370 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



and bears grazing far better, but it is more trou- 

 blesome in cultivated lands. [ have been led to 

 these remarks Irom having experienced conside- 

 rable inconvenience, as I have no doubt many 

 others have, Irom the variety ofnames olten given 

 to the same plant. Let a lew examples of this 

 very troublesome practice suffice. The "red-top" 

 is li-equenlly called "herds-grass," and so is " ti- 

 mothy, ' although they are as unlike as bottle- 

 brush and rib-wort. The orchard-grass is also 

 called cocks-loot, and the crab-grass crows-loot, 

 whilst the lucerne, in some places, bears the name 

 of French clover. When we come to mention 

 noxious weeds, the confusion of names is still 

 greater. Although I know of no sure remedy for 

 this evil, we might certainly, 1 think, diminish it 

 greatly, if we would take as much care in apply- 

 ing the common appellatives as in using the bo- 

 tanical terms; but this is never done. The ne- 

 glect of this practice in a friend, who once sent 

 me some pure cockle seed from London, under 

 the very attractive name of " rose campione,'''' ac- 

 tually betrayed me into sowing it very carefully in 

 a rich spot of my garden ; notwithstanding, 1 

 strongly suspected that it would turn out to be an 

 old and very pestiferous acquaintance. I might 

 mention many other similar annoying accidents, 

 involving a loss of both time and labor; and I 

 doubt not that several of your correspondents 

 could add considerably to the list. But the lore- 

 going remarks, I hope, will suffice to call their at- 

 tention and yours to the subject in a way to pro- 

 duce some belter remedial suggestion than my 

 own. "In the multiplicity of counsel," our pro- 

 verb says, "there is safety;" and if we brother 

 farmers and planters vvould ofiener volunteer to 

 give it, we might remedy, in a great measure, the 

 total neglect of our interests, by those whose duly 

 it is, and whose special business it should be, to 

 labor assiduously lor their promouon. 



No more at present, from your old friend and 

 co-laborer, James M. Gaknett. 



NOTKS OF NORTHERN SILK-CULTURE. 



Extracted from tlie Tliird Agricultural Report, made by the 

 Kcv. Henrv Colman, Agricultural Uomuiissioner of Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Jmount of silk to an acre, and cost of pro- 

 duction.— Quesiions of great importance come 

 up here, respecting the amount of silk which may 

 be |)ioduced upon an acre of ground, and the cost 

 of production at ihe rates of labor existing among 

 us. On these subjects conjectures abound ; and 

 calculations respecting the amount to be obtained 

 go enormous and extravagant, that they are much 

 better suited to form a chapter in the Arabian 

 Nights' entertainment, than to enter into the 

 thoughts of any sound mind. Conjectures, how- 

 ever, in matters of this kind, are not what we 

 want ; and it does not belong to me to present 

 them to the farmers of Massachusetts. I have to 

 lament, however, that lew exact experiments in 

 ihi.s case have been made in the country ; and that 

 many points, the decision of which, in my opinion, 

 is mure likely to have a favorable than an unfa- 

 vorable influence upon the silk culture, remain to 

 be determined. In my intercourse with the agri- 

 cultural community, the mortifying conviction is 



continually forced upon me, of the very small num- 

 ber of persons, upon whose authority any strong 

 reliance can be placed lor that exactness of obser- 

 vation, which constitutes the first element of all 

 true science, and all useful and practical informa- 

 tion. It is said that in the map of the world in use 

 among the Chinese, and to which they go to study 

 geography, the empire of China occupies about 

 two thirds of the whole surlace. Too many of our 

 litrmers in their sketches of their own domains, 

 and their own operations, are too prone to measure 

 things by this Chinese scale. 1 shall have the 

 pleasure, however, of referring to some authorities 

 entitled to entire respect and confidence, to the 

 extent to which they go. 



L Timothy Smith, of Amherst, who has had 

 considerable experience in the production of silk, 

 says in a letter to me, " I consider ihat one acre of* 

 white mulberry, set in hedge rows, will yield 

 foliage for filly pounds of silk ; and presume to say 

 that an acre of multicaulis (Perottet) will yield 

 double the quantity (o an acre of white. I consi- 

 der that reeled silk cost me about two dollars per 

 pound, not over ; although it was a year of expe- 

 riments; but leel confident that in two or three 

 years, by using the best kinds of mulberry and the 

 better economy, thai silk can be made for one and 

 ahalf dollar per pound." 



In a subsequent letter, Mr. Smith remarks, " I 

 consider the multicaulis the most tender variety of 

 any that I have cultivated. I consider the Canton 

 as my best mulberry tree for raising silk, taking 

 into consideration the hardihood of the tree, and 

 the quantity of foliage it yields. I like the Ilaliao 

 white ; and think it best to cultivate some of eacli 

 variety." 



I understand Mr. Smith here to estimate, in the 

 cost of the silk, the value of the labor only; and to 

 charge nothing for the use of the land and the cost 

 and careofthe trees; nor any rent lor his cocoon- 

 ery. These items would add something to the 

 cost of the silk, but it is not easy to calculate them, 

 from the imperfect elements which are given. It 

 will be seen in this case, that although Mr. Smith 

 has had some experience in the production of silk, 

 yet that his statements are somewhat conjeciuraL 

 In his supposition, likewise, that he could obtain 

 one hundred |)ounds of silk Irom an acre, planted 

 with the Perottet mulberry, and that he hoped to 

 reduce the cost of the production of reeled silk to 

 one dollar and a half per lb., a little allowance is 

 perhaps to be made for the quickness of pulse, 

 which in that time of excitement was felt by every 

 culiivator of mulberry trees in his visions of tlie 

 profits of the multicaulis. 



2. The next approach to the actual cost of the 

 production, is presented by James Deane, M. D., 

 of Greenfield, Mass. His admirable letter to me 

 on the subject, I shall give in the appendix. He 

 estimates the cost of producing reeled silk at from 

 two to two dollars and a quarter per pound. He 

 produced the last year several pounds of silk of as 

 fine a description as could be made. When he 

 undertook the culture of silk, he had never seen a 

 silk worm nor a silk reel. He constructed a reel 

 admirable for its simplicity and efficiency, of which 

 I shall give an engraving ; and his operations 

 from the beginning to the end were crowned with 

 perfect success. This demonstrates the great 

 simplicity and leasibleness of the operation. Dr, 

 Deane is so remarkable for his carcliilncss, that his 



