1S39] 



F A II M E R S ' « E G J S T E R 



675 



years since I liave been devoteci to the introiluc- 

 tion of Ilie silk-cullure in the Uniled Siaies. I 

 saw in 1828 iliat it coul 1 be made a profitable, and 

 ol'course a valuable object oCatlentioii in tlie Uni- 

 ted Slates, even with the tiien known species ol' 

 mulberry, moras alba. How much more ceriain 

 I leh oT its practicability in 1830 when I ascertain- 

 ed the valuable properties ol' the morits rnullicnu- 

 Its, I leave you to judtre. I |)iirsued liie pubjecl 

 vvitii all riiy heart, and all my niiirht, without ever 

 once ihiid<iii(j ivlieiher 1 was to t»enefit myselt' in 

 the smallest decree or not — (rom first to last I 

 never once thouijht oTsell'; and when I saw oiiiers 

 mal<intf Ibrtunes, it never occurred to me that I 

 had oniittet! an opportunilv of doinjj; the same. 

 Your most spleniiid testimonial, therelbre, invalu- 

 able in itself, is still more precious to my feehnirs, 

 from its coming to me unexpecied and unsought 

 for. 



Be pleased to accept my most rprateful thanks, 

 and also to convey the same to your associates, 

 with the assurance of a continuation of my exer- 

 tions in the irood cause, now rendered more than 

 ever dear to me. 



VVnh high respect, gentlemen, 



I am yonis, 

 Gideon B. S.^iitii. 

 To Edjiuxd Ruffix, Esq. } 



Tsios. S. Pmijasaxts, Esq. > Cmimiilcs. 



G'.CX. JofJ.V n. COCKK. J 



Ir.scriptinn nn ihc -piate. 



'Vn GiDUOX D. P'.itin, 

 In tpstimoiiy ol liis earlw di- in'crcs'-d. and ' ft'- 

 rii'n' S'rvi i---, in proni I'iiiir lilt' c.i.l i;ie ipf >il!< in 

 ilie Uiiitf'd Stat.'<; ami csnfcialU- in iirdwuf !<n"Wii 

 tlie peculiar value n'' liie m'>rus niullicaulls. as 

 thi-; must iiii|iortani means, un,! imbjcing n.-; txieii 

 sive cuhivalion ai.d use. 



wiih the sober rerdities that are found near the 

 snrtkcc ol' the earth; and so I'ar from crediting 

 these extravairant estimates, they look up^on them 

 as truly ridiculous and contemptible; and unfortu- 

 nately niany of litem include the culture of silk 

 itself with these wild estimates, imbibe strong [)03- 

 sessions aifainst it, and reijard it as a humbug, cie- 

 ated li)r the purpose u\' speculation. If men who 

 have no facts on which to base their calculations, 

 must publish ther theories, they should strive to 

 keep within the- bounds ol' probability. 



'riieexiierimeiit of ihc Rev. Mr. McLean was 

 accurate, ami no doulu faithfully reported, and 

 proves that 500 pounds of cocoons, or 50 pounds 

 of reeled silk, may be produced from an acre, the 

 same season tiiai the morus multicaulis trees are 

 planted. There is nothing wild or extravagant 

 about this estimate; l>nt to inlerfrom it, that wlien 

 (he trees are l()ur or five years old the product will 

 be 200 to 300 pounds ol' reeled ^^llk, in my view, 

 inaiiilesily shows the want of judgment. 



Mr. McLean had on his ground, at the rate of 

 37.120 trees to the a(^e; and while 1 admit that 

 trees planted thus closely might thrive lor a sin- 

 irle year, I know that the second or third year, 

 they would l)ecnme diseased, and the Ibiirth or filth 

 year ihey would lie likely to liire as Cobbef.'s cu- 

 ciindier vines, viz.: '-ilie ol natural slarvation.'' 

 'Wheti die roo:s nf the ninrus mi.fira'ulis hejjin to 

 i:iier!ncl>-, an,! ennifml vvi li eat li other, the leaves 

 heioiiie fidl iif \cii()W veins an.l spo;s, and do not 

 attain more I lian oi!ft(itn-;h their usual size. and are, 

 nf course, nnsuiiubie Iboil lor silk-wnrms. I. ihere- 

 fire. ihiiik it apparent ibit Mr. McLean's experi- 

 ment all'iirds no louitdaiioii I'ov high pressure n^- 

 eiifiMiins. Those who must havesmb enormous 

 profits, had I.eilei' no fo woik as Mr. Milieandid, 

 and report the auiouiit ol' product in cocoons, or 

 reeled silk. Layton Y. Atkias. 



Stafford en., Fa., Sept. 1839. 



Since liie last pnMication of |)rior contributions 

 to the "Smith fund" the comniitiee. have toai- 

 knowledi^e the receipt of the Ibllowing; 



From Israel Kinsman of Philadelpliia $200 

 Edmund RulIIn, Jr. Vinrinia 75 



ON EXTRAVAGANT AXD «iOUND ESTIMATES OF 

 PROFITS OF SILK CULTURE. 



For ttie Farmers' Register. 



TVie experiment of the Rev. Mr. McLean of 

 New Jersey, does not warrant the. conclusion, that 

 %1000 per acre may be realized Jrom the culture of 

 silk. 



In the Farmers' Retjister, and other publications, 

 I have froqiienliy declared that such estimates ol 

 profit from the culture of silk, as that relerred to 

 above, are mischievous, and worthy of ridicule and 

 contempt. 1 do not charire the publishers of smdi 

 statements with insincerity and inienlional misrep- 

 resentation. Very sincere ami good men are lia- 

 ble, in times of excitement, to deceive themselves. 

 and under the influence of sell-deception to pro- 

 mulgate theories with a confidence of assertion 

 that yhcis above can justily. Our cautious and 

 calculating larmers are not in the habit of riding in , 

 balloons and parachutes, but are quitu familiar | 



EXTRACTS FROM PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE. 



Gloucester, Sept. 15, 1839. 



I have pursued the improvement of my larm 

 with more s[)irit this summer than I have been 

 able to do hereiolbre. Having succeeded in get- 

 tinifout my crop of wheat earlier than usual, I 

 have been enabled to devote my whole force lor 

 near fivt^ weeks to carting out marl and marsh 

 mild, belure I was obliired to stop to pu I fodder. 



I have iieen able to go over such a surlitce. as 

 surprises me when I look at it, having gone over 

 liftv acres, and the manuring laithfully done. I had 

 four tumbrils, and sixteen or seventeen hands at 

 work. 



The latter corn in Gloucester is surprisingly 

 fine; the lorward corn on the best lands being 

 about an averaixe crop. I have lately returned 

 from the upfier country, where I (buml ib.e corn, 

 every where I vis'ted, as good as the land was ca- 

 pable of producing. The wheal crop in Orange 

 and Culpeper is'very bad; I heard of returns 

 there the smallness of which would surprise 

 even a lower Viiirinia farmer. Here the wheat 

 crop has been a lair one; and as long as we can 

 make from 10 to 15 bushels, alter corn, by the aid 

 of marl, we need not envy the upper country ihe 

 boasted influence of jjlaster, which is ineffiicienl 

 here. 



