46 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



Culture of Silk in South Carolina. 



Davis's Mills, Barnwell District, S. C. May 1, 1S45. 

 Sir : The prospects of Silk in this section of the 

 country ai'e poor indeed. The long waiin spell 

 through February and part of March, brought 

 out vegetation rapidly — tlie Silk Worms hatched 

 out early and were prosperous until the cold 

 weather set in, destroying in many places the 

 peaches and many other fniits, cutting down the 

 coni many blades high, and killing much of it 

 — entirely destroying much of the forward 

 wneat — killing the Mulberry leaves of every 

 description. Of course most of the Silk Worms 

 were lost. I saved a few tliousands by cutting 

 the tender twigs, stripping oti' the bark and 

 giving both the twig and bark for food. The 

 drouth setting in about the fourth week in March, 

 continued until last week, when we had a light 

 .shower. So vegetation has been kept back very 

 much. This week Ave have fine refreshing 

 showers, and all around seems to smile in 

 beauty. The few cocoons made seem firm and 

 of good quality. Very little disease has been 

 among the W orms this season here. I think on 

 average five to the thousand have not taken dis- 

 ease. I expect at some future time to state my 

 method of raising them. I intend sending to 

 the Institute what raay remain after saving a 

 supply of eggs, principally to convince the citi- 

 zens that it is ill their power to raise them to 

 advantage, by aid of the old and young mem- 

 bers of the family, who now raise hardly any 

 thing. When once they see that something 

 can be obtained for their labor, hundreds, I 

 think, in this section of country, will readily 

 come into raising Silk, to their own comfort, and 

 the general benenfit of their country. 



Very respectfully, your ob't. ser%-'t. 

 (Signed) NEEDHAM DAVIS. 



Directed to the American Institute. 



Woolen Manufactures and Wool.— Re- 

 turns upon this subject vrere issued on Saturday, 

 by order of the House of Commons (on motions 

 of Mr. Mastermau and Mr. Aldam). It thence 

 appears that the declared value of the British 

 woolen manufactures exported from the United 

 Kingdom in 1844 was *i.'68,204,S3e, of which 

 i;2,444,789 worth was expiorted to tlie United 

 States of Am,erica. During the same year fio,- 

 079,.")24lb.«. of sheep and lambs' wool, foreign 

 and colonial, were imported into the United 

 Kingdon, of which 1,924,836 lbs. were re-ex- 

 ported from the United Kingdom, diiefly to 

 Belgium. Of British sheep and lambs' wool, 

 8,947, G19 Ib^. were exported to foreign countries; 

 and 8,271,006 lbs. of British woolen and worsted 

 yam, including yarn of wool or worsted mixed 

 with other materials. There were also imported 

 into the United Kingdom 035,357 lbs. (of which 

 47,848 lbs. were re-exported) of aljiaca and 

 llama wool; and 1,290,771 lbs. of mohair, or 

 goats' wool, of which 97, .529 lbs. were re- 

 exported. English paper. 



An ExTTtAORDiNARr Prolific Pig.— Our 

 respected townsman, Mr. Charles Minshull. of 

 Highgate, has a sow^ which has produced him 

 61 pigs in one year, viz : on the 13th of Mav, 

 1844.21; .5th of November, 18; 1st of Mav. 

 1H45, 22 :— total. 61. Of this viduuble breed MV. 

 Minshull has brawn of the November litter. 

 [Birmingham Advertiser. 

 (94) 



Wonderful Engine. — It is alleged that a 

 wonderful engine, called the air-engine, has 

 lately been constructed by Professor Reinagle, 

 ^^'ho is .securing patents in every civilized coun- 

 try of the earth. The power, which is self-pro- 

 duced in the engine, is obtained from condensed 

 au', which, though easily manageable, begets an 

 immense force, the present engine, which stands 

 on a sjjace not exceeding two feet square, hav- 

 ing a power equal to five hundred and sixty- 

 eight horses. For pumping water out of mines 

 it is gravely proposed to use a 10,000 or 20,000 

 horse-power in order to do the work promptlj^ 

 It is stated that, with the present small engine, 

 two hundi'ed and twenty tons can be propelled 

 at the rate of twenty-five to th.irty miles per 

 hour. The description of the action of the ma- 

 chine is very vague, but it is said that several 

 very eminent and scientific men have examined 

 it and expressed their astonishment. Professor 

 Faradaj-, having seen the drawing and heard 

 the theory and practice of this invention ex- 

 plained, complimented tlie inventor by declar- 

 ing, tliat he had discovered perpetual motion of 

 the most temfic description. 



Nutritious Food. — A verj' interesting re- 

 port on the comparative nutritive jjroperties of 

 food was lately presented to the French Minis- 

 ter of the Interior by Messrs. Percy and Vau- 

 quelin, two members Of the Institute. The 

 result of their experiments is as follows : la 

 bread, every hundred pounds' Aveight are found 

 to contain 80 lbs. of nutritious matter ; butcher 

 meat, averaging the various sorts, contains only 

 31 lbs. in 100 lbs. ; French beans, 2.5 Ib.s. ; peas, 

 23 lbs. ; lentiles, 94 lbs. ; greens and turnips, 

 which are the most aqueous of all vegetables 

 u.sed for domestic purpo.ses, fumisli only 8 lbs. of 

 solid nutritious substance in 100 lbs. ; carrots 14 

 lbs. ; and what is very remarkable, as being in 

 opposition to the acknowledged theoiy, 100 lbs. 

 of potatoes only yield 35 lbs. of substance valua- 

 ble as nutritious. According to this estimate, 1 

 lb. of good bread is equal to 2J or 3 lbs. of best 

 potatoes; and 75 lbs. of bread, and 30 lbs. of 

 butcher meat are equal to 300 lbs. of potatoes. 

 Or, again, 1 lb. of rice or of broad beans is equal 

 to 3 lbs of potatoes ; while 1 lb. of potatoes is 

 equal to 4 lbs. of cabbage, and to 3 lbs. of turnips. 

 This calculation is considered perfectly con-ect, 

 and may be useful to families where the best 

 mode of supporting nature should bo adopted 

 at the least expense. 



[Chambers's Edinburgh JoumaL 



New Grape, — We have tasted a bottle of 

 delicious Champagne Wine made from a vine 

 which Mr. Lester, U. S. Consul at Genoa has 

 just brought with him from Italy. A quantity 

 of the.se vines vvas sold, by Wm. H. Franklin 

 & Son, 15 Broad street, on 1st of July. We 

 are informed that thest^ vines were taken from 

 Savoy and Piedmont, //oot under the snow, and 

 conseciuently will endure the cold winters of 

 our climate, and vi-e believe the}- are the first 

 Italian vines ever introduced into the U. States, 

 which could be cultivated in the open field. The 

 wine is the richest and most delicious Cham- 

 pagne we have ever drank. We are informed 

 by American gentlemen who have eaten the 

 grape at Mr. Lester's house at Genoa that they 

 found none so delicious in any other part of Eu- 

 rope. We understand there are several varieties. 

 [Evening Mirror. 



