1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



341 



This aid and support fiom the larger portion ofthe 

 farmers, I mean the little ilirmers, those with little 

 education, may he expected to be limited; they 

 have not, ihe ability to do much, il" they have the 

 inclination. Their plan is a kind of a rote, a mo- 

 notony, the practices followed by their lathers, 

 their ifrand-falhers, and t-lieir greal-frrand-futhers; 

 tiiey seelv no improvement, but remain perfectly re- 

 conciled to their poor crops and their land-mur- 

 dering systems. The idra of the study of che- 

 mistry, botany, vegetable or animal physiology, 

 geology, &c. with them seems as foreign to their 

 business as law or physic. But to the intelligent, 

 the reading class of our citizens, we must look for 

 support. Jjul with this class, how entirely negli- 

 gent they are of their real interests! How lew 

 out of the many who are able to assist in the 

 cause, ever take up a pen in its behall^ — lliat 

 even give to the public eye, in our agricultural 

 journals their experiments in detail, their mven- 

 lions, their discoveries, OJ" any idea relating to, or 

 touching that branch of science? 



I have no experience in farming, consequent!}' 

 what 1 might say upon that subject, would be of 

 but little avail, and therefore should be little in 

 words ; and shall at jjresent only offer some hints. 



On the a^nstruction of garden and lot fences. — 

 Upon which, 1 propose, as I think, an improved 

 plan. It is this: after laying ofi' the size and form 

 of an enclosure, for paling, railing or common rail 

 or worm-liinces, plough up with a double-plough 

 to the full depth or a little beyond the soil a space 

 of six, eight, or ten ftjct in width along the course 

 designed ibr the fence. Then remove the soil so 

 broken up, to any contigcous spot, and this, though 

 poor amino belter than the land on which it is put, 

 will prove a manure in effect, for the depth of soil, 

 good or bad, is very important. And along this 

 trench build the fence. The width ofthe excava- 

 tion, will of course, depend upon the kind of I'ence 

 designed to be constructed thereupon. The ad- 

 vantages to be gained by this plan are, I think, 

 several. The absence of the soil would prevent 

 the growth of noxious weeds, briers and clusters 

 of vines, &c., so conmion about gardens, lots and 

 other spots of good land; the paling by being thus 

 sunk would be somewhat protected (i-om the winds, 

 from the influence of the shade produced by the 

 thickets of weeds, &c. so destructive to all timber ; 

 and in excessive wet weather the excavation would 

 serve as a drain and a reservoir for the excess of 

 water, &c. &c. 



The dwrabiliiij of cypress poles, for ordinarj' out- 

 house building seems to be not generally known. 

 Poles or logs of this timber are far [)reliirable to 

 any made use of in this section for that purpose. 

 Those who take durability into consideration, 

 when cutting poles, would be well paid for their ad- 

 ditioniil trouble in procuring cypress, if possi!i!e to 

 be had in their vicinity at a reasonable expense. A 

 friend of mine has now, in good and sound condi- 

 tion, a stable that was built of" these about twenty 

 years ago ; and other out-buildings of later dale, 

 promising equal lasting. It is said by some that 

 the bark should remain on the poles; but tliis I 

 consider not important; they are U'=!ed here both 

 with and without the bark, and with no visible 

 dilierence as to lasting. 



Our neighbors are too much of an office-seek- 

 ing people, a fortune craving -people, (or good 

 farmers. Catching at any and all offices and em- 



ployments that will take liieir attention'away from 

 their fu'ming operations, fiir, (as they seem to 

 iliiidi) the more honorable distinctions of, Mr. — 

 Esq. — Colonel — Miijor — Captain, &.c., who make 

 so bold and conspicuous a figure among us, the 

 farmers, the little ones. 



I have thus, in obedience to my well wishes I 

 have lor agriculture, attempted to contribute my 

 little, toward the advancement of that great source 

 ol human support. Should you excuse the rough 

 and hasiy manner in which it is jumbled together, 

 and consider it of any value to your readers, then 

 give it a place in the Farmer?' Register, and at 

 some more leisure day I will offer some words on 

 a subject better deserving your attention. 



Bv the Register's reader, 



D. C. R. 



TWO-CROP SILK- WORMS. FIXTITRES FOR 



FEKDING AND SPINNING, &C. 



To tlie Editor ol" tlie Farmers' Register. 



Stafford, May 22nd, 1839. 



Dear Sir — Yours ofthe 15th inst., is received, 

 and I embrace the earliest leisure moment to re- 

 ply to your several inquiries. 



The variety of silk-worms called in the United 

 States "two-crop," has been reared with success 

 Ibr many years in Connecticut, whence I original- 

 ly procured my eggs. The eggs o!' this variety 

 (if good,) invariably hatch twice, without the use 

 of artificial means. Nothing more is necessary 

 than to leave the eggs, procured from the first 

 rearing, exposed where the moths have deposited 

 them, and to notice them every morning between 

 sunrise and 10 o'clock A. M. They usually hatch 

 out in from three to ten days. Such as do not 

 hatch (if any) cannot be relied on for the following 

 year. Eggs for the latter purpose, must be pro- 

 cured from the second rearing. Eggs from other 

 varieties sometimes hatch the same season, but 

 they cannot be relied on lor a second crop. I 

 have never known this to occur but once under 

 my observation, and then only lour or five thou- 

 sand hatched out of a lot of thirty thousand eggs. 



The "two-crop" silk-worm moults /oi/r times; 

 but in other respects it answers well to the descrip- 

 tion given by Dandolo of the three-cast worms. 

 There is no worm as far as I have been able to 

 learn, after diligent inquiry, in the United States 

 that does not cast its skin four times. 



The "two-crop" worm is hardy, stands atmos- 

 pheric transitions better than most other varie- 

 ties, and is not so liable to that terrible disease 

 which ihe French called the grasserie. When- 

 ever this disease breaks out in a cocoonery, it is 

 vain to look for a tolerable result. It also spins a 

 finer fibre, and for some purposes the silk pro- 

 duced commands from $1 to ^2 per pound more 

 than that from the ordinary varieties. 



After three years spent in experimenting, I have 

 adopted fixtures with which I am entirely satisfied. 

 They are simple, econonfical, convenient, and (if I 

 mayuse the expression,) meet the instinctive views 

 of the silk-worms. I will describe them briefly. 



1 place pieces of scantling, extending perpendi- 

 cularly ft-om tlie floor to the joists, two leet apart, 

 measuring across the cocoonery, and six ((3et dis- 

 tant, measuring lengthwise, leaving intervening 



