44 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AufiU:,!, ^9, IS-iS- 



Directions for ihc Rearing of Silk Worms, and ihe Culiurt- j mid tixed to upright posts — they may be multi- 

 of llie While Mullicrry Tree. Published by ihc PcunsyHan | pljed ^g re<iuircil. Whether a distinct building 

 Society associated lor the Promotion of those Objects. Phila 

 delphia. ia28. 



hold, or between the decks ; and is it any won- 

 der, that a barrel of pomace, instead of apples, ar- 



If, instead of this* 

 gafliered, fa xveek 



The above is the title of a ))amphlet witich we 

 lately received by the kindness of Dr. Mease. It 

 appears to us to be very well calculated for the 

 uses iniphed by its title, and we shall therelbre 

 proceed to place before our reaaers such portions 

 of its contents its point most plainly to such pro- 

 cesses as are indispensable to success in the man- 

 ufacture of silk. 



Procure eggs in February and March, and 

 choose those of a pale slate or clay colour; avoid 

 all which are yellow, as they are imperfect. Keep 



or apartment in a tlwelling house be devoted to a rives at I^ondoii or Liverpool ! 

 large parcel, it is absolutely necessary to secure j careless work, the ajiples were 

 the command of a gentle circulation of air, by before ripe ; ) not bruised at all in the gathering: 

 havin" ventilators in the windows, floors, and laid in the sun on boards or cloths three days to 

 (joors. let the watery particles evaporate a httle ; put in- 



One or more tin circular ventilators in place of to barrels with fine cut straw-chafi; in such a way 

 i)anes of glass, would always ensure a regular cir- as t'liat no apple touched another ; carefully car- 



ried to the ship, and put on board, and as care- 

 fully landed ; if this were the mode, one barrel, 

 though it wotild contain oitly half the quantity, 

 would sell for as much as, upon an average, tak- 

 ing in loss by total destruction, twenty barrels sell 

 for now. On the deck is the best part of the 

 ship for apples ; but, if managed as I have di- 

 rected, between decks will do very well. In the 



culation in the apartment : they may be stopped 



when their motion is not retiuired. Red ants are 



deadly enemies to silk worms ; to prevent their 



attacks, the posts containing fixed shells must not 



touch the ceiling, nor must the shelves reach the 



walls ; the lower parts of the posts should he 

 them in a cold, dry ])lace, (where water will, how- 1 sineared with thick molasses. If the worms are 

 ever, not freeze,) until the leaf buds of the mul- fg^j qu tables or moveable frames, their legs may 



(jerry begin to swell. If the eggs be soiled, dip I ^\go bo smeared with molasses, or put in a dish of keeping of apples for market or for house use,* 

 the paper or cloth to which they adhere, in water j ^yater ; guard also against cockroaches, mice, and the same precautions ought to be observed as in 

 once or twice, to wash off the coat with ^^•llich j other vermin. ' gathering and laying out to dry ; and, perhaps, to 



they are covered, and which will impede the | The worms being all hatched, whether they pack in the same way, also, is the best mode that 

 hatching of the worms.* Dry them qtiickiy in a are to remain in the first apartment, or be reraov- can be discovered. 



draught of air, and put them m one or more shal- gd to another room, or distinct building, the heat " Dried apities is an article of great and gen- 

 low boxes, lined with paper ; which place, if pos- must be reduced to 75° ; for, as the worms grow ' eral use. Every body knows that the apjiles arer ; 

 .sible, in a small room, of the temperature of 64°, ; older they require less heat. peeled, cut into about eight pieces, the core taken 



and keep it up to that degree for the two first | Jt is impossible to ensure the regular hatching out, and the pieces juit in the sun till they become 

 days, by means of a fire in the chimney, or stiir of the worms witl-.out the tise of a thermometer, dry and tough. They are then put by in bags or 

 better, in a brick, tile, or porcelain stove ; or for j which may he bought for $2 50. ; 



want of these, in an iron stove ; and use tanners' 

 waste bark, turf, or charcoal for fuel, to promote 

 and keep u\> a regular heat day and night. The 

 third day increase the heat to 66°, the fourth to 

 68°, the fifth to 71°, the sixth to 73°, the seventh 

 to 75", the eighth to 77°, the ninth to 80°, the 

 tenth, eleventh and twelfth to 82°. It is impos 



[To be eontinned.' 



From Fesscndeu's New American Gardener. 



boxes in a dry plape. But the flesh of the apple 

 does not change hs nature in the drying ; and, 

 therefore, the finest, and not the coarsest apples 

 should have all this trouble bestowed upon them." 

 The following valuable observations, contained 

 in a letter from Noah Webster, E.sq. have been 



PRESERVATION OF APPLES 



Apples keep best in a low tem]>erature, and ' pyijjjgiigd in the Massachusetts Agricultural Re- 

 may be well preserved in an ice-house. An Eng- \pository : 



sibie to expect regularity in hatching, if reliance | lish journal recommends the n.se of dry pit satid ! " It is the practice with some persons to pick 

 be placed npou our variable weather ; and it is | for preserving pears and apples. Glazed earthen j.,|,p]eg in October, and first spread them on the 

 the reffularitv of the worms coming forth, which jars are to be provided, and the sand to be thor- floor of an upper room. This practice is said to 



save much trou- oiighly dried. A layer of sand an inch thick is j^guje^ apples ,„ore durable by drying them. But 



, 1 can affirm this to be a mistake. Apples, after 



' remaining on the trees as long as safety from the 



frost will admit, should be taken directly from the 



will insure their uniform growtn 

 ble m feeding and attending those of various ages, 

 and cause the whole or the greater jiart, to form 

 their cocoons at the same thne, pro\ ided proper 

 care be given during their progress. 



When the eggs assume a whitish hue, t!ie 

 worm is formed : cover the eggs with white pa- 

 per, (never uso a newspaper,) pierced full of hoU'S 

 the size of a large knitting needle ; the worms 



above this 

 a layer of 



trees to close casks, and kept dry and cool as pos- 

 sible. If suffered to lie on a floor for weeks, 

 lliey wither and lose their flavour, without acquir- 

 ing any additional durability. The best mode of 

 nreserving ajjples for sprhig use, I have found to 



tiieii placed in the bottom of the jar 



a layer of fruit, to be covered with 



sanil an inch thick ; then lay a second stratum of 



fruit, covering again with an inch of sand. An 



inch and a half of sand may be placed over the 



uppermost row of fruit. The jar is now to he 



closed, and placed in a dry situation, as cool as 



possible, but entirely free from frost. Some ;is- 



when hatched, will creep through them ; turn up sen that apples may be kept hi casks through the , :,e^ the putting them in dry sand as soon as pick- 



the edges of the iiaper to prevent their crawling w inter, in a chamber or garret, by being merely I ed. For this purpose, I dry sand in the heat of 



off. Lay t\vigs of the nmlberry, having two or covered with linen cloths. Apjjies, which are in- summer, and late in October put down the apples 



three dry and young leaves, on the paper, to col- tended for winter's use, should be suffered to i,, layers, with a covering of sand upon each lay- 



leet the worms, and more as they continue to ; hang on tlie tree as long as they are safe from ^ p,.. "The singular advantages of this mode ci" 



mount. For want of mulberry leaves, feed for a i b'ost. | treatment are these :— 1st. The sand keeps the 



short time upon lettuce leaves, perfectly tlry ; if ' Cobbett says, '-To preserve apples in their apples from the air, which is essential to their 



large, they should be cut in strips, and the mid-rib ' whole state, observe this, that /ros( does not much preservation. 2d. The sand checks the evapora- 



thrown a\vay : or still better, feed with the twigs ; injure them, provided they be kept in total dark- jjon or perspiration of the apples, thus preserving 



of the white mulberry tree, cut up fine. The !«««■' 'hiring the frost, and until they be used ; and in them their full flavour; at the same time, any 



worms fir.st hatched are the strongest : ncverthe- ' P'ovided they be perfectly drj/ when put away.— moisture yielded by the apples (and some- there 



less, if only a few come out on the first day, give 1 If l>"t together in large parcels, and kept from „iii be) is absorbed by the sand : so that the ap- 



them away, to save trouble, and depend upon I '-'"^ f'Oi^N tliey Afo', and then they ro« ; and those pies are kept dry, and all mustiness is prevented. 



those which appear on the second and third days. I ot them that happen not to rot, lose their tlavour^ jHy pippins in May and June are as fresh as when 



Give away also the produce of the fourth day, become vapid, and are, indeed, good for little, first picked ; even the entts of the stems look as 



and then tiie whole stock will go on regularly. If This is the case with the Newtown pippins that if just separated from the twig." 



it be wished to rear all that are hatched, endeav- ' are sent to England, which are half lost by rot, i Apples, it is said, may be well preserved by 



while the remainder are poor, tasteless stuft', very > packing in any kind of grain : also in paper cut- 

 httle better than the English, the far greater part tings of the book-binder; or in shallow pits, be- 

 of which are cither sour or mawkish. The apples tween layers of turf, the grassy side inwards. 



with a sufiicient covering of straw and turf to 



our to keep the produce of each day separate, by 

 numbering the boxes and shelves. When the 

 leaves on the twigs are loaded with worms, they 

 are to be gently placed on clean stout white pa- 

 per, laid on frames with crossed rattans, giving 

 them a plenty of room. The shelves over which 

 these frames should slide, may be lour feet square, 



* It is not necessary to scrape off ilie eggs from llie paper or j aloni upon the iiavements ;" they are put into the 

 clolhonwhahtliey have been dcpostled. ! ' > j i 



thus sent have every possible disadvantage. They 

 are gathered carelessly, tossed into baskets, and 

 tumbled into barrels at once, and without any 

 packing stuff between them : the barrels are 

 flung into and out of wagons ; they are rolled 



protect them from frost ; likewise in dry gax-secd 

 chaft', or pulverized plaster of, Paris. 



A letter from Ebenejew Preble, Esq. published 

 in the Massachusetts Agricidlural Tlfpository, Vol. 

 iv. No. i. p. 24, contains tba fgioVing uscild di- 



