Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-04-06
lVUI CNTOnICIeT,
GRIFFITH.
tconREsroSDESoE OF THE FREE PRrss1
Letters from the South.
ArGusrA, Ga, Mar

AUGUSTA, Ga, March 10, 1855.
/ The winter has been unusually in thi, lati
! tudo as we'll as at tho North. For four week, i'm.
mediately following Christmas the weather was re.
markably mild and pleasant. But the storm Of the
2lst of January, which was general and de.truc
tive throughout the United States, produced gre al
change. 1t consisted Of rain attended by thunde,
and lightning, with violent wind, a nd the mercury
fell 81 degrees in the course Of few hours, from
65 to IS above zero From that time until the frs,
OF this month, the weather continued to be what i.
considered intensely cold, with very little intermis
sion. Tho eth Of February, which was the cold day
at the North, was no more than cool here, and the
18th was quite warm and sprng-likc followed in the
evening by terrific thunder storm. Tie last three
| days Of February were the coolest Of the season.
| On the morning Of the 26th seen the only fall
Of snow, which might very easily have been mista.
ken for white frost. On the 9th tho mercury
was observed at 10 degrees above zero, the lowest
point 1t has reached during the winter.
March has been thus far quite warm, the Their
mometer at times indicating summer heat and veg.
citation, somewhat delayed by the extreme cold, is
now rapidly progressing. 1t is. however, a very
windy month, which renders the dust of the city al.
most insufcrable. and fires in the country very
dangerous, owing to the practice of building in
small openings in the forest.
Winter in this climate. has q strange mono,ony
to accustomed to the variety Of colder climat
There is no change in locomotion from wheels to
runners; no exchange Of brown and barren fields
for wavy drifts, or Of sandy streets for creaking
snow no display Of fur muffers, and tippcts, and
robes no skating, no sliding. The same dull
brown, assumed by Nature with the first frost of
Autumn, continues until Spring, and the customs Of
the people are nearly the same as in summer Rut
the mldness Of the weather and the early dawn Of
Spring, are ample compensation for this monotony
Various kinds of plantation work carried on
during the winter with little interruption from cold
Preparation for the Spring crop follows immediately
the disposition Of the harvest. Picking cotton is
hardly Mt the first of winter then follows gin.
ming it, then killing and curing bacon for the year
then clearing, fencing and ploughipg for the com.
ing season. This order, however, is not always OBJ
served, as ginning the cotton is often delayed as
late at this month.
1t may be gratifying to give in detail the process
of ginning cotton, which is simply separating it from
its seed. Cotton grows in small balls or PODS each
ball con,aing certain number Of seeds enyelopod
in cotton When the plant is ripe this ball bursts
open, and the cotton may then be picked, and ne.
cessary the seeds with it,
A gin consists of some forty or fifty circular SAVE
which turn common axis about one inch
apart. series Of ribs, equal in number to the
saws, placed in an inclneu position, partly
and partly before the axis of the saws snd be.
tween these the saws turn, Over the ribs i. re.
ceiver into which the cotton is thrown. When the
saws turn, the teeth, which are very fine, act as
hooks to draw the cotton through, cylindrical
brush placed directly back Of the saws removes the
cotton from the teeth and throws it out back Of
the gin into another ROOM where it falls like fakes
OF snow, and looks like so much down. The seeds
fall through the ribs in front of the gin, aud are
used to plant and for manure. Horse power is an.
Piled to move 1t very swiftly, and while 1t is in mo.
ton, the cotton in the receiver ia constantly revov.
ing. Only one man is required to feed it, and two
or thrse horses mules to turn it. Its very inu.
rious to the health to feed cotton gin, and often
causes fatal lung diseases.
The cotton is now ready to bale, the last opera.
ton in preparing 1t for market. This is done by an
means Of an immense screw which presses four hun.
drei pounds Of cotton into bale Of eight or ton
cubic feet.
Ploughins is the principal business ui this month
though some planting is don, on tue high land. A
very light plough is used in the sandy soil, drawn
by one horse, which cut, about three OF four inches
deep. Ills considered iujuriou. to plough deeper,
as the soil is very thin and suffers greatly from dry
weather. The bottom lands on the river, have a
mueky, clay soil, aud require much deeper plough
ing This kind of plantation work is comparative