Vol. IV. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



387 



Bennktt in first elevating it from the rank of a 

 weed to that of a cultivated plant. Should it prove 

 on farther trials as valuable as is anticipated, wo 

 should propose tliatto its sciontiiic name of am n do 

 coarctata, be added the name of Btnnett Grass ; a 

 tribute due to the person who tirst redviced it to 

 cultivation. 



There are many species of the .5n(nrfo or Reed 

 Grass described by English botanists ; one of which 

 is mentioned in the Appendi.\ to Sir Hampliry Da- 

 vy's Agricultural Cliemistry. It is called Arunilo 

 colorata, (Striped-leaved Reed Grass). The follow- 

 ing character is given of this grass in that Appon- 

 di.\ : — " The strong nutritive powers which this 

 grass possesses recommend it to the notice of oc- 

 cupiers of strong clayey lauds which cannot be 

 drained. Its produce is great, and the foliage will 

 not be denominated coarse, if compared with those 

 which afford a produce equal in quantity." 



NOTES ON THE GROWTH AND MANU- 

 FACTURE OF SILK IN THE UNITED 

 STATES. 



{Concluded from page 380.) 



It will certainly be a great while before a suffi- 

 cient quantity of silk can be raised in the United 

 States to become an article of exportation, or to 

 supply even the few silk manufactures of our own 

 country, which now import the whole of their in- 

 cipient materials. But, if the Italians, who first 

 cultivated the silk worms in t!ie year 14.55, from 

 seeds, brought with a great deal of trouble and 

 care, to Rome, by two missionary Monks returned 

 from the East Indies, had been indifferent about 

 the domestic growth of silk, valued at that time 

 almost as much as gold ; and if the French, the 

 English, and all other European nations who have 

 acquired wealth by the cultivation of that article, 

 had not, by bounties and rewards, promoted, at 

 first, its introduction, and afterwards protected its 

 extension by various laws, no other silks, to this 

 day, would be worn, but those imported from Chi- 

 na and the East Indies. Comparatively speaking, 

 we are now in America, in reference to silk, sev- 

 eral centuries behind the other manufacturing na- 

 t ions. That commodity, whether we import it from 

 India, China, or Europe, is for ns an immense ab- 

 sorbent of oar substance, and tlie sooner we pre- 

 pare the means of- stopping, effectually, that drain 

 through which a great quantity of bullion escapes 

 from the vaults of our banks, the better it will be 

 for the progress of our wealth and prosperity at 

 home. 



The growth of the raw silk in a merchantable 

 state, requires hardly any capital, and it occupies 

 but very little land and very little room. 



An ounce of the seed of the silk worms will pro- 

 duce 40,000 worms that will consume one thousand 

 pounds of white mulberry leaves, easily supplied 

 by fifty grown trees, or two hundred small ones, 

 between two and tliree years old, from the seed or 

 from the slip ; and the produce in silk will be up- 

 on an average twelve pounds of drawn raw silk, 

 allowing all contingencies. 



A small hedge that will occupy the twentieth 

 part of an acre, being planted with bushes not more 

 than three years old as aforesaid, will supply and 

 accommodate 100,000 worms, the produce of which 

 will be thirty pounds of raw drawn silk, and if the 

 whole acre is planted in the same way, the produce 

 will be six hundred pounds ; which, merely spun 

 intoeewing silk, would amount.at the present price 

 of American sewing silk in Albany, to three dollars 



per ])ound, sixty feet to the skeiu, and one dollar 

 and fifty cents per thirty feet. 



If the worms are housed instead of being raised 

 in the air it is reckoned that a scpiare foot will 

 contain, with case, one hundred and ten worms in 

 their maturity ; accordingly, a shelf, twenty feet 

 long and tliree broad, will contain (3,,')00 worms, its 

 surface being equal to sixty feet ; and a set of 

 . such shelves will accommodate the 40,000 worms 

 produced by a single ounce of seed. These sets 

 of shelves may be multiplied in the same room, ob- 

 serving only, to leave three feet opening between 

 tiiem, in order to enable the attendants to nurse 

 the worms. Besides such a room, in which sever- 

 al millions of worms may be raised, it is sufficient 

 to have an adjacent room or hovel to put the womis 

 j when they want to make them ball and spin their 

 silk ; so that two rooms will be sufficient to raise 

 an immense quantity of silk. 



There are several species of mulberry trees cul- 

 tivated for the feed of silk worms ; but the white, 

 Morus Alba, seems to be better calculated for the 

 northern climates than the JVigra, inasmuch as it 

 is not affected by cold, while the ATigra is more li- 

 able to freeze. But the leaves of the J^igra are so 

 mush more rich and solid, particularly in the south- 

 ern regions, than the Alba, that it is reckoned in 

 France that one hundred pounds of JVigra leaves 

 ! affjrd more food than three hundred of the Alba 

 — and that accordingly one black mulberry tree is 

 equal to three white ones of the same size. This 

 circumstance would be much to the advantage of 

 the southern states, and would enable them, with 

 twc-thirds less trees and ground, to raise the same 

 quantity of silk, superior also in quality, the silk 

 being always in proportion to the strength of the 

 insect, and the strength of the insect in proportion 

 to his food. 



The only thing that has stopped in England the 

 progress of the cultivation of silk under the reign 

 ofjamesl. was the want of a sufficient quantity 

 of mulberry trees. That culture ought then to 

 precede any other improvement in the raising of 

 silk in this country, as no dependence can be plac- 

 ed on the trees growing in the woods ; and if it 

 was the wish of Congress to promote the growth 

 of silk among us, I should think that bounties a- 

 warded to the cultivators who should raise a cer- 

 tain number of mulberry trees from the seed, or 

 I from tlie slip, in each state, as well as to those 

 who should grow a certain quantity of silk in the 

 ball fitted for market, and proportionately drawn 

 and manufactured either in thread or cloth, would 

 have a great tendency to urge the national indus- 

 try. 



I should think further, that a well digested man- 

 ual, containing the best practical information that 

 could be collected on the growth and manufacture 

 of silk, with descriptive plates and illustrations, 

 would be extremely useful to promote the desired 

 object. I possess on those several objects, very ex- 

 tensive French, Italian, and English treatises ; 

 and I should with pleasure, if it was tnought proper 

 to entrust the reduction of that work to some able 

 .and patriotic economist, supply my contributions 

 towards its completion. E. C. GENET. 



Albany, January 21, 1826. 



WHEAT. 



A Baltimore paper of the 21st says a load of fine 

 white wheal of the new crop, has already been sold 

 in this market, at $1,10. Reaping is now gene- 

 ral, as high up the bay as Cecil county. 



ON THE MANAGEMENT AND DISEASES 

 OF HORSES. (Continued from page 381.^ 



THE STABLE. 



The floor of the stall should be made of hard 

 brick, as a more equal surface is then formed than 

 can be obtained by paving with pebbles. Very 

 little declivity is necessary to drain off the urine 

 and as great inconvenience sometimes arises from 

 suffering a horse to stand in a stall where the fall 

 is considerable, creating unnecessary exertion in 

 the muscles of the hind leg, and keeping the liga- 

 ments constantly in a tense state, it has been re- 

 commended to make the drain in the middle of 

 the stall, whereby the hind and fore feet of the 

 horse might stand on a level. In whatever way, 

 however, the stall is made, it should be carefully 

 cleaned twice a day, that none of that putrescent 

 matter may accumulate which generates ammonia, 

 or that pungent vapour which is so abundantly 

 found in close filthy stables. An iron rack is pre- 

 ferable to one of wood, being more easily kept 

 clean, and furnishing no splinters ; which, vvhere 

 wooden racks are used, sometimes injure the mouth. 

 The manger may be so contrived as to slide into 

 the wall like a drawer ; and then, while the groom 

 is wisping him, he would have nothing to lay hold 

 of with his mouth, by which practice horses often 

 become crib-biters. The height both of the rack 

 and manger should be such as to enable the horse 

 to feed with the greatest ease : the former is some- 

 times made so high that the horse is obliged to 

 exert the muscles of his neck considerably in order 

 to reach it ; and this has been so placed, under an 

 idea of it's having a tendency to make him carry 

 his head more gracefully : it is more probable, 

 however, that the only effect of it is to make the 

 ' horse uncomfortable while feeding. It has indeed 

 been lately recommended, as the best plan, to place 

 the racks on a level with the manger, so that the 

 horse may feed as he does in a state of nature. — 

 This plan is a good one. It has been tried both 

 for waggon and saddle horses ; that is, both single 

 and double, and found to answer extremely well. 

 It was observed, however, that some horses would 

 throw out part of the hay with their noses when it 

 was of a bad quality ; but by placing one or more 

 bars across on the upper part, from the front to 

 the back, this was effectually prevented. The 

 manger should be rather wide, and not less than 

 eighteen inches deep. When a horse is fed prin- 

 cipally with chaff or cut hay a deep manger is 

 particularly necessary, as many horses, in endeav- 

 ouring to pick out the oats from the chaff, will 

 throw out a great deal of the food with their noses 

 when the manger is shallow. In larger stables, 

 where many horses are kept, such as post or wag- 

 on stables, each stall is to contain two horses, 

 which will require a space of twelve feet. A man- 

 ger is placed at each end, and the hay crib in the 

 centre. A very short halter is sufficient to allow 

 the horses to lie down, and then there is no dan- 

 o-er of entangling themselves with it, an accident 



that often occurs when long halters are used 



La Fosse, in his Manuel d' Hippiatrique, says that 

 the fall in the floor of the stall should not be more 

 than one inch to two yards : and this, I think, is 

 quite sufficient. The gutter behind the stall is 

 commonly too deep, and often so placed as to be 

 in the way of the horses' hind feet. When a sta- 

 ble is properly attended to, scarcely any gutter is 

 required; and when there is one, it should be very 

 shallow, and wide. (To be continued.) 



