1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



677 



I have in this table not only estimated every 

 item at the lowest rate, but omitted all fractions. 



There is nothing visionary in tiiis calculation. 

 There is not an item in it which has not been out- 

 done in practice, and nothing in it but what any 

 practiced growerof silk knows can be realized. But 

 as the two or three first years produce but little profit, 

 many adventurers in the buiiness who cannot look 

 at the future through the medium of arithmetic 

 will be apt to feel discouraged and abandon it. 

 There are also many poor but industrious people 

 who might commence the business, and not only 

 acquire competence but wealth in a few years, but 

 who are deterred lrom the undertaking by suppo- 

 sing that some considerable, capital is necessary. 

 It has been my principal object, in giving this state- 

 ment, to show that no more capital is necessary 

 than can be obtained by an) 7 person of common 

 honesty and industry. Should the hints and out- 

 lines I have given prove the means of redeeming 

 one deserving family from the cold embraces of 

 cheerless poverty I shall feel amply rewarded. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 BTJHR STONE— IRON ORE — CLAY FOR BRICKS 

 AND CHARCOAL. 



It is somewhat unpleasant to come very often 

 before the public, unless I had matters of great 

 importance to communicate. 1 have, however, 

 in previous communications, neglected to men- 

 tion the existence of some mineral substances, 

 in our region, which, perhaps, ought to be 

 made known. By regarding appearances too 

 much, we may sometimes fail to be useful. 



There is, in this region, and in several places, 

 quite convenient to the Appomattox, a great quan- 

 tity of buhr stone, which I consider very good. 

 Whether the use of native buhr, in the formation 

 of mill-stones, would be an important acquisition, 

 I am unable to decide; as I know nothing of the 

 cost of that which is imported. I have under- 

 stood that the late Edward Dillon. Esq. of this 

 county, sent a boat load of buhr stone from his 

 land on the Appomattox, to a Mr. M outre of 

 Richmond, about twenty years ago, with a view 

 of having it tried in mill-stones. Both of these 

 gentlemen dying about the same time, no return 

 was made of the experiment. If you wish it I 

 can easily send you a sample of the stone. 



What is called bog-iron-ore is very common 

 in this part of the country. I have also seen, 

 from the land of Col. Charles Woodson, about 

 nine miles above Farmville, some very fine spe- 

 cimens of vein iron-ore. Should coal ever be 

 found in large quantities, in this vicinity, these 

 ores may be valuable. 



There is also a great deal of clay in this section, 

 pronounced by one of the most skilful and intelli- 

 gent bricklayers I ever knew, to be fully equal to, 

 and exactly alike that, of which such superior 

 bricks are manufactured in Baltimore. 



I have been much interested by the accounts in 

 the Register of animalized charcoal. The won- 

 derful chemical power which charcoal displays in 

 neutralizing the smell of putrefying animal and 

 vegetable matters, clearly evinces that it has a 

 strong affinity for, and is capable of absorbing a 

 great deal of the effluvia arising from them. 

 Charcoal being a cheap article, it might be worth 



the experiment to pound it. and cover wi'h it, our 

 manure heaps, in the spring, with a view of' sa- 

 ving the o-ases which are so profusely wasted from 

 such heaps, during their fermentation. There 

 can be no doubt but that this would be better than 

 covering them with earth. This might be the 

 best disposition we could make of our forests of 

 old field pine. 



Two years ago, after having spread a great 

 quantity of broken charcoal from the sites of old 

 coal kilns, on a lot of greatly exhausted land, in- 

 tending to marl and manure it, I permitted my ne- 

 groes to cultivate it in corn. They did this with- 

 out further manuring, and its product was fully 

 equal to that on the best spot in my corn field. I 

 think this goes to show that, charcoal possesses 

 some quality of combining with putrescent ma- 

 nures, and improving the constitution of soils. 



W. S. MORTON. 



From the Silk Culturist. 

 SILK BUSINESS AT THE SOUTH. 



Mr. Atwill. — Having read in your paper of 

 Dec. 16, an article purporting to be from the Bal- 

 timore Farmer, giving account of several gentle- 

 men in Columbus, Oi..:;, intending to pursue the 

 culture of silk; you win please to inform the Edi- 

 tor of the Farmer, that one of the gentlemen late- 

 ly visited Northampton, with whom the writer 

 had an agreeable interview. His purchase con- 

 sisted of 25,000 white mulberry and 200 Chinese 

 mulberry, which may, within a very k\v years be- 

 come a profitable concern, and a limited number of 

 worms may be led upon them the next season, 

 without injury. The gentlemen took a few of the 

 mammoth e ggs for experiment. 



In Virginia also, it is stated that 40,000 mul- 

 berry trees (probably the Italian white) had been 

 set out, in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, and 

 that a Mr. Dickinson, who had visited Northamp- 

 ton, (it appears had received the silk impulse) 

 and contemplated setting an orchard of 15 acres, 

 and is "happy to find he shall not grope his way 

 alone in the enterprise, as Mr. J. B. Gray of Fred- 

 ericksburg is going largely into the business." 



I have the pleasure of informing these gentle- 

 men that at least two counties in Western Virgin- 

 ia are already several years in advance of the sea- 

 board. Two or more flourishing nurseries of se- 

 veral thousand of white mulberry, 6 to 8 feet in 

 height, may be found in or near Clarksburg, Har- 

 rison Co., Va., is not only a nursery of Italian 

 white mulberry, but a more valuable and thrifty 

 nursery of Chinese mulberry, (Morus Multicau- 

 lis) to which an addition will be made by the ear- 

 liest opportunity, from this place. 



From this incipient nucleus, it is contemplated 

 that the counties in Western Virginia, may here- 

 after be furnished with the real Chinese mulberry. 

 There appears to be so much interest taken in the 

 culture of Ihe mulberry that orders are forwarded, 

 for the Silk Culturist, published at Hartford, Ct. 

 The white and Chinese mulberry and eggs were 

 sent to the care of a gentleman in the county of 

 Lewis, to cultivate himself, or to entrust to some 

 other iiiiihlul person. The genlleman, with more 

 desire to gratify the writer, than from any expecta- 

 tion of profit to himself, consented to take charge 

 of them, and now is so much pleased, that several 

 gentlemen contemplate pursuing the business ia 



