494 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 8 



is not so large as one might suppoi?e. There are 

 very few in New England. A friend in Balti- 

 more informs me that G. B. Smith estimates the 

 number in the United Slates at two and a half 

 millions. Robt. Sinclair (perhaps in conjunction 

 with Smith,) states the same number; and a friend 

 of mine, who has taken great pains to inform 

 himself, has arrived at precisely the same conclu- 

 sion. I cannot help thinking there are more; but 

 my inlbrmation on ihe subject is not extensive. In 

 regard to the demand, I may say that, in addition 

 to that indicated by the present high prices, Judffe 

 Comstock. editor of the Silk Culiurist, told me he 

 did not think there were more in the United States 

 than would supply the state of Connecticut, at 

 liiir prices, if they were all sent there. And a 

 gentleman of Burlington informed me that there 

 were not more than enough in New Jersey to sup- 

 ply the present demand in the county of Darling- 

 ton in the same manner. 



"I intended to ha\'e said a word about sprouting 

 cuttings in a hot bed, as recommended by G. B. 

 Smith. I have only tried it once, and tlien on a 

 small scale; but I did not succeed very well. 

 The objection is, that the plants become chilled 

 and stunted by removal from such comfortable 

 quarters, to be exposed to the inclemencies of the 

 month ofMay. But in any event, great skill and at- 

 tention are requisite in the management of a hot 

 bed. 



"It may be very familiar to thee, but it will do no 

 harm to add, thai the most cotivenient instrument 

 in preparing the cuttings, is a pair of pruning scis- 

 sors— such as are used bv vine dressers. " 



''I had intended to supply an omission made in 

 regard to the preparation of cuttincs ; and the re- 

 mark I would make, applies especially to cuttings 

 of single buds. It is the main stem that I recotn- 

 mended to be cut into single buds, and it is the 

 strongest part of the stem that throws out the late- 

 ral branches. As every lateral starts out, there is 

 no bud (at least none that will readily grow,) re- 

 maining at the joint ; and it is therefore necessary, 

 in preparing the cuttings, that the lowest bud on 

 the lateral should be left to the main stem. I lost 

 many plants last spring by not attending to this. 

 And the sellers of mulberries, \\rhosupp\ytri7nmed 

 plants, should always prune in this way; otherwise, 

 the best portion of the wood on the whole plant 

 will be of little value. 



"I have almost determined to plant a portion of 

 our cuttings this fall; say about the last of Nov. 

 or 1st of December. The sliirhtest covering of 

 earth, I have always found to be sufficient to pro- 

 tect them during winter. If thou hast noticed the 

 plants in the spring, when they are uncovered for 

 the purpose of planting, especially if it be not very 

 eariy, thou hast no doubt observed that every 

 good bud has sprung. By exposure to the dry 

 air, many of them perish before they are planted. 

 Had they remained under a proper'depth of soil, 

 every bud, starting as they do at the same time, 

 would have shown itself above the ffi-ound. Why 

 cannot they be protected in the field equally as 

 well, without being subjected to spring handling 

 and removal'? It would be an easy^ matter to 

 cover the stems in the furrows 2 or 3, or even 4 

 inches deep, and remove the covering in the 

 spring, which would be a ffood workingr I have 

 been thinking all the summer I would plant a por- 

 tion of my crop in this way; but I should be i^l' bone manure to the acre, our highest and driest, 



afraid to recommend it strongly to others, lest there 

 might be a failure. Ifj however, it should succeed 

 as well as I am convinced it would, almost every 

 bud would produce a tree; and by vegetating 

 eariier, it would produce a much finer tree than by 

 the common mode. 1 perceive that Cheney, who 

 is a very experienced cultivator, recommends that 

 /«j/ers should be planted in the fall. At all events, 

 I know from experience that the eariiest spring 

 planting is much to be preferred to deferring it 

 until the ground becomes somewhat warm. Like 

 grains ofcariy planted corn, the cuttings are throw- 

 ing out roots, though the germ may not appear 

 above ground, much sooner than the late planting. 

 Unless the ground was clean, there might be dan- 

 ger fiom the field mice. Please to give me thy 

 views on this subject. 



"Wilt thou take it ami?s, if I venture to assign 

 one or two reasons why thou shouldst not offer 

 thy plants of 1839 for 12| cents, as thou didst pro- 

 pose doing some lime ago? I would not deter thee 

 from doing so, for the purpose of keeping up the 

 price. If they do not sell for more than 9d. I shall 

 be perfectly satisfied. It is enough for them. But 

 can any one individual reduce the market price by 

 offering his crop at reduced rates, or even by giv- 

 ing them away? Perhaps thou mayest grow a 

 million. If there be a brisk demand for 20 mil- 

 lions, which will probably be the extent of the 

 supply next year, a million more or less will have 

 very little eOecl upon prices. By contracting now 

 to receive iiiuch less than they will probably com- 

 mand, thy efforts to reduce the prices will be un- 

 availing, and thou wilt be voluntarily depriving 

 thyself of the profits to be derived from the cul- 

 ture. Speculators, also, n)ight buy up thy whole 

 crop, and retail it at greatly advanced rates. In- 

 deed it is only the speculator, perhaps, that would 

 now contract to receive plants to be delivered a year 

 hence. So that I see no probability of thy effect- 

 ing thy object by this course. It is however very 

 possible that by another year, public feeling on the 

 subject may be more rational, and that prices may 

 correspond with the actual value of the plant for 

 the purpose foi which it was designed by nature. 

 We are now going through the paroxysm of the 

 fever; in due time it will abate, health will be re- 

 stored, and reason resume her empire. Let us 

 wait patiently for it, and do all we can to promote 

 the culture of silk, until the question is settled 

 whether or not it can be introduced into this coun- 

 try as a profitable branch of agriculture." 

 * # # * * 



" I think I have obtained some valuable infor- 

 mation respecting the action of bone manure in 

 growing mulberries. When I was at the north, 

 I inquired particularly about its general value, at 

 Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. At Boston, 

 there is a very large manufiictory. At all three 

 places, the price for crushed bones is 35 cts. per 

 bushel. I purchased 200 or 300 bushels in Balti- 

 more ; but it was not until after I left there, that I 

 heard of its good effects on mulberries. A grower 

 in Burlington had applied some to a small lot of 

 ground ; and the efiect was so beneficial, that I 

 heard the trees spoken of as being the finest in 

 the whole country. They had tried to keep the 

 knowledge of it a secret there, for their own ad- 

 vantage ; but I intend that it shall be known. I 

 am promised the result of another experiment. I 

 am fully convinced that with the use of $5 worth 



