1839] 



F A H M E K S ' J J E G I S T E R . 



381 



except tlie introduction nnd use of calcareous nin- 

 niires; nnd these two jjreat improvoments will most 

 linppily unite wilh, aid. and give increased value 

 to each oilier. 



THE MULBERRY CROP, AND PRICES. 



Th(; planliufT of morus multicaulis trees this 

 year in Virginia, and generally in the United 

 States, has become so large and costly a husiness, 

 that it (onus an itnjinrtant item of agricultural ia- 

 hor, investment, and product; and on that score 

 alone, deserves notice, whatever may be tlie opi- 

 nion us to the propriety, and ultimate profit, of this 

 diret-iion of so much energy and so much capital. 



Tiiough there has been no lacli ofopinions, pre- 

 dictions, j)romises, and rumors, ol' prices of morus 

 uiulticaulis j)lanls of the growing crop, all seemed 

 uncertain, and little worthy of trust, until very re- 

 ivnily. Therefore, we have remained silent on 

 this point, until we had lacts, and such as were 

 unques:iunable, to report, instead of mere opi- 

 nions, or rumors of prices and prospects. 



There now can be no doubt of a general short 

 crop of the morus multicaulis. Besides tlie many 

 concurrent newspaper statements, which have 

 been open to the public, we have had private let- 

 ters and other inlijrmalion giving reports I'rum 

 Pennsylvania to Fioiida inclusive. All such re- 

 })orls are ol very short crops — the numbers of 

 plants standmg in each particular lot stated as 

 va:ying from one-half to one-tenth ol the cut- 

 lings planted; and fewer persons exceeding the 

 (brmer proportion, tlian there are who fall short of 

 the latter. Of our own planting, there is stand- 

 ing but ihree-eighlhs of the mature and well pre- 

 served cuttings planted. We have heard of but 

 one place where the stand is reported to be all 

 satisliiclorv; this is th". vicinity of Burlinii;lon, 

 New Jersey; and o!" this, our inlbrmulion is by no 

 means full or precise. 



The causes of the general and great failure of 

 the cuttings to grow, (where sound and I'v^U, and 

 properly preserved,) were, the following: 



1st. In many cases, improper management in 

 planting— in which some of the most experienced 

 cultivators have suffered greatly; and almost every 

 I)lanter novv knows sorrie one or more great errors 

 which he commuted, and the avoiding ol which 

 would have prevented half his present loss. 



2nd. The long and severe spring drought. 



3rd. And still more, the planting of single-bud 

 cuttings, which was done almost universally in 

 the south, even when of the smallest size. As 

 to cuttings of unripe extremities, which the raisers 

 have planted extensively, there has been so total 



a failure, as to show that they are not to be relied 

 on at any time. 



We Unow nnthinir of the crop north of I'l-nn- 

 sylvanin, and it is alniosi too soon liir i* to be yet 

 above ground. Bn' there, every year wi'l show 

 a failure, or at least what wouKl be consiiiered a 

 great fliilure here. 



Mr. Prince, nolwitli^tanding his undoubted 

 irreat advantages at hi? own nursery and garden 

 on Lonij Island, has made a large plai) ting in Vir- 

 ginia. This is a most striking evidence of the 

 vast superiority of our climate for this cnhure; and 

 a not less complete admission o{' JMr. Prince's not 

 confiding in his own former assertions and claims, 

 in this publication, in favor of the northern 

 growth. His argument, then maintained, if it 

 needed any refutation, is now completely refuted 

 by himself. 



The whole crop of the United Stales, we infer, 

 cannot much exceed half of the proportion expec- 

 ted to grow from the cuttings planted. Of course, 

 whatever might have been the demand, for a full 

 crop, must be greatl}^ increased. 



Not many sales of trees of the growing crop 

 have yet been made in Virginia. In the early part 

 of the year, a contract, as lariie as the buyer 

 chose to make, was made to deliver trees, in Greens- 

 ville county, next autumn, at G^ cents. Some 

 other, and large contracts were njade at 12i — and 

 of these, one in Nottoway bet >vcen two intelli- 

 gent and wealthy landholders, was as late as two 

 or three weeks ago. Still later, an entire lot of 

 20,000 trees were sold in this town for 15 cents 

 each, not to include any under three feet hi/h. 

 In Richmond the Ibllowing sales of growing trees 

 have been made within the last week. Thomas 

 J. White, esq. sold all the trees, of his crop (10,- 

 000 cuttings planted,) which may reach or exceed 

 3 feet in height, at 25 cents. Messrs. Hill and 

 Dabney sold 3000 trees, all to be as high as 4 feet 

 at 27 cents. Messrs. L. and R. Hill bought a lot, 

 to include all of 4 leet and more, at 27^ cents. No 

 holders there will now take offers of less than 25 

 cents the tree. 



On the 24th of June, a small lot of the roofs 

 and young shoots of 50 trees ("being all on the 

 piece of ground, now in the fourth year fro:ii the 

 planting of the buds,) raised by S. D. Mor- 

 ton, esq, of Petersburg, were sold by him (or $5 

 each. The tops had been cut off at the ground 

 last fall, and sold then ai $10 each. As this 

 is the only instance yet known of two successive 

 years' sales llom precisely the same stock and 

 land, we had the curiosity to have the ground ac- 

 curately measured. The trees occupy (partly, for 

 the ground has also two rows of corn to each row 

 of trees,) a space of 20 by 60 lijet, including 3 feet 

 of additional space beyond each outside row. 



