Vol. VII.— No. 7. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



51 



The foriiier feed vviil be requireJ. The first meal 

 is to be the lai-geer-t— feed those that will eat at 

 auy lime of the day. The filth day still less will 

 suffice, as the greatest part are moulting ; the 

 sixth day tliey begin to rouse. Remove the litter, 

 or even before they have moulted, if the worms 

 are numerous. 



FOURTH AGE. 



The thermometer should range between GS'^ 

 and 71°. If^the weather be warm, and the glass 

 rise several degrees higlier, open the ventilators, 

 exclude the sun, and make a slight blaze in the 

 chinniey, to cause a circulation of the air. Wid- 

 en the spaces for the vvfirius. The leaves must 

 MOW be regularly chopped in a straw-cutting box, 

 or with a chopping kuife. The food is to be 

 greatly increased on the second, third, and fourth 

 days. On the fifth, less will be required, as in 

 the coiirse of this day many become torpid ; the 

 iirst meal on this day should therefore be the 

 largest. On the sixth, they will want still less, as 

 nearly the whole will be occupied in effecting ; 

 their last change of skin. Renew the air in the 

 apartment by burning straw or shavings in the 

 chimney, and o[ien the ventilators. If the even- j 

 ings be cool, after a hot day, admit the external ' 

 air for an hour. None but full grown leaves ; 

 should be hereafter given to the worms, and they j 

 must be all chopped ; avoid the fruit, as they i 

 Tvould ijrove injurious, and add greatly to the lit- : 

 ter. On the seventh day, all the worms will have 

 roused, and thus finish their fourth age. The lit- 

 ter must be again removed. 



FIFTH AGE, OR UNTIL THE "iVORMS PREPARE TO 

 MOUNT. 



Tlie thermometer should be about 68°. The 

 constitution of the worms being now formed, they 

 begin to elaborate the silk-vessels, and fill thein 

 with the silky material, which they decompose, 

 and form from the mulberry leaves. Give abun- 

 dance of room — do not let the worms lie so close 

 . as to touch one another, for their respiration will 

 be thereby impeded ; continue to feed regularly 

 and fully, as the appetite of the worms now be- 

 comes voracious ; give food rather five times a 

 day than four ; even six meals will not be too 

 many. The last meal should be late at night, and 

 the first the next day in the morning, at an early 

 hour. The worms are not again to be moved, 

 and the huddles or feeding frames must be clean- 

 ed. On the seventh day of the fifth age, they 

 have attained their largest size, viz. three inches 

 long, and begin to grow shining and yellow. The 

 appetites of some diminish, but that of others con- 

 tinues, and must be supplied, to hasten their ma- 

 turity. Tlie litter must he removed everj' two 

 days, dnring the fifth age, but not when the worms 

 are moulting, unless it can be done without dis- 

 turbing them. 



The preservation of the proper temperature of 

 the apartment at this stage, cannot be too serious- 

 ly impressed upon the cultivator. If sudden and 

 great heat in the weather should take place, (as 

 often happens at this time) serious loss may be 

 suffered, without proper precautions. The in- 

 creased heat to which the worms are ex-posed, 

 causes them to cease eating, to leave their feeding 

 shelves, and to wander about the room, in order 

 to find corners and places, to form their cocoons 

 in before the silk fluid has been fully elaborated, 

 or matured ; thus defeating in a great measure 

 all the care previously bestowed upon them. In 



the sunnner of the year 1825, vast numbers of 

 worms were killed by hot weather, in Mansfield, 

 Connecticut. To guard against sudden heat in 

 the weather, close the window shutters while the 

 sun is beating on them, and keep the ventilators 

 in the ceiling or otli.'r parts of the room open, and 

 if possible, tubs of ice should be brought into the 

 apartment, until the thermometer shows a dimin- 

 ution of temperature to the proper degree. The 

 windows must also be kept open every evening 

 and until sunrise next morning, and water sprink- 

 led on the floor, to promote evaporation, and con- 

 sequently a freshness in the air.* 



IIORTI 'ULTURAL FETE. 



The Tenth Anniversary of the Horticultural So- 

 rietv nf this city was celebrated on Monday at Mr. 

 Niblo's Garden. The exercises commenced at 3 

 o'clock, bv an addresss from the President, Dr. 

 ITnsack. His discotn-se had more particular refe- 

 rence to the condition and prospects of the institu- 

 tion. He was followed by the Rev. Mr. Schroe- , 

 der, who ])ronounced a finished oration, which 

 was both pertinent and classical. Both the ad- 

 dresses were listened to with attention and inter- 

 est hv a numerous assemldage of ladies and gen- 

 tlemen. At 4 o'clock the Society and their guests 

 in numher about 200, sat down to dinner at tables 

 in Mr. Niblo's little Theatre, the Sans Souci — the i 

 pit of which had been floored over for the occa- ! 

 •sion. The st^ige was ornamented with the scene- | 

 ry of the estabhshment, the auditory with flags, 

 green branches, an<l vases of flowers. Along the ' 

 centre of the building stood the table containing 

 the specimens of fruit of the season, grapes, peach- 

 es, idums, nectarines, &c. the contributions of the 

 members of the Society. The disjilay was a most 

 beautiful one, comprising some of the very choic- 

 est and most tempting gifts of Pomona. Respect- 

 ins the solids and substantials on the tables around 

 these, to speak their praise it is amply sufficient to ' 

 sav that thev were prepared under the direction 

 of Mr. Nildo. 



The following were the regular toasts: 



1. The United States of America. 



2. The President of the United States. 



3. Horticulture, one of the most useful and ele 

 gant arts of Peace. j 



4. The Day. The Tenth Anniversary of our ' 

 Society : the only strife amongst its members, is ] 

 for the furtherance of its object. ' 



5. Agriculture, Commerce and Manufactures. — 

 We are too equally the debtors of each, to with- 

 hold from them equal protection. 



6. The Navy and Army of the United States, 

 the fruitful sources of contribution to our Horticul- 

 tural products. 



7. Our associate institutions throughout the 

 world — indulging the same feelings in different 

 climes. 



8. The universal alliance of men for good pur- 

 poses. 



P. Our Sister Societies of London, Edinburgh 

 and Paris. 



10. American Gardeners; they know how to 

 protect the soil they cultivate. 



11. The memory of De Witt Chnton ; the Pat- 

 ron and Honorary Member of this Society. 



* If the worms should become dispaspd during the fourth or 

 fifth ages, oak leaves may be given lo Iheio. These were stat- 

 ed to nave been found \'ery beneficial in the year 177^. in Bucks 

 county — but the species of oak was not mentioned. The white 

 oak mav be tried. 



12. The Orator of the Day. 



13. The Fair Sex. 



The toasts were interspersed with music by Mr 

 Willis's band from West Point, which played sev- 

 eral of the fine airs of Rossini and Weber, and 

 with appropriate songs from some of the musical 

 ge-.itlemen of the company. Several excellent 

 volunteer toasts were also given. The following 

 will serve as a brief catalogue of the fruits display- 

 ed : 



Grapes, by Mr. Armitage, of New York ; four 

 kinds, very superior, froiri Mrs. Griffith, of New 

 Jersey. 



Do. very fine, from Mrs. Saltus, N. Y. ; six kind^ 

 do. from Professor Gimbrede's vineyard, at West 

 Point, very fine ; do from Mr. Oakley, Greenwich. 



Gages and Plums, from I. Denniston, Esq. Al- 

 bany ; do. from Jesse Buel, Esq. of a new and su- 

 perior kind, to be named by the Society. 



Pine Apples grown on this Island by Herman 

 Thorne, Esq. ; strawberries, by Mr. A. Parinen- 

 tier ; peaches, from Mrs. Van Nortwick, N, J. ; — 

 do. J. Selby, Flushing ; superior grapes from the 

 garden of Dr. Hosack ; fine peaches and grapes, 

 from Philadelphia ; white Holland plums, from I. 

 Dennison, E.-q. .\lbany ; German gage, do. ; Cher- 

 okee plums, Mr. Selby, Flushing ; decorations of 

 flowers, by Messrs Floy, Wilson, Hogg, and Cooke; 

 superior nectarines, Mr. T. Ash ; variety of melons; 

 apples from Dutchess county ; currant wine, from 

 Mrs. Griffith, N. J. ; wine, from Edenton, N. C. ; 

 creecy wine, six years old ; catav/ba wine, from 

 Dr. Mitchell. 



The following are the OflScers for the ensuing 

 year : 



For Prendent, David Hosack, M. D. 



Vice Presidents, John R. Murray, Jacob Lorril- 

 lard, William Neil.son. 



Treasurer, John Groshon. 



Corresponding Secretan/, Abraham Halsey. 



Recording Secretari/, William R. Cooke. 



Council. — N. H. Carter, John I. Palmer, Wui. 

 Curr, Charles Henry Hall, Michael Floy, Israel 

 Dean, Andrew Clark, Richard Hatfield, Alexander 

 Smith, Francis Cooper, Wni. Fairbairn, Win. M. 

 Ireland, M. D. Andrew Parmentier, Michael Burn- 

 ham, Thomas Kinnersly, Nicholas Saltus, Win. 

 Seaman, Thomas Hogg, Geo. Newbould, Wm. 

 Neale, Charles Oakley, Win. Wilson, Oliver M. 

 Lownds, G. W. Arnold, Wm. Phelan, Gavin Yuill, 

 Peter Hatrick, Samuel L. Mitchell, Peter Aymar, 

 Isaac Adriance, James Mc Brair, Edward Probyn, 

 Wm. M. Price, George Nixon — JV. Y. Statesman. 



Electrified Seeds and Plants. — By a series of ex- 

 periments, M. Astier seems to have proved that 

 when seeds or plants are electrified, they vegetate 

 much more rapidly than in other circumstances. 

 Some of his experiments were made on the month- 

 ly rose, (Rosa Sinensis and R Sempermrens,) which, 

 when submitted to electric influence, ])roduced 

 more early flowers, and iti greater abundance. — 

 It would be v.'orth while to try what effects might 

 thus be produced on flower seeds in the way of 

 improving color, size, doubling, &c. 



Safety guns are made at Birmingham so con- 

 structed as to be completely guarded against ac 

 cidental explosion. 



$3,000 damages have been given in England 

 by law, to an individual injured by a bag of wool 

 faffing upon him, which was thrown from an up- 

 jier room of a warehouse. 



