764 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 12 



which of late years has been the principal outlet 

 i'oT that grain. Tlii.s arises fi-om the circumstance 

 that, from the dry nature of our climate, betler 

 wheat is raised than in the west of En<^land and 

 Ireland. Tiie voyages through the canal are, 

 however, frequently tedious, as the wiutls, confined 

 by the mountaine, generally blow from either end, 

 and often lor long periods. This can be obviated 

 by the application of steam, and afier the very 

 large expediture on this great national work, the 

 expense of this power seems quite trifling, com- 

 pared with the advantages to the navigation of the 

 canal. By the aid of government, and under the 

 direction of parliamentary commissioners, exten- 

 sive lines of excellent roads and good harbors have 

 been conslructed. Another important improve- 

 ment is on the eve of being set on foot, namely, 

 the establishing of steam-boats for the purpose of 

 carrying fat cattle and sheep to the Eniflish and 

 southern Scottish markets. The benefit of this 

 conveyance must be very sensibly fi?lt, as the loss 

 of wei£rht and other casualties which fiit stock ex- 

 perience in their tedious land journey at an early 

 period of the year, and when (bod is often difficult 

 to be procured" on the road, very much lessen the 

 profits of the feeder. The greater expense per 

 liead which the transport by steam must occasion, 

 will, it is thought, be more than counterbalanced 

 by the superior condition of tho aniusals on arriving 

 at market. 



Character of the prasantry. — Like our Scottish 

 peasantry in general, the inhabitants of this coun- 

 try may be said to he religious ; arc of sober, 

 industrious, and peaceable habits ; obedient and 

 respectful to their tupeiioro ; and are willing to be 

 instructed in any thing connected with their occu- 

 pation by which they can make themselves more 

 useful. 



RnMARKARLE GROWTH OF BIORUS BIULTI- 

 CAUI.IS ON A SOIL ALMOST PURELY CAL- 

 CAREOUS. 



Capt. Jacob Ilovsenian, Present. 



Indian Key, T. i<'., Nov. 14, 1839. 

 Sis — The Editor of the Farmers' Register, at 

 Petersburg Va., desires to obtain facts concerning 

 the moras multicaulis of perpetaal <rrowth on the 

 Florida Keys. As you are the oldest accidental 

 introducer of the Manilla mulberry on lliis arid 

 calcareous rock, I beg you to communicate any 

 facts accidentally observed by you in relation to 

 the original trees and to their recent progeny. 

 Very respectfully. 



Your obedient servant, 



Hknry Perrine, 

 Superintendent of the T. r . C. 



Dr. Perrine, 



Indian Key, Nov. 14, 1839. 

 Dear Sir — Agreeable to your request lor the 

 history of my morus mullicaulis, I say that I or- 

 dered at New York, a lot of plants, (the invoice 

 of which is dated '2Sth February 1834,) consist- 

 ing of apple, peach, p-!uni and mulberry trees, 

 which were set out as soon as they arrived at this 

 islet. I did not know what kind of mulberry were 

 the two trees, but I dug a hole in the limestone 

 rock and planted them, where they grew very 

 fhrifiily. The next year they bore f ruitabundanl- 



ly, when I trimmed them and cut off a cart-load 

 of branches and sprouts, and iiove them away, 

 not knowing that they would grow by slicking 

 them in the ground. As the trees were in the 

 way, I dug them up and transplanted them, but 

 one died from the misconduct of the negroes. I 

 however, continued to trim the branches of the 

 remaining tree from three to lour times a year, 

 and still continued to throw them away until about 

 a year ago, when 1 learned from JMr. Howe that 

 by cutting off tlie limbs, and cutting them in short; 

 pieces and b}'' sticking them in the ground they 

 would grow. ] then planted 20 cuttings to try 

 them, and now the bodies of some are three inches 

 diameter, and from 12 to 15 lijet high. The great 

 growth of these plants and the great stories of the 

 morus mullicaulis, was the reason why some lei- 

 sure days in the hist summer and fidl I stuck in 

 the ground more than ten thousand cuttings of the 

 new branches, all which are now from two to 

 three feet high, well covered with large leaves. 

 The soil is nothing but a shelly kind of gravel and 

 sand, not more than from one to two feet deep to 

 the solid coral rock. 



Your humble servant, 



Jacob Houseman. 



To Charles Howe, esq., Present. 



Indian Key, T. F., Nor. 14, 1839. 

 Sir — The Editor of the Farmers' Register, of 

 Virginia, is desirous to acquire facts concerning 

 thf" ixrowth of the morus muhicaulis on the Flo- 

 rida keys. As you are the oldest practical pro- 

 pagator of the Manilla mulberry on this coral 

 rock, you are hence respectlully requested to com- 

 municate any important facts from your immedi- 

 ate personal observations in this entirely tropical 

 climate and on the entirely calcareous soil. 

 Very respecifullj^, 



Your ob't. servant. 

 Henry Perrine. 



To Dr. II. Perrine, Present. 



Indian Key, Nov. 16, 1839. 

 Sir — fn reply to your request of yesterday, I 

 briefly state that my personal observations on this 

 little island have satisfied me of the important 

 facts that the morus mullicaulis is here in the very- 

 best section of the United Slates for its profitable 

 propagation; because the Manilla mulberry is 

 here an evergreen tree, which bears leaves the 

 whole year round, and because it iherelbre does 

 furnish Ibod for silk worms and does flirnish buds 

 lor planting on every day of every year. Mr. 

 Baker of Charleston, S. C. sent me nine plants 

 of the morus mullicaulis, about two feet high, 

 which 1 planted on the 23rd December, 1836 ; and 

 on the 2nd January 1837, the leaves had become 

 the size of a dollar. On the 12th January 1837 I 

 hatched 50 eggs of silk worms, and fed them on 

 the young leaves of said plants, by picking all the 

 leaves on each plant in succession ; and when the 

 ninlh plant was stripped, the first plant was asain 

 covered with leaves; on the 22d February, 1837, 

 I sent to Charleston, S. C. several cocoons spun 

 by those worms fed on those leaves; that is in 

 two months the leaves were grown, the worms 

 were fed, and the cocoons were spun, in the worst 

 days of a northern winter. In relation to the pro- 

 pagation of the Manilla mulberry, I will briefly 

 state that I have planted cuttings and transplant- 



