Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-11-02
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP
TEE u. 8. AGRICULTURAL FMR.-
. Editorial Correspondence


RICHMOND, Va, Oct q, 1858.
The crowd thickens here, momentarily. Few
among the newcomers Of the day on the Fair
grounds, however, appear to be Virginia farm
ers. "Sporting" men, spectators in the
means-methods and modes-of agriculture,
wendermongers and itinerant showmen, seem
to be most numerous among them. One can see
around the inelosure almost every thing, from
the wonderful colt, born with three legs, to the
machine man, and the sslive man" lin the next
TENT who dispenses strychnine whisky at six
pence \ glass. ACCORDION girls and triangle
boys salute one at every turn in the Enclosure,
and the handsome but brazen Yankee woman
who follows the vagrant Italian harpist (but
does not play on the guitar she holds in her
hand) is as inevitably in every Richmond bar
room one enters, in these times, as in such
places in Washington during portion of the
last session of Congress. The rooms of all the
hotels of this city are crowded to overlooking
with the classes, from the North for the most
part, who always take occasion TO make por-
tions of such gatherings. am not impressed
with the belief that their interest in the pro-
gress of American agriculture will be likely to
benefit the cause essentially.
Be that as it may, perhaps the entrance
money they pay is necessary to make up suf-
fcient to defray the heavy expenses of agricul-
tural shows. If so, it is to be regretted that
the farmers do not subscribe sufficient to carry
them on in a manner which, while not attrac-
tive to this Objectionable army of cheraiiers
d'ind"styte, in a hundred ways will prove more
attractive to the real agriculturist, who, in
visiting such fair, does not desire to be set by
peddler people at every turn, essaying to force
on him everything they may fancy he, by any
possibility, might like-from toothpicks and
oranges up to thousand dollar bulls and FIVE
thousand dollar stations.
The display of novel agricultural implements
on the ground is excellent, many Of them be-
ing articles almost wholly unknown to farmers
north of Maryland. There are the tobacco
presses and machinery for the use of farmers
working very large forces horse powers for
sixteen horses, with threshing machines to
match; and Southern corn planters, which de-
posite fertilizers with the grain, draining plows
dc. All fat land at the South is, or should be-
carefully drained, as we'll as ditohed. That is
it should, when prepared for a crop, be careful
ly surface drained by numerous pillow fur
rows emptying into the bitches of the field
The best machine on the ground to effect that
object is plew invented and exhibited by
Mr.. A. P. Routt, OF Somerset, Orange county,
Virginia. Behind this pillow follows a para
bolic roller of cast iron, so arranged as to make
compact the surface of the drain as left by the
pillow, as well as to press down to level any
soil throYReut ofkhe ditch by the mould board
1t is AZ Simple implement; and, having
been thoroughly tested in the region where
manufactured, it is adopted by all there who
appreciate the Importance of saving labor in the
preparation Of land for crops. Without such
an implement on considerable farm in fat
land, especially, many days labor are requisite
to trim down the sides and surface of the fur
row drains; and then nothing is done in the
way of packing the earth that has been dis
turbed QOosened) in making the furrow drain
which Is essential if the farmer would hope
that they would stand the frosts and thaws of
the spring. 1 know that Mr. Routt's pillow
saves at least half the work of making such
drains, and makes them far more satisfactorily
than IN any other way wot of. So write it
down really valuable implement. SO, also,
is his Southern Corn Planter, now more used in
Virginia than any other, owing to its cheapness
and efficiency combined. 1t is designed for
drilling and covering corn, and depositing
guano, ashes, bone dust, &c, in the hill at the
same time.
There are perhaps twenty different patterns
of reapsrs and mowers on the ground-svery
day seems to bring forth a new one Of them
all the only one which appears to embrace a
m m m N ont L. 4. Al
chine of Mr.. K l.. Allen, of New York, For
year or two past it has been coming extern
sively into use in Virginia and North Carolina,
wherever a reaper to be efficient must be able
to pass freely over the numerous bitches with
which the fields are necessarily intersected.
Perhaps on account of the facility with which
1t accompanies that end, it has already taken
first premiums at Virginia and North Carolina
State Fairs. Its draft is comparatively light,
also, and the workmanship of it is capitally
executed. These are substantial reasons why
1T seems to attract so much more of the notice
Ct the Southern agriculturists now here than
any other such machine on exhibition. Mr..
Cummins, of Harrisburg, Pa, exhibits a cut
ting-box and stalk-crusher upon his patent,
which turns out bushel of such feed per min
ute wnen driven by two-horse power. On es-
tates keeping from twenty to forty horses and
mules, and hundreds of cattle and sheep, such
machine is invaluable 1 have had one Of
smaller size in daily use for a year past: il
has not cost penny for repairs, and am sat-
ished that the saving of time and food from its
use has already repaid me its original cost five
or six times over.
The display of wheat fans ia extensive Fan
real improvements have been made in that i'm
plement in the last ten years, and it is high
time that it should be rendered more eficient
The latest invented threshing machines EN-.
brace fans also, but their combined appIication
requires an expenditure of horse power such as
few farmers have at command l have taken
up the idea that wheat 'got OUT with ma.
chimes that thresh over two hundred bushels
per diem, are prone to break the grain, and
thus essentially to ipure IL for m AZ q, s..d