672 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 9 



may produce, of a temporary protraction of prices, 

 would be as injurious to public as (o private inler- 

 eslg. The foundation of silk-cullure is now laid 

 so firmiy and broadly, that nothing will prevent 

 the structure being finally erected ; and this would 

 secure good prices for trees, not only for this year, 

 but also the next, even if there were not a single 

 individual speculator in tlie market. But a sud- 

 den depression, now, would cause the erroneous 

 hnpression to be made on the public mind, that the 

 advocates of silk-culture had lost confidence in its 

 value and profiti-', and would thus serve at least to 

 retard its general or extensive establishment. We 

 believe that every tree raised in the country next 

 year will be wanted to supply the actual demand 

 for feeding silk-worms, or to make provision for the 

 future feeding. And if so, the lowest price that can 

 well be conceived, even 5 cen's the tree, will give a 

 very good profit to the planters of southern stock 

 at 50 cents, or at the highest prices yet obtained, 

 or asked, this season in Virginia. The general 

 price of the young white mulberry trees in France, 

 is a franc a piece, (about 19 cent?,) though that 

 kind has been cultivated there, for sale and ftr 

 feeding, for some centuries. Why then, if wanted 

 ibr use at all, should not the 7norus multicaulis, 

 which is intrinsically worth so much more, and as 

 early as 1840, sell for one-third at least, and more 

 probably two-thirds, or more, of the regular price 

 of morus alba in France? The occurrence of this 

 result will not depend on the action of speculators, 

 nor be prevented by a present depression of price, 

 if cause<l by the means above mentioned ; but will 

 be founded on the actual operations of, and the cer- 

 tain and undoubted profiis to be derived fi-ora silk- 

 culture. With the success of this culture taken 

 as a postulate, we may pronounce that every pre- 

 sent holder of trees may safely withdraw from the 

 market, keep his trees until next spring, (and 

 standing in the fields, if in Virginia or more south,) 

 if no purchasers offer sooner, and then, if not sold, 

 onvert the whole stocks to plantings; and he 

 may count on greater profits from the crop than 

 from pursuing the opposite course. On the other 

 hand, it is not necessary to repeat, what we have 

 often said already, that without the establishment 

 of silk-culture, or its success being in certain pros- 

 pect, the whole mulberry cultivation imd trade 

 would indeed be nothing but a bubble. 



Alter the above was partly in typo, we received 

 tlie last Philadelphia Siik Farmer, by the mail o( 

 the 30th, containing the following editorial state- 

 ment and remarks on the same subject. 



"!n relation to trees generally, we may inform 

 our friends at a distance, that the high prices ob- 

 tiiinod fur xMr. Pliysick's trees have induced many 

 Jvjiders to advance theirs, ami to riiak-3 o'hers 



firmer without advancing. On the other hand, 

 many whose necessities are urgent, are forcing their 

 stock into the market by auction and otherwise, for 

 the |)urpose of obtaining money. We neverlhelesg 

 know of various sales m the neighborhood of the 

 city, at 50 cents per tree, and some farther ofi a3 

 In'gh as 75. The pressure for money is severe 

 beyond all Ibrmer example; and seeing Ibr our- 

 selves how keen it is, the only wonder with us ia 

 that trees sell at all. Money in our market com- 

 mands from two to three per cent, a month; yet 

 the tree growers appear to think that buyers will 

 borrow money at that extravagant rate to pur- 

 chase their trees! 



_ "Growers at the south should steadily keep in 

 view one most important fact — their trees are 

 far superior in quality to ours, and hence should 

 command a proportionately better price. The pri- 

 ces obtained with us for the small sized and poorly 

 branched trees of the north, oucht not to regulate 

 the prices of the large southernlrees. Being bet- 

 ter in quality they ought to yield a better price, and 

 cannot fail to do so, unless prematurely forced into 

 market. 



"We know of several large sales of trees made 

 in this city the present week, by private contract, 

 at excellent prices, niuch higher than can be ob- 

 tained at auction. The number sold is nearly 

 100,000. These stiles would be more fi-equent, 

 but form the disposition manifested by some per- 

 sons to fbrce off their frees. Our view of the whole 

 subject remains unchanged, and we still believe 

 there is a demand over the country which will 

 lake ofl' all the trees at pTesent in il. 'I'he scar- 

 city of money may compel hundreds lo defer their 

 purchases until spring; but the demand at that time 

 will only be the more active." 



THE "CilllVESK TREE CORN," OR THE ''GRANT 

 THORBURN HUBIBUG," AGAIN. 



Immediately after the earliest announcement of 

 Mr. Thorburn's wonderful corn, which he sold,/or 

 charitable uses, at 25 cents the ear, we expressed 

 our hearty contempt for the corn, and still more for 

 the pretensions of its lucky discoverer and charita- 

 ble salesman; and from time to time since, we have 

 bestowed more of similar notice on the subject 

 than its importance merited, in any other point of 

 view than the boldness, and yet the remarkable 

 ■-uccess, of so gross and palpable an imposition on 

 the credulity and gullibility of the agricultural 

 pulilic. Another reason for thus paying to Mr. 

 Thorburn so mucii more respect than he v/ould 

 otherwise deserve, is, that by his superior perform- 

 ance in this line of business, he may be consider- 

 ed ns the very head and front of (he numerous class 

 of humbug producers and salesmen, of the present 

 day. Taking him therefore as the most excellent 

 of the v/hole class, we use him as a hook on 

 which to hang remarks applicable to the humbug 

 business and its operators generally. We believe 

 that we stood alone, among the conductors of agri- 

 cultural and other journals, in attempting (for our 

 cllort was a complete failure,) to expose and put 



