Whole JSo.
Kn In v tl rt tt
f j o 7 - ' s i ij uui i ft i y i obU
Vol. XII Xo. it.
mj .... - - - , ...
BY' GKOROR HOWARD,
u publish 'Wy. Tic o DUar, ,
T',rn Dollar, ih xpiration ofthe
'Icription vrar. For any " period less
; a ;Par, Tteenly-Jite Cent per month
slrriberi are hI l.b. rl.v .liscontim.e at
v (ime. on ci'"? ",,c 'hereof and
im" arrears Jhose reKliiig at a .lis
Lice must invariably pay in advance, or
riff a responsible reference i thisv-nnit v.
"jHvtrtiseim'nts, nnl exr'-edincr lin s,
jl t,e inserted at fH con's ": first inser
' ,-..--, rpnls eacb onntiniiance. Long
L o ies at that rate for every 1( hns.
Advertisements must be marked the ntnn
tJrol insertions required, or they wiH be
r'oiiiii'ueJ wai'ii otherwise ordered, and
tlmrfeil accordingly,
frters ailtlressed t the KdiMr hM lie
, p:)iJ, or they may not be attended to.
q3isccllancous
HAPPINESS.
Happiness is never found
In the world's pay, heartless round;
It must rest upon the bed
Where contentment first was bnd;
Where the heart with virtue glows
Where the soul no trouble knows
Where the mind is pure and sound
There's where happiness is found.
Happiness is never found
In the world's gay, heartless round.
Fashion mocks her in her face
Tells her she's without a grace;
Custom gets into a passion
Tells her she is out of fashion,
And the world does echo this.
Though they're seeking happiness.
Where the mind is pure a;id sound,
There's where happiness is found?
Search not at the palace gate
Happiness don't live in state.
You will find her cast her lot
In the shepherd's lowly cot
On contentment's cheerful ground,
There's where happiness is fcund.
THE COTTON CROP.
southwest by a Yan
Ue.The following valuable
paper upon the Cultivation of
Cotton, is from the pen of Dr. J.
W.Monett, of Mississippi, alrea
dy well known to the Medical
world by his Treatise, published
at the North, ffpon the prevailing
epidemics of this climate.
"Having finished or relinquish
fclthe miscellaneous business of
'inter, such as clearing building,
ditching, and splitting rails, the
hands are actively, employed in
making preparation for another
vrnn TM. C . i
i "p. meiirsi imng to oe at
1 tended lo. is the rpnr,irinrr nfall
the fences, with the light force,
such as boys and women; while
"ie strong hands are employed in
cll(,Ppmg, and log-rolling in the
nw grounds. These operations
are commenced generally about
ne middle of February, and con
ned iwo or three weeks, unless
l"e farm is mostly new; in which
case the clearing of the new
pound continues four or five
eeksuntil it is time to plant corn,
neral from the first to the twen
!eli of March. During all this
lme several ploughs, in a well
Ped place, are kept constantly
nmng (uness prevented by
ain.) m "listing up" corn and
lb0ln ground. The distance
,eteen the ridcres for rntmn v-
j according to the strength of
. ' ad the consequent size
r? Jch the plant grows. In the
lh b.ottorns the distance between
middle or tops of the ridges
irom five to seven feet;
16 " we thin upland soil, a
ace of Hlree or four feet
ffe tiiSiSSSL
Jy sufficient. In the latter
bfU COUon p!anl atlains ll,c
b 8 of three or four feet, and
'nei laterally about half that
ilia h Bul lhe rich a,,uvi"
j0 the stalk not unfrequent-
' v!l0ots p to six and eight feet,
and branches so as to interlk
with the other rows six or eight
feet apart.
Early. in April, and sometimes
even in the last days of March,
the cotton planting commences.
To open the ridges, a narrow
plough is run by one horse along
the middle of the ridge, so as to
open a narrow shallow furrow, in
lhe mellow ground first ploughed.
Immediately behind the opening
plough, follows the sower, with
his sack of cotton -seed suspended
from his neck, walking at the same
pace with the plough-man before.
At every step or two he throws
the seed &o as to strew it four or
five feet ahead in the furrow, at
each das of the hand. The
quantity sown is often unnecessa
rily large, being frequently twen
ty times more numerous than the
stalks permitted to remain grow
ing. This profusion of seed is
sown for the purpose "of obtaining
a "good stand' after allow ing for
defective seeds as well as some
which may not be covered, and
others that may be covered, too
deep, and also for many plants
that may sicken and die after they
have vegetated and come above
the ground. This latter circum
stances frequently occurs: a stand
may be amply sufficient when first
tip, but from drought, excessive
rain, or chilling winds, one half
in the rows, and sometimes whole
acres together, die with the rust,
"sore skin,"' or "yellow fever."
After the sower another hand
follows closely with a light horse
harrow, drawn over the furrow,
for the purpose of covering the
seed. This throws in the loose
earth over the seed, and covers
them so lightly that often one
third of them are still visible,
yet this covering is sufficient, for
no seeds repuire less covering
than cotton seed. They will
sprout and take root, when left on
the surface of the ground, if a
slight shower follows.
On a large plantation where
there are, say, fifty effective
hands, there will probably be
three or four sets of hands engag
ed at the same time in planting;
each set, however, not in any way
interfering with the other; but all
pushing on with a constant brisk
motion. As a premium task, each
set, of three hands, will very easi
ly plant ten acres, but oftener fif
teen in old well broken laud. Dur
ing the planting season, or be
tween the first cf April and the
middle of May, there are always
from one to three wet or rainy
spells, continuing from one to
(our days each, so that the plant
ing is necessarily interrupted.
This, however, is an advantage
which none complain of, as it fa
cilitates and expedites lhe vegeta
tion of the seed already planted;
while it causes the several por
tions of the crop to vary eight or
ten days in age, and thereby ren
ders the working more conve
nient. Twenty planting days are
sufficient to put in the whole cot
ton crop, or at least as much as
can be properly tended and secur
ed. On the rich bottom lands,
when the growth of the cotton is
very luxuriant, it is desirable to
finish planting always before the
first of May; but in the hills, espe
cially where the soil is thin, and
the cotton plant attains, but a
small comparative size, it is pre
ferable to plant between the fif
teenth of April and the tweimein
ofMav. Cotton thus planted in
thin soil, will mature and open as
soon as that which has been plant
ed three weeks sooner in bottom
lands.
When the earth is moist and
wafm. cotton seed will sprout, and
be up in about five or six days;
out ii tne sou oe ury u
longer or until there is rain suf
ficient to saturate the loose earth:
for the seed, being covered with
a thick coat of coarse wool, is not
so readily as some other seeds,
acted upon by slight moisture. As
lhe plant first comes out of the
ground, it has somewhat the ap
pearance ofayouug bean, or the
okra plant, being composed at
first of two lobate leaf-lets, which
continue, gradually enlarging, un
til about the end of the first week,
when a leaf or two begins to put
out between the lobules. The
young cotton-plant is extremely
tender, and sensible to the most
moderate degrees of cold: the
slightest frost cuts it off while it
withers and dies from the effects of
a few hours of chilling winds.
From the profusion of seed
planted, the cotton-plant of course
comes up very thick and crowded
in the rows: in which condition it
is allowed to remain a week or ten
days, and often of necessity much
longer, when it is thinned out, or
as it is called, "scraped." Dur
ing the scraping time there is one
constant .rush, and every hand
that can use a hoe is brought into
the field. The process of scrap
ing commences by running a light
furrow close on each side of the
row of young cotton, it!i the
share of the plough next it, so as
to throw the dirt from the cotton
and trim off the scattering plants:
the space left unbroken betw een
these two furrbws is about eight or
ten inches wide, ready for the
hoes. If there are many hoe
hands there are 'several ploughs
"barring olf," as it is called The
hoe hands follow close upon tile
ploughs, each hand upon a sepa
rate row, aud with hoes sharp,
and set particularly for "scrap
ing." Experienced cotton hands
run over the rows with great ra
pidity, and evince great dexterity
in striking out all to a single staik,
which is left at the distance, from
its next neighbor, at least the
width of the hoe; and in bottom
land, at double that distance.
Thus, in thin land, the stalks are
desired lo be ten or twelve inches
apart, and in the rich lands about
eighteen or twenty inches in the
row. The cotton-plant thus thin
ned out, continues, to grow slowlj
until the hot w eather of June sets
in, when it begins to grow rapid
ly, putting out a blossom at each
new joint formed on the branches;
This successive florescence con
tinues until frost puts a SiOp lo the
growth of the plant, w hich is gen
erally in October. The pericarp
or ball of cotton, from the first
bloom, is generally matured in
eight or ten weeks; when it begins
to crack at the four seams in the
bolls, until the four valves spread
wide open, remaining attached on
ly at the base or extremity next the
stem. When the valves are thus
open, the cotton with the seed, to
which k adheres in a kind of clus
ter, hangs down from one to four
inches. From June until Octo-a
ber, the cotton -exhibits a succes
sive and continued florescence,
while the plant is loading itself
with green bolls, from the size of
a young peach, having just drop
ped its blossom, to that of a small
hen's egg. About the last of Au
gust the matured bolls begin to
burst or open "their valves and sus
pend their cotton; and from that
time the plant exhibits at the same
time, blossoms, and bolls of every
size, and every stage of maturity.
Towards fall, when the heat of the
sun is constant and intense, the
bolls will mature and open in six
weeks from the blossom.
After the first "scraping out"
the cultivation is carried on much
in the same manner as in the cul
tivation of corn, until about the
first of'August, when it ceases, and
the crop is laid by.t Tie same
kind of cultivation that would
made good corn would make good
cotton. In this, however, there is
a difference of opinion: some will
hill, or heap the earth up in high
ridges with both corn and cotton,
while others will keep the soil
loose and level about both; the
latter is decidedly the proper
mode for either. -
As the ploughing generally cea
ses and the crop is "laid by" "a
bout the last of July, when the
plant is large and brittle, there is
but little done in the field during
the first three weeks in August,
except that a few light hands are
kept employed in cutting, or pull
ing up the "tie-vines" which are
sometimes very troublesome; the
tie-vine is nothing more or less
than the morning glory, so care
fully cultivated in griJens at the
north, for the purpose of shading
arbours and summer houses.
Towards the last of August, or
as soon as there is sufficient open
cotton for a hand to pick fifteen
or twenty pounds during the day,
the light force, consisting of wo
men and children, is put to pick
ing for a week or ten days, when
there being sufficient cotton open
ed, to make a full day's work all
hands are engaged without excep
tion. Then begins another push,
which continues until the whole
crop is gathered and housed.
During "picking time" which con
tinues where full crops are made
until the first of December, arid in
river lands until the first o( Janua
ry, the hands are regularly roused,
bv a large bell or horn, about the
first dawn of day, or earlier, so
that they are ready to enter the
field as soon as there is sufficient
light to distinguish the bolls. As
the dews arextremely heavy and
cooi, each hand is provided with
a blanket coat or wrapper; which
is kept close around htm until the
dew is partially evaporated by the
un. Without this protection
they would be completely wet
'rom head to feet in a very short
time: and so they would be in the
field at least two hours before the
sun's rays would be felt, they
would be perfectly chilled, if no
worse consequence attended. The
hands remain in the field until it
is too dark to distinguished the
cutton, having brought their
neals with ihera. For the pur-p-,se
of collecting the cotton, each
lur.d is furnished with a large
basket and two coarse cotton bag.
bout the size of a pillow case,
with a strong strap to suspend
them frm the neck or shoulders.
The basket is left at theei.d of the
row, and both bags taken along:
when one bag is as full as it can
well be crammed, it is laid down
in the row, and the hand begins
to fill the second in the same way.
As soon as the second is full, be
returns to the basket, taking the
other bag as he passes it, and
empties both into the basket, trea
ding it down "well, lo make it
contain his whole day's work.
The same process is repeated un
til night; when the basket is taken
upon his head and carried to the
scaffold yard to be weighed.
Heart rending circumstance.
We relate the following as we
heard it: On Thursday night last,
three or four children, brothers
and sisters, were frozen to death
in this city. It seems that the
mother had exerted herself during
the day to obtain a little wood,
that having failed entirely to get
any, her children and herself being
in a suffering condition, she went
out about 10 o'clock at night and
attempted to take a board or
something from a fence; in doing
which she was taken by the watch
man, who, in spite of her repre
sentations of the situation of her
children, took her to the watch
house. Here she again told the
captain of the watch her situation,
and how she had left her children,
and begged, in the most earnest
and piteous manner to be released,
or that some one might go with
her and see that she had not told
an untruth. The captain, howe
ver, was as cold and heedless of
her entreaties as a pillar of ice,
and as the shortest way to dispose
of her, locked her up. In the
morning, she was permitted to go
home in company with a watch
man, when lo! the sufferings of the
little ones (one of them only three
weeks old,) were at an end lock
ed in each others' arms they were
cold and stiff death had come to
their relief. Try; feelings of the
mother can be better conceived
than described. The brutal
watchmen were too callous to feel
a mental pang; all they cared for
was their locked up fee. What
has been done with them we
know not, but hanging would be
loo mild a punishment for them.
We hope the above may not be
true, but we fear that it is entirely
so. Philadelphia Herald.
Inhuman desertion of an In'
yhw...About 7 o'clock last Friday
evening, the attention of a clerk
in' a store of Mr. Michael Trem
pore, No. 439 Grand street, was
called by a customer to a bundle
in the snow between the stoops of
the store and private doors of the
house, and on raising it from the
ground and placing it on the
counter, the clerk found the par
cel to consist of a lautiful newly
born female infant, without a par
ticle of clothing on it, and the
wrapper an old bed quilt, on a
corner of which the letters M. F.
were with some difficulty discov
ered. The little stranger was
hospitably received by Mr. and
Mrs. Trempore who clad it hand
somely with clothing belonging
to their own little ones, and on
Saturday evening they brought it
down to the Commissioners of the
Alms House, who gave it the
name of Lavina Snow, and placed
the little foundling in the charge
of a nurse. TV. Y. Sun.
fjyrhe Liverpool Correspon
dent, of the N. Y.Star says: The
joint stock speculations of 1835
have been quite as mad, compara
tively speaking, as those of 1825,
which eventuated in the panic. I
shall briefly tell you what they
are. The new companies brought
forward, last year, in England,
represent a capjtal of 4S,000,000
sterling, or 240,000,000 of dol
lars! Very many of these will not
be paid up. The joint stock com
panies, in mines, are forty-one,
representing a capital of Sl5,000,
000. - The lowest capital was that
of Cam Gray, a tin mine, $12,
500 the highest was Teria Pu
tina (Gold) being 2,500,000.
There were thirty five railway
companies about a third of whom
"will live. These represented a
capital of Si 70,000,000. The
highest was the Grand Norte ern
Hail way, $20,000,000. "There
were four between Biagton and
London one between Calcutta
and Sangor two through the
north ol England one between
Windsor and London one 'Na
tional Pneumatic" one through
the Eastern Counties, another
through the Western, and one
"Grand Atlantic Railway." The
miscellaneous joint stock compa
nies were forty-three, the capitals
forming a total of 8100,000,000.
One was '"The British and Amer
ican Steam Navigation Co."
another "Pennsylvania' Coal,
Land, and Timber Co."
The actual extent of railways
now in operation in England is a
mere trifle. Take all of it "every
lineand there will be little more
than an aggregate of 100 miles!
The London Athenaeum (which
is growing duller and duller each
week) promises a map of "all the
railways in actual operation all
that acts of Parliament have sanc
tioned, and are now in progress,
and all the new lines for which
application will be made to Par
liament this session.
Roosevelt's Torpedo, for checlc-
hlif UCfiiilpnlnl oo V fir;
This invention, of which the city
Brooklyn thinks so much, ap
pears from all accounts to be tru
ly valuable. It may be laker,
with perfect security, into a build
ing on fire' in . iO upper stories
and exploded without danger, and
thus two good buildings with
their stocks of goods may be sav
ed, whenever there is any danger
of an extensive conflagration fionV
hih winds or want of water. : ;
The invention is said to be per
fectly simple: but it is the more
valuable on thisT account, as lhe
simplier and more economical the
means by which we securer great
results, the more ingenious the
invention or appliction. ' . " .
N. Y. Star.
Marvellous. Mr. - Ebenezer
Cole cf Chestetfieldi M ass. a
married man, went to bed the
other night, according to th:
Hampshire Gazette, wiih a fine
bead of hair, a splendid pair of
whiskers, &e. and next morning
waked up and found himself per-'
fectly bald. Various causes have
been assigned for" this phenome
non by certain oldbachelors - of
the lown. ;; --,,"'
Horrid Murder. We are in
formed that a Negro Woman be
longing to Mr. J. Murphey, a few
days since, murdered in a most
shocking manner; a little boy, son
ol JNlr. John Shields, who lives
in Halifax County, Va. 5 miles .
from this place. The circum
stances, as near as we can collect
them are as follows: Mr. Shields
is the Overseer of Mr. Murphey
and resides on his land, and whilst
his wife and himself were absent
from iheir house leaving their lit
tie son about nine years old at
home, the negro woman stole sev- '
eral articles, and the boy threaten
ing to tell on her, she knocked
him down with an axe and sup
posing.she had killed him. threw
his body -on the fire and went out
of the. house. The child coming
too was enabled to extricate him-,
self from the fire, though dread
fully burnt. His cries brought
assistance, and he lived several
hours, during which time he re
lated the citcumstancesatlendin
the murder. The negro woman'
has been arrested and will be tried
by a special Court, and we trust
speedily meet with the punishr
menl due for the horrid deed sho
has commitledv Milton Spec.
Canada. Agitation has again
commenced in Canada more serj
ously than ever. Lord Gosford,
the governor has disbanded, by
proclamation, a newly organised
military company. Meetings
have been held, and a general con
gress is proprosed. Things look,
squally in the British provinces.
Niles' Register. "
Libellous Publications... Reso
lutions and a bill 'were brought
forward in the Legislature of
Rhode Island a few dave smr
declaring all libellous publications ;
naving a manliest tendency and .
design to disturb the neace of antr'
of the States, by exciting .the-
slaves to insurrection, pubha
wrongs and criminal offences and
subjecting persons who may bet'
f I I. . f I . .V I
iuuiiu gumy oi sucn acts co line
and imprisonment. AfiW nm
discussion, the whole subject was
posiponeu tin tne next session.
JI Spirited Commttrdly'...TQ
citizens of Georgetown, finding
that . their sprightly and useful
public Journal, "The Metropoli- '
tan," was not properly encourag
ed, lately-held a town meeting,
and resolved that the paper de
served general patronage and
ought to have. it. Oomrnittpes
were appointed to carry out trie
feelings of the meeting by invok
ing and - obtaining subscriptions
and other business. Every com
munity should consider its news
papers as objects of public. utility ;
give them a vigorous and cheering
support; and thus enable their
conductors to be efficient auxilia
ries in the cause of human im
provement and human happiness.
Portsmouth Times.
U