1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



655 



idea of engaging permanently in the culture of 

 silk." There is no remedy for it but to overstock 

 the market, and then it will cure itself; but it will 

 be long ere the demand lor mulberry trees will 

 cease, if this is to be a silk growing country, (and 

 I knoio it is to be) and some thousands ol millions 

 will be wanted. It is only lor want ol" correct in- 

 formation on the subject that there is so much fear 

 of the " wild speculation,'" and I propose to gi%'e a 

 lew facts that should satisfy the most incredulous, 

 that one dollar each for trees, that can be freely 

 propagated by cuttings, is not above their value 

 lor silk growing, and at that price they are within 

 the reach of every larmer. 



I shall only state facts, sir, and if I make any 

 mistakes I hope to be corrected by any of your 

 readers who may take an interest in the matter. 

 I shall show by a regular account of Dr. and Cr. 

 of what has been done the present season, and 

 shall first state the case of a neighbor (a farmer) 

 and then give one of my own : 



Dr.— Oct 183S. To cash paid for 200 



mulberry trees, ^1 each, - - - ^200 



To cash Ibr planting and hoeing cuttings 



for one acre, ----- 45 



To cash for interest one year, - - - 15 



To cash for rent of land, - - - 20 



Add cost of making 60 lbs. of silk (brought 

 up) 



82S0 

 120 



Cr.— By sale of 6000 lbs. leaves from 12,000 

 trees, the product of the 200 trees, at 

 SI per 100 lbs. the purchaser gather- 

 ing the leaves, _ - - . 



12,000 trees on hand, average four feet 

 high, equal in value for propagation to 

 those purchased at one dollar, vvhich 

 will yield next season two pounds of 

 leaves each tree, and cuttings lor at 

 least 200,000. 



f will not strike the balance to the above, 

 but will only observe, that had the 

 6000 lbs. of leaves been fed to the 

 worms instead of selling them, a much 

 greater profit would have accrued ; the 

 first year the product would have been 

 60 lbs. of raw silk, at $6 per lb. ; (cost 

 carried up,) ----- 



Add state bounty, $1 50 per lb. 



8400 



860 



8360 

 90 



8450 



Can you believe the above account 1 It is true 

 to the letter. Was the farmer mad, to engage in 

 such an enterprise while every body said it was " all 

 speculation?" 



I will now state my own account, and for con- 

 venience will take 5 acres of my new f"arm of 80 

 acres, (most of which will be planted with mulber- 

 ries next spring — 20 acres of which are now filled 

 with them, for permanent plantation.) You are 

 aware, sir, that the above farm hns been consi- 

 dered as worn out. and when [ took it last autumn 

 it was overrun with briers, and had not produced 

 a crop for several years. I am thus particular, 

 that our farmers may see the possibility of impro- 

 ving the poorest farm, and making it permanently 

 productive of a much larger profit than I even 



dare to mention, but which they will readily per- 

 ceive by the actual result of the first year, and the 

 probable (and I may say certain) result of the 

 next and following years. 



The manure used for the above farm is such as 

 is within reach of every larmer, but which has 

 been much neglected, viz : muck, or the black ve- 

 getable matter found in swamps and bottoms at 

 the foot of hills. It is the best and only safe ma- 

 nure Ibr this climate ; it causes a vigorous and 

 healthy growth, and permanently improves the 

 soil — while other manures, particularly barn or 

 yard manure, causes a protracted growth, till se- 

 vere frosts occur, which is death to the otherwise 

 hardy tree. I have lost many hundreds of thou- 

 sands in that way, and I would caution growers 

 of the mulberry in our climate to beware of barn 

 manure, but to prize every load of muck as the 

 most valuable Ibr saftjty and profit. It should be 

 thrown out in the fall, to receive the action of frost, 

 and be spread in the furrows or in the hill. Trees 

 grown in it will withstand our hardest winters. 



We will now see how the account stands with 

 a part of the " Segur farm." I shall stale the 

 price of trees the same as the other farm. Those, 

 however, were grown on better land. 



Dr. — To cash paid for 5 acres of land, at 



820 per acre, - . - - 



To cash for 1000 trees, at 8 1 each. 

 To cash for carting 1000 loads of muck, 

 To cash for spreading same. 

 To cash for ploughing, planting and hoeing, 



Interest on 81230, 



Add account brought up. 



81230 



72 



81302 

 1178 



82480- 

 The quantit)' of leaves is about the same 

 as on the other lot, but as I chose not to 

 use them this year, no account is made 

 of it, but after stating the number of trees 

 (50;000) we will carry it forward to the 

 next year, and shovv 50,000 trees with 

 one pound of leaves each (half the quan- 

 tity) which fed to worms will make 500 

 lbs. of silk, at 86 per lb. - - - 83000 

 Add state bounty, 81 50 per lb. - 750 



837505 



Add to investment, interest to 1840, 8'7'8 



" " Cocoonery, 60 

 Making and reeling silk, at 82 per 



lb. ----- - 1000 



Cultivation, - - . . 40 



(Carried up) 81178 



Deduct whole investment (82480) and 

 there is a profit over and above of 81270 



We thus have a profit of 81270 over and above 

 the whole inveHment and expenses, with an in- 

 crease of 500,000 trees, and cuttings enough for 

 ten times that qantity if needed. 



Samuel Whitmarsh. 



Northampton, Sept. 28. 



