The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-02-04
I,ss,e.,eua. ssr,asa--To all rwhom 1t

9.eepeSleEa ssTtasa-Toa AL rRh0mu1e
may Concern.
Tho time AZ now come when, in accord-
ance with q. positive notice to that effect
aiven through the Dispatch, can no longer
receive orders for the sifted dust contain
inc seeds Of Lespedeza. The principal rea-
eon for this is that it would not be acting
in good faith to the public, the season hav-
ing go far advanced that there would he
more or less danger Of the aeed sprouting
in the process of preparing it for shipme emit,
and 20 becoming partially. if not entirely,
worthless to the purchaser. But another
reason is, that shall hereafter be too bu-
sily engaged in making preparations to
procure seed-clean in the pencarps or cap
sules-for next fall and winter.
There is little doubt that many 20 whom
this sifted dust has been sent. notwlfh-
standing the crest pains have taken to ne
explicit, and to LEI every one know exactly
what they were to expect, will have feit
dieanno;nted on seeing it and observing It's
unpromising appearance. But let them
not ba discouraged. There ia seed IN II.
That know: but how much cannot gay
and have not pretended to say farther IMAM
ernressinp the persuasion it would go SET
one ocre tbe first season that by the close
nc the second season, or, ut all events, tne
th;rd aeason. the clover would cover the
,rho1e Ground, converting any unalghtlV,
.ror.b,ess waste into beautiful and Valn-
~ nost,,re. This feel go confident Will
he the case, making reasonable allowance
for soil and climate. that 40 not hes.a'.
~ sav. if at the end Of the time. speclnee1nl
onv one finds himself disappointed, ana VIII
a seure me on the faith and honor 0,
christian gentleman that the peck OF dust
\ . not accomplished substantially what me
c;rc,,lar undertakes for it. will return MN
40 f,l1 amount of what 7 have receive OF
him dollar for dollar, in seed-clean IN the
cansules or pencarps-at the present mar
L Of price. beg this may he remembered,
and acted upon without hesitation. II
understand myself, I would on no account
mislead or impose upon the public IN the
alirhtest degree, nor would ! willingly re-
ce;ve one cent unrighteously from any in
iividual for all the Lespedeza that ever
rev or will grow, highly as l value 1t.
Those who have trusted my honor and in
tepritv shall have no just cause to repent,
If it be in the power of man to prevent 1t.
Az FIR the enormous charges made by the
pxnress company, the fault is in no way
attributable to me. The weight of the dust
comes fairly within the statement given in
The circular, and though | used all the
means in my power to induce the company
% reduce their rates of charging, it was to
no purpose.
It seems that the minds of some persons
have been much disturbed bv the article
entitled Lespedeza Striata-Per Contra
which appeared in the January No. of
The Southern Planter and Farmer over the
signature of F. G.. Ruffin, Esq. For one, |
nm much obliged to Mr.. Ruftin for the state
ment of his experiment, because 1t is right
and proper that, with regard to my new
hing of this kind, NIL should be made
known that can be- it's defects and obiec-
tionable features, if it has them, clearly
brought to light, as we'll as its merits and
claims to public favor. l cannot see that
this article, however, is at all fitted to de-
tract from the merits usually attributed TO
this plant. All it amounts to is, that Les
pedeza ia not suited to winter grazing IN
these higher ATTITUDES. Now, this can occa-
sion no disappointment to us, because no
one has supposed that it was go fitted. NO
writer on the subject has ever said that 1t
was. Certainly ] have not: nor has DR..
Curtis, or Hon. Fl. W. Ravenel, or DR..
G.. Hunter, or any one else. 1t may
he go, and some have said 1t ls 20,
in certain parts of the country where frosts
are of rare occurrence and never severe I:
hut il is not suited to winter grazing in
North Carolina or Virginia. All that any
Of us here have looked TO it for is pasturage
in summer and hay in winter for our stock.
These it is Infinitely better fitted to afford
than red clover, white clover, or any of the
spear grasses, because ii will grow end
flourish where these, in consequence of the
poverty of the soil, cannot even show their
noses.
Besides, VIC do not need anything for
winter grazing. With the help of this
Jnpan clover ours can become one Of the
greatest etock-rnising regions on the
continent without any snch cxtraordl-
nary provision The New England States
have no such provision; the Middle
States have none the Western States have
none yet what stock-raising countries are
these? We are as well off as they are,
with not more than half the winter disad-
vantages to contend with. To turn our
backs, then, upon this plant because, while
Offering us go many superior advantages
which we need, it is destitute of one in
ferior property, which we do not need,
it appears to me would not he doing ex
actly the wiSest thing that might be done.
A man might with Just about as much rea-
son knock his horse in the head because,
though SO serviceable in many other re-
spects, he has not the faculty of flying, or
transporting his master to the moon.
But enough for the present. Perhaps the
matter may be taken up at some time here
after, when there is more leisure to attend
to it.
Before closing, let me advise all who have
purchased the seeded dust to put it on poor,
old, WORKOUT lands, well prepared with
pillow and harrow, but without manure.
The reason is, that the extremely minute
and delicate plants, for 80 they are in their
earlier stages, will have nothing to inter-
fere with their growth. They will, in all
probability, be very thin, and will natu-
rally assume creeping position, sending
out their radiating branches in every direc-
ton, and scattering their seed by thousands
for self-propagation the next year. 1t is
in this second year that you are TO look for
important results, not before. As soon az
the seeds thus scattered have terminated,
and the young plants have taken q fair
start, manure may be applied freely. They
will keep everything else down or crowd it
out; will grow high enough to NOW for a
crop of hay and will furnish quantity
of seed for future use. I am satisfied that
those who take this course will get :heir
plantations set with it sooner than in any
other way.
1t will also be well to SOW just as soon as