20 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 1 



there, have as much useful, and practical know- 

 ledge, as 1 have iound among people of the same 

 class in any other section of the country. A gen- 

 tleman farmer to the south, whocommiis the man- 

 agement of his affairs to an agent, has more 

 time for curious inquiry and speculative theories; 

 he rides his hobby at leisure, sometimes at the ex- 

 pense of a desperate fall; but it may be well 

 doubted, if his pursuits be more profitable to him- 

 self, or to the public, than those of the Pennsylva- 

 nian, who sees carefully to his own business, and 

 at need will lend a hand on its execution. It is 

 quite certain, that the latter will "make two blades 

 of grass grow on a spot of ground," and of much 

 better quality, where the lormer will make but 

 one. Popular delusions in most free states, will 

 have an occasional run, and Pennsylvania has 

 had its full share; but as far as my observation ex- 

 tends, excessive banking, anti-masonry, and the 

 pernicious spirit of abolition, are on the decline. 

 I hope I do not violate the laws ol" the Register, 

 in saying that I think the "dark" oracles of Go- 

 vernor Ritner, in relation to the south, contributed 

 to defeat his re-election. 



Mr. Buckner in a late communication to the 

 Register, states that the lands of upper Fauquier, 

 for the production of grass, are not surpassed by 

 any in the United States; if he rightly estimates 

 the nature of the soil, it has not yet attained its ul- 

 timate point of production, and profit. I learn 

 from his communication, that when red clover 

 wears out in the fields of Fauquier, like the im- 

 proved lands of the Eastern Shore, it is succeed- 

 ed by blue grass. In Chester county, green grass 

 Ibllows red clover, which is greatly superior to 

 blue grass, as it makes excellent hay, the richest 

 pastures, and when the land is put in cultivation, 

 having no fibrous roots, is easily subdued by the 

 plough. A field set strongly in blue grass, re- 

 quires a laborious hoe-cultivation to subdue it. I 

 should deem it a hopeless, and injudicious enter- 

 prise, to attempt to put into lallow wheat, by the 

 plough and harrow, one of my improved fields, 

 which had been three years out of cultivation. 

 Green grass like white clover, is a native grass. I 

 I found it on my f;\rm in small parcels, since my 

 return home; I had heretofore not distinguished it 

 from blue grass. Gen. Evans, an experienced; 

 and intelligent fiirmer, informed me that he recol- 

 lected when blue grass succeeded red clover, in 

 Chester county. I infer from these circumstances, 

 that green grass is brought into full growth by 

 high improvement, and judicious cultivation; and 

 perhaps the day is not far distant, when the fields 

 of Fauquier, and some of best in lower \'irginia, 

 and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, may be 

 clothed with rich crops of green grass. As a 

 further evidence of its value, I quote a Philadel- 

 phia butcher, who told me that the bpr;t beef 

 which came to that market, had pastured on white 

 clover and green grass. White clover soon fails 

 under our summer sun. Green grass is a hardy 

 plant; though blasted by the severe drought ofthe 

 summer, it recovered under the autumnal rains; 

 and I saw it in great luxuriance and beauty, the 

 last week in October. It would be worth the cost 

 to a Virginia gentleman engaged in grazing, to 

 visit Chester county in the summer: he might mix 

 pleasurable relaxation with the more sober pur- 

 ■uits of improvement. The Yellow Spring is a 

 fashionable watering place, resorted by some of 



the elite of Philadelphia, who, out of their own 

 city, are civil and courteous to atrangers. 



FMstern Shore, Md., Uth Dec, 1838. 



From tlie Boston Magazine of Horticultuie. 

 THE MORUS MUr/nCAULIS IN NEW ENGLAND. 



This valuable tree has again, after the lapse 

 of two years, been brought into notice, and fi-ora 

 the many experiments which have been made up- 

 on it, in liiediiig the silk-worm, all of which have 

 attested its excellence over all varieties, there has 

 been a great demand for the trees. To such an 

 extent has this demand been carried, that trees, 

 which could not have been disposed of last spring 

 at scarcely any prices, now command from fifty 

 to seventy-five cents each. The consequence 

 has been, that many, who were the fortunate 

 possessors of large quantities of these trees, have 

 realized handsome fortunes. Many individuals, 

 stimulated by the stories which have been circula- 

 ted in the newspapers and agricultural publica- 

 tions, of the immense profits which have been 

 made in the sale of the trees, have entered into 

 the business, purchased trees, and, though wholly 

 unacquainted with them, have, in most instances, 

 sold at an advance which has aHbrded them a good 

 profit (or their time and labor. 



In New England, the cultivation of the morus 

 multicaulis has been almost wholly abandoned. 

 Most nurserymen who formerly commenced their 

 growth in considerable quantities, alter having 

 found that the sale of the trees was in no way 

 proportioned to the ratio of increase, have, latter- 

 ly, paid but slight attention to their cultivation; and 

 now that the demand has been so great, and the 

 prices so exhorbitant, they have but a small stock 

 to offer, on which they might realize many hun- 

 dred per cent, profit. The severity of our winters, 

 for the three or four past years, has been such as 

 to destroy thousands of trees; and farmers and 

 others, who have left their trees exposed with the 

 hope of acclimatizing them, have lost their whole 

 stock; while other individuals, though not so unfor- 

 tunate as to lose their trees in this manner, have, 

 from a want of faith in the silk manufacture, 

 taken no pains to increase their stock, and the pre- 

 sent period has found them with scarcely a suf- 

 ficient number of trees to commence their growth 

 another year. 



At the south this has not been the case; the 

 trees there stand the winter without any injury, 

 and when once planted in thfc soil there is very lit- 

 tle danger ot" their loss afterwards; their growth 

 too, is immense, when compared with the trees of 

 New England. The season, there is two months 

 longer, and the trees consequently attain to one- 

 third more height than in New England. While, 

 therefore, at the north the trees have not been in- 

 creased, at the south they have been multiplied 

 to a great extent; and of the many thousands of 

 trees which have been oflered fur sale, and have 

 changed hands the past autumn, two-thirds have 

 been the growth ofthe middle and southern states. 



The hi<j;h price of the trees, it is thought, by 

 many, is injurious to the cause ofthe silk manufac- 

 ture ; and that it will deter many gentlemen, far- 

 mers, and others from entering into the business. 



