and, much of the time, seven or eight persons. This (remarks the editor of the agricultural journal from which we derive the facts) would probably raise the quantity to between one hundred and ninety and two hundred pounds. There was no extra feed, besides grass and hay, except one hundred and fifty pumpkins in the fall.

In the making of cheese, it is said, that if the curd is not scalded, the aromatic oil, which rises to the top, and runs off in the whey, is retained; but also the cream might thus pass off. The cheeses should be kept in the press for some days, occasionally turning them, till the linen wrapper is no longer moist; when rubbed, it may be with hog's lard instead of whey butter.

The experiments in the preparation of corn meal, &c., by kiln drying, have been completely successful. Mr. Gill, whose letters were given in the last report, informs us that he manufactured it both of flour and meal, and held it in the South for the summer and fall markets, and that every barrel remained as good and sweet as when made. The flour was sold at $5 to $6 per barrel; the corn meal at $3. His agents at New Orleans wrote him, on returning the account of sales, congratulating him on his bright prospects for the next year; assuring him that in both, but especially in the latter, he had established his reputation beyond any thing he could imagine; and they did not care how much he sent them, as they could sell it both for city consumption and shipping purposes. No injury was experienced, even in the samples first sent the previous year; and the opinion is confidently expressed, that it would continue so for years. A half barrel of the flour made in 1843 will probably be received at the Patent Office, to remain for exhibition some two or three years. Some of the meal, two years old, remains as good as when first put up, as may be seen by a sample at the Patent Office.

PREPARATION OF SOIL, SEED, &c.

In a glutted market, and, consequently, a poor demand of any great staple, there is a necessity for a change of crops; and, lest a common selection, by many, of the same crop should not lessen the evil, it will be advisable to diversify the crop, so as to raise, as far as practicable, all that is consumed on the farm. On this selection and diversity of crops, much, very much, depends. Until lately, cotton planters have purchased all provisions and clothing, and raised nothing but cotton. This course has been partially changed, and will be more so without delay. At the present low prices of cotton, with no improvement in market, it is evident that an exchange crop of this article, especially if competition continues, must fail to remunerate the planter.

While, however, the selection of new crops is recommended, great care must be taken that no crops are attempted but such as are suited to the soil. If the soil will not admit of a change to the desired crop, it must not be attempted. If possible, the soil should be examined; and this is easily done by analyzing the same, and finding the component parts. It would be useless to attempt raising wheat on sand, or Indian corn on clay. Land that is cold or wet may produce grass, but will not produce grain without draining. It is impossible to lay down any positive rules, while we judge only from the appearance of the soil; since some rich soils contain too much acidity, and land that might not exhibit to the eye any. lime might contain, in some chemical solution, enough for wheat. So of humus: this may be estimated more accurately by the eye; still, an analysis is better.

The eminent Thaer very justly lays down the proposition, that, in exact

proportion to the amount of acidity, is the decrease in the value of the soil and this goes on from bad to worse, till the soil is no better than what we commonly call marshy land. Some extracts from his Principles of Agriculture (a work hardly known in this country, but which is a standard one in Europe) will be found in appendix No. 23. These imbody some of his valuable remarks on soils, and means of correcting their defects, &c., and, we doubt not, will be found very useful to the agriculturists who may read them. The attention of the public has recently been directed to the question as to the quantity of seed which should be employed, and the best method of sowing it. An interesting paper on this subject, taken from a foreign journal, on the injury and waste of sowing corn or grain too thickly, may be found in appendix No. 24. Mr. Hewett Davis has there furnished some valuable hints, which deserve consideration, as he plainly shows that much seed may be saved-amounting, as he calculates, for Great Britain, to an annual saving of 1,328,507 quarters, or 10,628,056 bushels; or 73,774 quarters more than the annual average of foreign importation of grain for the last 14 years. His essay on the subject is evidently the production of not only a practical man, but a sound judge of agricultural subjects.

Some mention was made, in the report for 1843, of modes of raising crops by a new process of applying the means of fertility directly to the seed itself, in form of steeps. As this has become a matter of deeper interest, in consequence of the theory being apparently admitted by eminent scientific writers, we have subjoined at this time, in appendix No. 25, several interesting papers, which we have taken from various sources, and which throw much light on the history of the discovery, and methods adopted for the purpose. They will be read, we believe, with much interest, by those who have not before seen them.

We have given, in appendix No. 26, a statement relative to the time of the vegetation of seeds, which, allowing for the difference of location, and thus of climate, may prove useful in conducting experiments and carrying on observations in relation to some of the fruits of the earth.

Other steeps are also mentioned in the agricultural and public journals, which are more or less commended. Among these are Hauterive's chemical, said to have been tried successfully. It is stated that he received the gold medal and the sum of 3,000 francs of the Society of Encouragement, &c., at Paris, for this preparation, after a report to the society made in the year 1843, by a committee composed of four chemists and four agriculturists, who tested the process for three consecutive years. It is said to be sold at Baltimore, by F. W. Sweeny, for $3 per half-barrel of sixteen or eighteen gallons, with full printed directions how to use it.

Besides the preparation of seeds, various expedients have been resorted to, to promote the fruitfulness of crops, either directly acting on the plant or on the soil. Some of the most curious results thus produced are those which are recorded as having taken place on the application of electricity or galvanism. Although, in the present stage of this means, it does not admit of any extensive use, yet it is not impossible that valuable conclusions may be drawn respecting the theory of vegetation, and hereafter something more practical may be realized. The account of these experiments (one by Dr. Foster, the other by William Ross, Esq.) may be found in appendix No. 27.

The choice of seed is a subject which deserves much attention. Crops may be rendered more sure and productive, and also often earlier, by a careful selection of seed at the proper time. A practical agriculturist, fo

three successive years, planted seed corn taken from within an inch of the butt-end of the ear; and the result is said to have been, that he obtained a good crop some two or three weeks earlier. It is well known, also, that beans and cucumbers, &c., taken from the lower part of the vines, are best for seed.

The importance of subsoil or deep ploughing is not sufficiently realized. It is well known that beneath the upper soil lies yet another, composed of different chemical elements, and in various combinations. It may often be, therefore, that, by bringing up the sub-soil, the very constituents which are deficient in the upper may thus be supplied, or the excess in that may be neutralized by this. The roots of plants extend to great depth. Clover is a familiar instance. The fine roots of this plant may not unfrequently be found in abundance two and three feet, or more, below the surface; and hence the great advantage of this crop to the ground itself. In a late English agricultural paper, a writer says: "In forming a kitchen garden, I had occasion to trench a wheat field, and found that the soil was matted with fibres to the depth of about four feet six inches; but stronger roots extended below that depth, and were traced from five feet to five feet six inches." This applies also with great force to those vegetables which have long tap roots. Instances are recorded of the carrot being raised eighteen, twenty, twenty-four, and even thirty inches long; and were the finely tapering root traced down its whole extent, it would often, doubtless, be found to reach far deeper. It is obvious, therefore, that if the ground be loosened deep, the roots have free play, and the plant will thrive much better. The secret seems to be, to turn up the subsoil; and the deeper the ground is ploughed, the more probable the success. Corn should be planted somewhat deep, and covered light, as, in this manner, the action of the atmosphere may be more easily secured, Numerous examples of experiments proving this might be cited, were they needed. It is probable that the deep planting, as well as deep covering of seeds, has often impeded their growth.

The following is a valuable statement respecting raising of grass, which is taken from an agricultural journal, where it is attributed to an old experienced practical farmer:

"I will take an old piece of herdsgrass, that at present yields less than half a ton of hay per acre; and at the end of five years, without breaking up, fresh seeding, or manuring in any way whatever, I will raise the crop to two and a half tons per acre; and this I will do by merely permitting the crop to stand until the seed will just vegetate before cutting. By mowing the crop sooner than that, the roots bleed and die out; and that is the reason why a second crop does not spring for a long time after. I once purchased a fifth part of the crop of timothy on one of the islands in the Delaware, with the intention of cutting my lot at the time the other four purchasers did theirs; but I was called from home, and it was not done until the seeds would vegetate. I thought my hay was spoiled, but it was preferred to that of all others for horse feed; and, behold, the next year, my lot of land yielded double the crop of the others; and, at the end of five years, it had increased to two and a half tons per acre, having overgrown all other grasses-a uniform crop five feet in height, and preferred before all others at the market. Since that, I have never cut timothy until the seeds will just vegetate; and I would take a poor field that shows only a few spears of timothy growing in it, and, by these simple means, engage in five years to cut two and a half tons per acre of superior hay, provided the land be suitable to the growth of the crop."

abundant yield of sugar, they are not by any means flattering in this canegrowing region. In this parish, the crop on the Teché, which is most important, is unusually poor, owing to the rains which prevailed throughout the months of June and July, and interrupted cultivation. The crop on the Bayou Sale, Berwick's bay, and Bayou Bœuf, we understand, is good; and so is the crop in Lafourche. The danger of frost and other vicissitudes renders it altogether impossible to judge at this season as to the probable product.""

Again :

"Louisiana sugar crop.-A letter from New October, says: The crop of sugar is coming in. it will reach 180,000 to 200,000 hogsheads.""

Orleans, dated the 29th of
The calculation is, that

The calculation just given is probably too large an estimate. We take as our estimate the following calculation, made by Mr. Degelos; and we think that, notwithstanding recent losses, we may allow one-third of the gain on the crop of the previous year to 1844.

We reckon a hogshead as weighing about 1,200 pounds.

The Planters' Banner of August 3, 1844, says: "Mr. A. Degelos, a commission merchant in New Orleans, has published a statement of sugar made in Louisiana last season, giving the names of the planters in the various parishes. There are numerous errors, but, on the whole, it is about as correct as could be expected. There are six or seven planters set down in St. Mary, who do not belong to this parish; and there are several omitted, who made collectively about 600 hogsheads last year. We give the following recapitulation of the quantity of sugar made in Louisiana in 1843 and 1844. It will be seen that St. Mary stands at the head of the list.

A letter from New Orleans of a later date, published in the National Intelligencer, says: "Our sugar planters have suffered considerably by the

severe frosts within a few days. Fortunately, they began grinding this season very early, so that a larger portion than usual of the crop has been secured; but still the loss is estimated at from 10,000 to 15,000 hogsheads. Notwithstanding this, however, the crop will not be less than 150,000 hogsheads, and many estimate it at 180,000. The price is very low; prime quality from 4 to 44 cents, and from that down to 3 cents, according to quality."

In the American Agriculturist for December, 1844, we have the following account of an improved method of making sugar by an hydraulic press, which is said to possess some important advantages:

"Improvements in sugar making. We find in some of the late numbers of Simmons's Colonial Magazine, that a patent has been taken out for the application of hydraulic pressure in extracting the juice from the cane. Two presses, each capable of bearing a strain of 1,400 tons, are worked alternately by one set of pumps, which pumps may be worked either by manual labor, by means of double-ended lever handles, or, where manual labor is scarce, by two mules, or a small steam engine of twohorse power. These presses are calculated to turn about 6,000 gallons of cane juice per day of ten hours, which is more than can be effected by a roller mill, even when driven by a steam engine of twelve or fourteenhorse power.

5.

"The advantages of this system of hydraulic pressure are stated to be1. The juice in the cane (generally 18 per cent. by, weight of saccharine matter) can be wholly extracted; thereby saving about 8 parts now left in the megass. 2. The juice can be rapidly filtered when cold, as discharged from the mill or hydraulic press, if by the latter it should be needful. 3. The tempering can be effected properly and uniformly. 4. The juice can be defecated promptly as it runs from the mill, hydraulic press, or filter; thereby avoiding the deteriorating effects produced by remaining in receivers. The cleansing and evaporating of the defecated liquor (rendered purer by previous operations) can be effected in steam pans, without discharging from one into the other. 6. The evaporated sirup may be decolored and filtered through animal charcoal, which can be revivified on the estate. 7. The final concentration of the sirup can be more rapidly accomplished than by the present mode, in an open pan or trench, at the low temperature of 170° to 180° Fahrenheit, or at about 80° to 100° below the usual temperature of the strike when boiled by the common method. s. The concentrated mass can be properly crystallized and effectually cured, and the potting avoided, by the use of vessels into which the strikes are discharged consecutively; and the sugar so cured will not drain during the voyage. 9. The molasses can be converted into sugar nearly equal to that of the first production; and sugar can also be made of as good quality, in all respects, as muscovado (and by this peculiar method only) from the molasses that drains from the sugar of the second quality. 10. The megass may be used for manure, if the various operations are performed by the agency of steam. 11. The machinery, apparatus, &c., are simple in their construction and management, and much less costly than others."

In appendix No. 14 will also be found a letter from Mr. Rielleux, of New Orleans, respecting his method of manufacturing sugar, to which allusion was made in a previous report.

Maple sugar still continues to be manufactured in large quantities in many of the States; and the probability is, that it forms a considerable