrations along the road. Our trip back to South Carolina was ar quiet as a funcrcl march to the grave. Many, many of that splendid company are numbered with the pale army of tho dead. At tho Union depot we found our friends in force to welome us back as they had done six months previous to bid us good bye. Vim. P. S. I will devote my next to the Macbeth Light Artillery. Cultivating Poor Land.?Under the oaptiou, 'No Mopey in Farming,' iu March number of The Cultivator, *J. W. O.' gives a very practical and sensible article. He insists that tho main cause of the failure of Southern farmers to make money at farming is 'tho planting of poor impoverished lands, requiring from three to six acres to make a bale of ootton, evon with the help of commercial fertilizers. As we understand the article the suggested yield of such land in cotton is simply descriptive of its quality or nrndllRtivenRM and it i* not. intondnrl fn r V . ?.V Intimate that tho coiibn alone should be oonfined to the best soils and the poorer devoted to corn and other upland crops. The idea is that such poor impoverished soils should bo thrown out altogether or sown to small grain, and is in agreement with tho oft-repeated exhortations of The Cultivator editors and correspondents during tho last forty years. J. W. O. concludes his article with the remark that he 'might writo much more upon this important subject, but a hint to the wise ought to bo suffioicnt.' But it is a sad reflection that so many farmere are not tcite. 'Lino upon line,' etc., must be the motto of the agricultural writer, if he would do the greatest good. Old truths presented in new forms of expression or under the guise of novel propositions often result in convictions and reformation at last. Tho argument has finally crystallized into the expression, 'in tent ice farminy* now so popular with agricultural writers and speakors. The articlo under discussion is simply a well-put argument for intensive farminy, which, after all, is the inevitable result of the exercise of common sense, guided by tho lights of science. No merchant would be so foolish as to buy sugar at a cost of eight cents per pound, when all chances are against realizing more than seven cents per pound when sold again. Such a man would bo oalled a fool; yet there are thou9 ands of acres of land in the South that are oultivated at a coat of, say tcu dollars per aore, whioh uniformly produce less than ten dollars in valuo of the crop. Such a practice is no wiser than swapping a dollar for ninety-five cents, and will just as inevitably lead to bankruptcy, if persisted in on a large scalo. Well, somo will say, what are wo to do ? The answer is, first, do as J. W. O. says, throw out of cultivation, every single aore that cannot be made to pay a reasonable profit on tho cost of the orop. There is no 'getting around' that proposition, and it is not too late even now to oarry it into effect. Next, dismiss and dispose of the labor and stock relieved by such contraction of area, and concentrato skill, fertilizers, quality of plant seods, etc., on the remaining land. Do it at once. If you have pirated a field or a tcn-acro cut of exhausted or very poor land, land from whioh you cannot, on a sober calculation, expect a just return for the labor that will be required to bring it to maturity, let it yo. Don't touch it, exoept possibly to sow it in field peas io May or Juno. As the good book says, 'Now is the aocopted time,' 'now is the day of salvation.' So now is the time for the farmer to do what ho knows will be best for him to do, and cease doing whit he knows will not pay him to do. Atlanta, Qa. E. J. H. AM IMPORTANT DECISION BY THE SUPREME COURT. Tta* Rights of Married Women as to Their Separate Estates Defined and SettledThe State of South Carolina, In the Supreme Court-? November Term, 1885. C. C. Habouicht, plaintiff, appellant, vs. ItawIs & Wilbalf, John Agnew, jr., and Jonnio Agnew, defendants, and Jennio Agnew, appellant. Opinion. McIver, A.J.: On tho 14th dny of January, 1883, the defotffants, Rawls & Wilbalf, niado the notes sued on payablo to the plaintiff, aud before they were delivered to hiui they were endorsed by the other two defeudaut, Jennie Agnow then aud now bciug a married womap. The notes were given in discbarge of a lien held by the plaintiff on the stock of goods belonging to llawls k Wilbalf. Mrs. Agnew had no interest in tho stock of goods and received no consideration for her endorsement. She was, therefore, practically, a mere surety for tho debt of another and the solo question raised by tho appeal is, whether she, being a married woman, was capablo of making such a contract. At common law there is no. doubt that she had no such capacity, aud therefore the inquiry is whether sbo has by statute been endowed with tho power to make such a contract. That ifco Act of 1870, incorporated iu Chap-1 ter C of the General Statutes of 1872, Page 482, Section 3, did confer upon a married woman the power to make any contract which a feme sole conld tnako, even to the extent ot becoming surety lor her husband, was settled by the cases of Pelzer, Rodgers & Co. vs. Campbell, 15 S. C. Rep., 581, and Clinkscales vs. Hall, 15 S. C. Rep., 602. But at the very next session of the General Assembly, which convened only a few days after the decisions in the cases just recited wero rendered, the law which had been thus construed in those cases was altered so as to limit the power of a married woman to contract, and tho question is as to tho extent and effect of that limitation. By'the law as it formerly stood it was dao!*^pd Uxalmarried wpmnn qha'.l have the right * * * to contract and be contiacted with in the same manner as if she wore unmarried'; but by the law as it stood at tho dato of tho alleged contract hero in question, and still stands, it is declared 'a married woman shall have the right * * * to contract and bo contracted with, as to her separate property, in the same manner as if she were unmarried'; the fi?c words italicised have been insorted as an amendment to the law as it formerly stood; so that the question raised by this apboal is narrowed down to the inquiry as to the effect of these five words. It seems to us that the most natural and tho proper construction of tho Act, as amended, is that adopted by tho Circuit Judgo : that tho contract which a married woman is thoro authorized to make ie 'as - to the separato property, must have reference to her separate property, must concern her separate property'. It will bo observed that tho qucssion is as to what contracts a married woman may make, and not as to their offect after they havo been made. If a given contraot is ono that the law authorizes a married woman to mako, then its effect is, and must necessarily bo, the same as that of a contract of a person not laboring under any disability. It is very clear that tho Legislature intended to make some alteration in the law as it formerly stood, and wo think it equally clear that the intention was to limit the power of a married woman as to tho kind of contracts which she was permitted to make, viz': to thoso in relation to her separate property: As wo have scon, prior to tho amendment, a married woman could make any kind of a contract which a person sui juris could make, and the intention un? doubtedly was to alter this, and hence her general power to contract was qualified by the words constituting tho amendment, so that while formerly she had the unlimited power tocontraot- now she can only make contracts 'as to her separate property'. We are unable to discover anything in the Act which indicates that the intention of the Legislature was simply to confine her liability on any contraot, which she might choose to make, to her separate estate, as is contended for by appellant. There is notb'ng in the Act which shows that the attention of the Legislature was directed to the kind of property which could be hold liablo for the performance of a married womii'i oootract; and, on the contrary, the language used shows that the legislative mind was direoted to the himl of contract which she was to bo permitted to make, and not to the kind of projterty whioh could be resorted to in case cf a breach of the oon~ tract. Very recently, before the law was amended, it had been determined, as we have seen, although there was no little contrariety of opinion upon the snbject, as is well known, that a married woman had the ame capacity to make any kind of contract as any other person, and the irresistible inference is that it was this the Legislature intended to alter, so as to confine tho contracting power of a married woman to a oertain class of contracts, to wit, those which were mado as to her separato estate. We are not aware that any controversy had arisen or any adjudication had been made aB to tho kind of property which could be made liable for tho breach of a mnrrinrl wnmon'o onnfronf t%v>A tkavAfAHA ? ? II vu<uu w vvuui nvvj ?UU M'IV.1 U1UI V. UV occasion bad arisen for an altoration of tbe law in that respect. Indeed, wo do not see how such a controversy could have arisen, for the old Code as well as the Code of 1882 expressly provided that damages recovered against a married womaa could only bo collected out of her separate estate. Section 298 of the old Code, which is in this respect the same as Section 29G of tho amended Code, provides that 'in an action brougnt by or agaiust a married woman, judgment may bo given against her as well for costs as for damages, or both for such costs and for such damages, in the same manner as against other persons, to be levied and collected of her separate estate, and not othcrm'sc.' And in section 310 of the old code, tho provisiou was that 'an execution may isiuo against a married woman, and it shall direct the levy and collection of tbe amount of the judgment against her from her separate estate, and not otherwise'; and the same provision is found in Section 307 of the present Code. So that it is very clear that the construction contended for by the appellant, to wit, that the amendment now under consideration was simply designod j to limit the liability of a married woman on her contracts to her separate estate cannot be the correct one, for such a construction would make the amendment in quostion wholly unnecessary, as that was the law before. We aro therefore of opinion that the object of the amendment was not to indicate the kind of property which could bo made liable for the breach of a married woman's contract, but to limit her right to coutract, so that she could only vmake suoh contracts as, at the time they were made, related to or concerned bar separate property. Ilcncc, before a married woman can be made liable for the breach of a contract alleged to havo been made by her, it must bo made to appear, either from f Vt A inlinmnf nef lien aT fV*A AAn a* wise, that the contract was made in relation to or concerned her separate property. Even if she declares in express terms her intention to bind her separate estate, thai alone will not he sufficient to render the contract valid, for the question is as to her poxcer, which is to bo determined by the nature of the contract itself, and not as tc her intention to bind her separate property If, therefore, a wife should sign a note as security for her husband, or, indeed, for any f&er person, and should declare in the notOjih express term9, her intention1 to bine her separate estate, that would not make the contract valid as to her, unless it was made to appear that the contract, though executed by her as surety, wa9 designed te benefit tier separato property, or in some other way related to or concerned such property! We have not deemed it necessary to go into a consideration of the very numerous cases elsewhere upon questions similar to the one now beforo ua ; for while the statutes of the various States aro somewhat like our own, yet they differ, sometimos very materially, in their phraseology, and in the very great conflict of authority abroad we havo thought it more likely that we would reach a correct solutoin of the question by confining our attention to the terms of our own statutes, viewed in the light of our owb past legislation nod adjudications. The judgment of the Circuit Court is firmed; I concur. W. D. Simpson, C. J. McGowan, A. J.: I concur iu tho result As the purpoeo of the Act manifestly wai to confer upon a married woman poweri beyond what she possessed before, I sanoo suppose that Ly the insertion of the wordi 'as to her separate estate', it was intended t< defeat that object entirely as to contracts The same Act, in conformity to tho Constitution, confers tho powers 'to bequeath devise and convey her separate estate in the same manner and to tha same ex tent as if sho wers unmarried,and in order< to harmonise tho different provisions, I in cline to think that the intention of thi amendment was to limit the power of a mar ried woman to *uch contract* a* expret* ai intention to bind her teparatc property? suoh aa are made with express reference U ?that is to say, 'as to her separate property'. Filed Macoh 25, 1886. HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. Sweet Potatoes.?'Little,' of Reltcn, Tex , tells the Housekeeper her plan fir cookiugswoet potatoes : Wash them, placo in the pan, pouring a little hot water ovtr them, set in the oven and bake, turning them so as to brown evenly ; pour in uioie water as uccdcd; let tho pau bo about diy when they got done; place on a dish aud serve. Or, halve them, (if very large, quarter them), first peeling, aud bake iu a a pan with roast beef or lrcsh pork, basting theui oftou with the drippings. Tiny will be found very nice. Rice Cake.?Take cream, one cupful of butter and gradually beat iuto it two oupfuls of sugar aud the juice aud liud of one lemon. Add six eggs, the whites and yolks beaten separately, and two aud a quarter cupfuls vt rice flour. Turn it nbout two inches deep into a shallow pau and bake from half to three-quarters of au hour in a moderate oven. Pnnn i viit Dirnnivn lLtaf n*-v n-a vyuwan u i x vjt.?? i^vai ujl/ htu eggs with a unpi'ul of new milk, add a quarter ofu pound of grated cocoauut, mix three tablespoonfuls of grated bread and tho same of powdered sugar, two ounces of melted butter, five ounces of raisins and a tcaspoonful of grated lemon peel with it ; beat the whole well and bake in a buttered dish in a slow oven. Sprinkle powdered tugar over it. Warn Kit's Douciunuts. ? Make a sponge of two potatoes, boiied, mashed and straiucd ; one piut swoet milk, ono teaspoonful salt, half cake 'Warner's Safe Yeast,' which has been allowed to soften in a little tepid water. When light, mix; allow to rise again, and pu.-h down as for bread. When light the third time, work into the dough the following; two cups sugar, three eggs, two thirds cup of bultor and a saltspoonful of cinamou. If necessary, add a little soda- lloll three quarters iuch thick, cut iuto tho desired form, let rise, and fry in hot lard, or what is much better, well clarified beef drippings. Delaware Biscuits.?Take ten coffee cups even full of sifted flour, one tablespoon even full of salt and one coffee cup even full of good cold lard ; mix them together thoroughly, or rather rub them well together with the hands. Then one coffco ' cup and a scant half cup of tho coldest water you can conveniently command will about make it a stiff dough enough, (it is . much belter stiff )and then pound and beat it with a rolling pin until it blisters and becomes soft enough to make out iu . small biscuits. Pick them slightly with a ; fork, and in a quick oven they will bake i nicely from fifteen to twenty minutes. They can be bakod in tin pie platos, which , should be turned around occasionally to in , sure an even bake. Little Black Pea.?I want five bush 1 els of the little black Geld pea, the kind not much larger than a largo okra seed and ' as hard as a buck shot, will lio in the ground ' all fall and winter without rotting or sprout1 ing, is cxcelleut for sowing or planting with ! oats, as the pea will either lie dormant or barely start to grow when oats have been * cut, and then will grow rapidly and spread 1 all over the oat stubble. Cau you get me i this good old-fashioucd fertilizer ??G. A. Crooui, The above was sent to Messrs. Mark W. i Johnson & Co. with tbo request that if they , could not supply the peas that it bo turned , over to us. Wo havo no knowledgo of the , pea in question, but our attention was rci con'ly called to a similar variety by n gen. tleman in Louisiana, who, under dato of September 7, 1885, writes as follows: 'I have a pea that grows wild and may justly bo called the poor land's friend. This year they have come up Dearly all over the place > (GOO acres) broadcast. Once planted they are practically indestructible. After the poas dry it only takes two or three dews to rot the pod and the peas shatter and aro 1 deposited till the next aeason. An aged gentleman four miles from hero says his land is as good, if not better to day than u was wnen cicarou, all dun to this wild pea. It is black in color, and being very } hard is not suited for table purposes.' Wo take this pea to bo the same referred to in ' tho letter above. From specimen sent us t we know it is small, black and very hard, s We will not give the gentleman's address j because it will probably deluge him with letters ; as he will probably see this, bo can advertise the pea if he sees proper to do so, " or has any of them for sale.? Southern i Cultivator. Hams Put up in AsiiK.s.-Can you toll ' me what will extract the lya taste from my * hams that have been in ashes? 1 have - fifteen or twenty old hams now in ashes e and they are so strong that the family will ? not oat them. * C. II. MoU. t Answer.? We have nothing better to saggeat than the usual praotice of thoroughly scraping and washing. If tho potJ ash has gaoe deep into the meat, it uiay . possibly be extracted, in part at least, by soaking the meat in water for a day or twn before cooking. Change the water several times.-? Cultivator.