id35.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



5?91 



From the Silk Culturist. 

 CLIMATE AND SOIL OF NEW ENGLAND. 



Almost every newspaper in the country has an 

 occasional paragraph on the culture of silk, and 

 in many of them we notice the climate and soil 

 of New England, spoken of as admirably adapted 

 to rearing the silk worm and the cultivation of the 

 mulberry. Remarks of this kind have a tendency, 

 not only to make an erroneous impression but to 

 mislead other sections of the country into a belief 

 that there is something peculiar in our climate and 

 soil, which gives us advantages and facilities, in 

 this respect, not enjoyed by others, while, at the 

 same time, precisely the reverse is true. That 

 providence in the distribution of its gifts has given 

 us a climate and soil congenial to the production 

 of silk is a matter of fact, and ought to be of grat- 

 itude and thanksgiving; but that it has lavished 

 them upon us in greater, or even equal prolusion 

 with some of our sister states is not true. 



The middle, southern, and western stales, have 

 natural advantages for the culture of silk, which 

 the northern can never enjoy. The white mulber- 

 ry will grow luxuriantly in all parts of the United 

 States, and so far as its foliage is depended upon 

 for the subsistence of the worm, the natural ad- 

 vantages of all the states are equal. But with re- 

 spect to the Chinese mulberry, it cannot be culti- 

 vated in the northern states, without much addi- 

 tional labor and expense; while at the south no 

 extra care or precaution is indispensable to its* 

 propagation. This gives the southern section a 

 decided advantage over the northern, which no 

 amount of skill or experience, can counterbalance. 

 The whole truth about it is, a portion of the pop- 

 ulation of New England, and especially of Con- 

 necticut, have been tor about half a century en- 

 gaged in the culture of silk, and their experience 

 and observations have constituted a fund of prac- 

 tical information on the subject, which cannot be 

 found in any other part of the country. The suc- 

 cess of the silk business in Connecticut, is there- 

 fore attributable to this cause, and not to any pe- 

 culiar adaptation of climate and soil, for in this 

 respect we are far less favored than most oi" the 

 other states. 



From the New York Times. 

 CULTIVATION OF SILK. 



It is little more than fifty years ago, since an 

 American vessel was seized at Liverpool for 

 having on board eight bales of cotton, it not. beintr 

 believed that the article could be produced in this 

 country. At present about 600,000 bales are car- 

 ried to the same port. To the culture of this ar- 

 ticle the country owes a great part of its wealth 

 and prosperity. Where fifty years ago eight bales 

 of cotton were produced, one million two hundred 

 thousand are now produced. If fifty years ago a 

 man had ventured to predict that the article of cot- 

 ton would become the grand staple of the country, 

 and add millions upon millions to its wealth, he 

 would have been laughed at as a madman. It 

 has lately been predicted that before many years 

 are passed, the production of silk in this country 

 will equal the production of cotton; and we see no 

 reason to question the justice of the calculation. 

 The cultivation of this article has been commenced 

 by the enterprising men of the east. Theeoil and cli- 



mate of New England are admirably adapted to its 

 cultivation. Those who have thus far engaged in it, 

 have reaped good profits, and have every reason to 

 persevere. It hascommenced in apart of the coun- 

 try where thrift and industry have never failed to 

 succeed. It has been commenced under far more 

 favorable circumstances than those which attend- 

 ed the first cultivation of cotton. It requires but 

 little labor, and the principal part of the labor re- 

 quired may be performed by females and children. 

 The experiment has thus far proved successful, 

 and it has been attended with but a trifling degree 

 of expense. 



A MODE OP DESTROYING ANTS. 



A writer by the name of Roughly, says: "Poi- 

 soning with arsenic is the most expedient mode of 

 getting rid of ants, as the living will feed on the 

 dead, so that the whole nest, (by devouring one 

 another) are thus killed.'' 



From the Northampton Courier. 



PLOUGHING UNDER GREEN CROi ; 3 FOR MA- 

 NURE. 



Being the owner of a small farm, most of which 

 was in a low state of cultivation at the time I 

 commenced making experiments, and feeling desi- 

 rous of enriching it. faster than I could with stable 

 and barn yard manure, the quantity made being 

 small I therefore resolved to try the effect of plough- 

 ing under green crops. The piece upon whch I 

 tried my experiment contains nearly tour acres, 

 and is of a hazle-nut colored loam, lying near the 

 Connecticut river. 



In 1831, the lot above mentioned had wheat and 

 rye reaped from it; about 1^ were of wheat, and 

 produced 17 bushels, yielding 9^ bushels to the 

 acre. The 2| acres of rye yielded about 27 bush- 

 els being 12 bushels to the acre — total of wheat 

 and rye, 44 bushels. The ground for the wheat 

 was ploughed three times and had the same num- 

 ber of harrowings. That for rye was ploughed 

 but twice, with two harrowings; clover and herds- 

 grass were sown on the whole piece. At the time 

 of raising the grain. I did not intend trying any ex- 

 periment; but the grass seed not having come up 

 well, the lot was ploughed once in August, 1832, 

 and sown with rye, was fed down with sheep in 

 the fall and also in the spring, until about May; 

 thus affording sufficient feed to pay the expense of 

 the seed for the first crop. 



After the sheep were taken from the grain, it 

 was left to grow until about the time it blossomed, 

 when it was ploughed under, and the ground sown 

 with buckwheat — \ bushel of seed to the acre. 

 When the buckwheat was in blossom, that was 

 also ploughed under; after which the ground was 

 suffered to remain until a short time, before it was 

 sown, when it was again ploughed once, sown 

 with wheat and rye, October 3d. Previous to sow- 

 ing the wheat, the seed was soaked about twenty- 

 four hours in brine, and afterwards rolled in plas- 

 ter, where it remained in a body twelve or sixteen 

 hours. My object in treating it in this manner 

 was to prevent smut, and the ravages of the Hes- 

 sian fly, which has several times destroyed some 

 ot my "wheat; but fortunately the crops the present 



