Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-03-06
AGRACVXYYRAXA,
FROM THE AMERICAN FARMER.
ON THE CULTURE AND USES OF THE
BENE PLANT.
Rose Hill, Gath November, 1890. j..


Rose Hill, Oath Nopem6er, 1890. :.
SiR-A variety of causes, have pre-
vented that prompt attention to your Phil
adelphia correspondent, which the i'm
portanoe OF his inquiry demanded, ant
the politeness OF his address entitled him
to.
In the winter Of 1912 and Is, resid.
ed with my daughter i'll Georgia. The
soil, trees, shrubs, plants, course ofcrops.
and mode of cultivation, were all differ
ent from what had been accustomed to.
Every thing was new to me, except the
manners and habits of the people, with
whom l associated. They neither had
big houses or big barns, but like the in
habitants OF Maryland, their hospitality
was unbounded, to all who either de-
served or stood in need of their attention.
AT the house ofmy valued friend John
Mcqueen, Esq. Of Oatlands, the Bene
plant was first made known to me. It
was about the last of February, that,
dining with him, he requestedmy opinion
Of bowl offine Cabbage Lettuce; il de-
served all the praise which gave to The
vegetable, as well as to the dressing,
when Mr.. Mcqueen smiling informed
me, that the oil was of his own produce,
from what made, and the value of the
crop.
Captivated by the idea of introducing
to the almost deserted, poor, sandy dis
tricts, on the shores OF the Chesapeake
and Delaware, a crop which should be
as lucrative as the wheat of our best
lands, and tlattering myself, that l might
be the instrument of stopping ruinous
emigration from these poor lands to the
west, procured and brought home with
me about two quarts OF seed.
This plant was first brought to the
south by African negroes, who cultivate
il in their patches as valuable and i'm
portant ingredient in their pottages, be-
ing first moderately roasted. The seed
from which the oil is made, is of the
shape, and about the sizf oil the alkuke-
rcgi, or winter cherry, and is pleasant to
chew even in a raw state. The pod
which contains the seed, is shaped like,
and much about the size OF tobacco
pod. These pods do not ripen all at the
same time: but in succession, like the
cotton and ocra, and when ripe, must be
gathered, or they will open, and the
seed will SKATER out; they may be easily
gathered, by children and inhrm per-
sons.
Experim entalist, as I acknowledge
myself TO be, the introduction of the
Bene appeared SO oesirable, that only a
few seed was wasted by attempting late
in the season to grow it at this place.
But in oraer to make the most of it, par
GELS were placed in the hands of Mr..
Ridgley, Chancellor of Delaware, Dir.
Sykes, distinguished physician OF Do
yer, and many others, whose names are
not recollected, all promised attention,
but no report has ever been made to the
public or me, respecting their success.
Mr.. Mcqueen was with his family
last summer, at the Saratoga springs,
and he wrote from thence as follows
" Upon my return home, viii send you
half bushel of Bene seed, and box Of
oil that has been made ten years, we use
no other kind, and think Ii as good as at
the first. l think this plant will sue
coed in your climate, as the ocra and to-
matoes have done, as it seeds in time
with us, if sown early in July. Warm,
sandy soils, would l think, do best for it.
have seen it grow we'll upon very poor
sandy land. / planted Bene in 1899,
my field was much mismanagcd, that
year | was much absent, and do not
think it produced more than six or seven
bushels to the acre; but l should sup
pose from ten to fifteen might be expect
ed. My, crop produced about five hun
dred bushels, for which l received two
dollars bushel, and then became in
terested in its manufactory.-It produced
two gallons ofcold drawn oil per bushel,
the seed then warmed and again pressed,
gave nearly half a gallon more, which
was kept by itself for inferior purposes.
One cause of this oils keeping so much
better than Olive oil, is, that it is not
heated in the operation. Olive oil,
understand is boiled. Mr.. Sully sent
me word, it was the best oil he ever
used for painting"
Invited to give an opinion, I viii say
that all our sandy or light lands, on salt
water Of rivers, bays, or the ocean, from