The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-12-15
THE GEORGIA HUMORIST
SOME FURTHER REMARKS ON THE SUB.
JECT OF "HARD WOOD"
The Philosopher Answers a Critic--Sustains
His Contentious by Quotations from DIR.
Porcher's Book on Trees Other Inter.
esting Talk.

His Contentious by Quotations from DIR.
Porcher's Book on Trees Other Inter.
esting Talk.
Somehow I don't like insinuetions.
A correspondent from Mississippi in
sinuates that 1 don't know very much
about blackgum and sassafras and per-
simmon, or I wouldn't say that those
woods were good for hubs and bows
and gluts. Well, since saw his "obiter
aicta' in your paper, I asked the fore
man of our wagon factory, and he
said: "We used to get all the black
gum we could for hubs, for it has no
grain, and you can't split it, and it
makes very fine hub, but nowadays
we buy all our hubs ready made, and
they are Of postoak." DR.. Porcher,
who is the highest authority concern.
the trees and herbs of the south, says
in his book: 'The wood Of blackgum
is extremely difficult to split, and is
much used for hubs Of wheels"
The first real fine stringbow ever
had was bought from an Indian boy,
and it was mado of the heart of sassa-
fras. He taught me how to fasten the
feathers in the arrows That bow was
the envy of my schoolmates and could
send an arrow out of sight.
A dead persimmon, or one cut down
and seasoned, makes a very hard, dur
able glut or wedge. DR.. Porcher says
that the grain is of such fine texture
that he has used it for engraving. I
used to saw my gluts and then bevel
the edges, and round the top, and my
boy Bob said "dem simmon gluts beat
dogwood all to pieces"
This is a wonderful book of DR. Por-
cher's-a book of 70Opages, containing
a description Of every tree, plant and
shrub in our southern land, and their
practical and medicinal uses. 1t was
published in 1869, and it's title is,
Resources of the Southern Fields
and Forests" What patient and care
full investigation was necessary to pro-
duce such book Twelve years were
spent in the work, and the learned
doctor became second Linneus in his
devotion to it. And yet this book is
hard to find, and I suppose is out of
print.
| And now the time has come for me
to put away the flowers and there's
trouble on the old mans mind. have
cleaned out the pit and arranged the
shelves to my wife's satisfaction, and
am now engaged in taking up the
geraniums and reporting the various
plants. I have to go away down to the
lower part of the COW lot, where the
rich earth has gathered, and spade it
up and sift it into the wheelbarrow and
roll it up the hill like Ajax or Samp-
son. My wife has q great big round
sitter like the plasterers use, and after
I get load OF earth md turn it out
in the broad walk near the pit, then I
have to haul load of sand and sift
that, and then load Of wood ashes
and sift that, and then mix all to-
gether. She told me how. She watches
me from the window, where she is
sewing, and encourages me by telling
me not to work so hard, but to stop
and rest awhile. Yesterday she came
out to help me, and when she wanted
me to change the palm to larger pot,
and the heliotrope to smaller one, ]
rebelled little and asked her if she
had noticed that yaller Jackets nest
under the stone step, not far from
where she was standing. The little
boogers were just pouring out and in,
and as soon as she saw them she shook
her skirts and departed those
coasts with alacrity. She wants
to know why I don't destroy their
nest. Well, I have tried. Time was
when we schoolboys dident want any
better fun than to break up yallel
jackets nest. We fought them with
brush and brooms and dirt, and killed
the last one before we quit. Of course
we got stung sometimes, but there is
where the heroism came in. But now
I have no boys-they are all girls
and so I poured hot water in the hole
where the jackets went in, and it kill
ed few, but there are over thous-
and in the colony, and they all got
mad with me and ran me into the house.
Then I piled up dead grass and old
papers over the grand entrance and
poured kerosene on itand set it on fire
and killed few more, but still !
couldent miss them. Then I got
stung on the ear and that made me
mad and mixed up pan full of NOR
tar and soused it down into the hole
and all around, and I piled up a big
lot of clay and gravel on top and was
sure I had them fast and would starve
them to death, but next morning they
had a new hole and are attending tt
business at the same old stand.
have put circle of empty flower pots
around the premises to warn the chill
dren away and now am waiting fo1
further instructions from my friend il
! Mississippi.
I When I was last in Florida I pulled
up little sprout of the oppopona,
and brought it home and planted it
1t grew off nicely and we kept it il
the pit last winter and transferred i
to the garden last spring. 1t is nov
a beautiful little tree about eight fee
high with numerous branches, and
think will bloom next summer if w
can save it. 1t belongs to- the mimos'
family and it's delicate leaves are quit
sensitive, though not SO much 81
as it's humble cousin, the SENSITIVE
plant. Like that plant, its bloom
are round tufted balls of diferen