!)2 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEK, 



Or\. 10, 1&2S. 



SILK. 



ConciQclfld from page 7G. 



Tli:' fdiniilr cocoons, as bc-forc noted, ai'c gene 

 n'.llv l;ui.'or than the males, and not so nnieli 

 |ioiiit<'(i as liiesc are, ancl arc without the ring or 

 ileprc^^^ioii in the jiiiddic, which commonly dis- 

 tinguishes the cocoon? containing tlic latter. 



I'Vi^ht or ten days after tlie deposition of tlie 

 ogf^s, the jontjnii color peculiar to them will 

 change to a reddish grey, and afterwards into a 

 pale clay hue ; they arc of a lenticular form, and 

 on both surfaces there is a slight depression. 



Prcserviillon of the Egfty. 

 Collect the eggs which have fallen on the cloth 

 covering the shelves of tlie tressel when quite dry, 

 put them in a box, and, if numerou.s, in layers not 

 more than half the breadth of the finqer. The 

 cloths raised from llic tressel when quite dry, are 

 to be folded and jdaced in a dry room, the teni- 

 peratme of wliicli does not c.\ceed li.5'-', nor be- 

 low the freezing point, 32''. 



To bake Cocoons. 



Cocoons reel more readily, and jield sdk of a 



superior quality, without killing the insect by cith- l 



er steam of hot water, or by baking them ; but ; 



those who have not the means of reeling off, 



their cocoons in two or three days al\er they are \ 



f. rmed, or of selling .them, must kill the insects' 



they contain, or they will eat through, and spoil: 



the cocoons by breaking the continuity of the 



thread. The easiest way to do this, is to bake 



them in an oven, which nnist be about as hot as 



when bread has been taken out of it. After pick- 



in-r out all the spotted cocoons, put the rest in flat 



baskets, filling them within an inch of the top ;— 



cover them with ]>a)it:; and a wrapper over if, 



put these baskets in the oven, and after an hour, 



draw t'lem out, and cover them with a woollen 



ruff, leaving the vvrajiper as it was. Let thera 



stand five or six hours, to keep in the heat and 



stifle the chrysalis. Then spread them in thin 



layers on shelves, and move tliem every day (to 



(ireveiit their becoming mouldy) until perfectly 



Durin£ the s'Jniimer, the cloths must be exam- i dry. It maybe proper to state, that the birth 

 ned, every month, to remove insects ; an.! to pre- 1 of the moth may be prolonged a month by kecp- 

 — ,„ »!,„ "^l,,ti,.j „t„ nvQ in n-osli nir_ if tlie oiiauti- 1 ing the cocoous in a very cold, dry cellar. If the 



serve the cloths always in fresh air, if the quanti 

 tj^be Lirge, place them on a frame of cord attach- 

 ed to the ceiling, or rafter.* 



There exists a notion that every two or three 

 years the eggs should be changed. It requires 

 little to be said on this egregious error. To sup- 

 pose that the good cocoons of a cultivator, after a 

 few years, are no longer fit to produce seed, and 

 vet that these cocoons can give good seed for tl;e 

 use of ani.tlier, would be to admit a superstitions 

 contradiction, which reason, practice, and science, 

 alike condemn. A change of seed can only be i 

 necessary, when from great neglect, for a series . 

 of years, of the worms, a diminutive race has been i 

 jn-oduced. Worms properly treated, will never! 

 descneratc. On t!ie subject of the degeneracy of; 

 silk worms, in the United Slates, the most positive | 

 information con be giv. .. ; 



Mr. Samuel .-Vlexandcr, of Piiiladelpbia, says, "1 



IIJ^ 111'.' v_.v/v,.j-....-- .-. — -"'J 1 



cocoons arc kept over summer, th<;y must be pro 

 tccted from ants, mice, and cock-roaches. ^ 



From the American Farmer. 



LAFAYETTE. 



The fi>llowing extracts from a letter from the 

 great and good Lafayette, to the Eilitor of the 

 American Farmer, M'ritien in all the simplicity of 

 a pure and honest heart, have so nuich connection 

 with the various subjects discussed in this journal, ; 

 and display the venerable farmer of La Crange in 

 a liffht so "amiable, and so characteristic, tliat we ^ 

 I venture to giv;- them, in the assurance that he 

 ' will excuse us for what we know will amuse and 

 gratify our readers, as every thing docs from the 



same pen : — 



Parii July lift, 1828. 



., . ■ ■ -, ■ .% (/ci"- Sir— Your kind letter (May 28) has 



am convinced that silk v.orms,culti\atcd in "^'n"" ' been gratefully received. I thank yon for the in- 

 sylvania, instead of degenerating, improve ; proolj ^^^^^gtion it contains, and for the care you have 

 of which I possess, m comparing the co.-ooiia "l"|,j^i^gn ^f the ,eport relative to the Baltimo.-e and 1 

 four years since, vvit^hose of the last year. I j q^^j^ rail-road, in which it is needless to add that , 

 can say with truth, tl^B^rms luUched from theL ^^^| ^^^^^^^ deeply interested. Be pleased to ox- 

 eggs I brought fron^m^outh of '-'"'"»'"P'^' ''"^''J ..ress to Mr. Thomas, and the other members of 

 produced annually hcttcv sUU." The testimony o! . ^j^^ company, my grateful acknowledgments and 

 Mr. Sharrod McCall, of Galaden t'ou'i'.v, Florida, I ^.^..^.^^^^.^ ^^j,,,, ^;,;;iicg. 1 am daily looking for 



is still more decisive. news of the arrival of my friend Gov. Barbour, in 



A sample of bciiutiful sewhig silk, sent with his I • ,- . .• ...__..:,:.... 



communication to the Secrct;iry of the Treasury, 

 was i)art of a parcel jiroduccd by wonns, th.e stock 

 of wliicb he has had thirty years ; and they were 

 obtained from a maternal ancestor, who had pos- 

 sessed tlieni nniny years before. 



During all this long period, no degeneracy lias 

 been observed. Let proper care be taken of silk 

 worms, and no deterioration will lake place. 



The time has passed Avlieii tiie idle reveries of 

 BnfTon, Robertson, DePauw, and others, respect- 

 ing the tendency of nature "to belittle" and de- 

 generate every thing foreign in the new world, 

 wore received" as truths. Facts, proud facts, de- 

 monstrate not only the absurdity of their positions, 

 but the superiority of every American animal and 

 vegetable, vi^eg compared with similar produc- 

 tions in the'dffips-orld. 



England, and hope he may find time for a visit to 

 La Grange. 



Here is a letter from our beloved Frederick. — 

 He "ives you an account of his health, and his 

 proga-ess, and I have only to add, that he is au 

 excellent, very clever boy, and w ell calculated to 

 make happy iVis parents and friends. 



Permit me to introduce very particularly to yon 

 and to our friends at Baltimore, a young traveller, 

 for whom I have much affection and esteem. It 

 is the Duke of Montebello, son to the celebrated 

 Marshal Lannes, who fell gloriously in the last 

 svar. lie is going to visit the United States, and 

 will sail tioni Liverpool. 



The enclosed letter ban been written by iny 



friend and colleague M. Girod de L'Ain,* a judge 



of the Paris F.oyal Court, and a member of the 



Association of Naz, who i)0ssess the finest flockjl 



* A barrel-liun,,, crossed will, .loiU pack-tl.n-o.l, will .nalT.ni | think, in Europe. Naz is situated in thedepart- 



eood frame \ small (itiaiiiiiy may be kepi in a tiii case. II a — — — ; ;: i~ 



fv ard l.oT he. used, the jolnl-s and edges of tl.e lop should be j 'A disiiuguished member of il.e Chamber of Uepuli«|s. ju« | 

 pasled >vilh paper lo cvduJe aiiis. I oue .f the leaders of the liberal parly. 



meiit de I.-'Ain, near the frontier. It seems to me 

 that the publication of M.Girod's letter in the Ame- 

 rican I'armer, and a direct correspondence be- 

 tween him and you, may be useful to .Vmericaii 

 agricniture. I .send you samples of the ram and 

 two ewes the Association have lieen pleased to 

 choose for me out of their flock, and which arc 

 the finest, I believe, to be seen ; also a samjile of 

 a young ram born at La Grange. The length of 

 the wool, since the new process, is no more an 

 object with the mannfaclurers of France; qualify 

 and fineness are wholly attended to. 



t)ur friend Mr. Townsend has sent three tur- 

 kies, who have arrived in good health— one m.ile 

 ; and two females— two males, one from General 

 Cocke, the other from York, Pennsylvania, which 

 you know have been preserved ; so that I have 

 now on my farm none but wild males, and two 

 females, that may keep the pure breed. 



You know the fine mocking bird, given by your 

 son Frederick to his young friends at La Grange, 

 is dead. Every tender care was taken of him— 

 there must be something in the change of climate 

 obnoxious to this matchless bird. The loss has 

 been much lamented. 



I I have also lost the terrapins. My only way 

 i to preserve and mnlti|>Iy them, is to receive a nuin- 

 !ber of those who live in fresh water and on land ; 

 j to let them loose in a pond intersected by small 

 'islands, and let them take care of thcmselves.J 

 The tortoises* have not lived— yet they had a bet-T 

 ter chance. The ])artridges could not bear conl 

 finement— I have now let them loose, and thiuH 

 they will multiply. The swan-geesef are in pei4 

 feet health, male and female, but hitherto hav| 

 given no i)rogcny. They are fine birds and 

 gieat curiosity. _ _ 



I have nuich admired the fine samjdes of w^ool 

 sent by Mr. Dickinson, [of Ohio] to whom I beJ 

 you to offer my best thanks, as well as to the gen" 

 tlemen who have collected the curious diversity 

 of Indian corn. I thank you for the particulars 

 lyou are pleased to give in the American Farmer, 

 land beg mv affectionate acknowledgments and 

 i compliments to Mr. Niles for the lu-ecious contin- 

 lualion of his Register. The steam boiler, pre- 

 sented by Mr. .T. B. Morris, works admirably well 

 on my farm, and enables me to feed my cattle, 

 my ewes in the suckhng time, the fattening ani- 

 mals, and a stock of hogs, either full blooded from 

 your fine pigs, or crossed with the English, and 

 Anglo-Chinese breed. Happy would I be to wel 

 come you on my farm. As I am sending you 

 samples, here i* a specimen of observations at the 

 French Institute. I have received a young dog 

 from the Pyrennean mountains, and if I preserve 

 it in growing health, shall send it to you. 



My letterhas been interrupted by a visit from 

 Frederick, who came to take leave on bis return 

 to Fontenay. His health is perfectly restored. I 

 have had tiie jdeasure to see Mr. Cochran. Time 

 ;is approaching when our boys come to La Grange. 

 < Adien, my dear sir, most truly 



I Ind artcctionatelv, your friend, 



, ■ LAFAYETTE. 



Paris, June I9th, 1828. 

 J\Iy dear General and honored Co/e«gut— Under- 

 standiuir that the citizens of the United t<tates, ac- 

 tuated by an enlightenc.l zeal, are turning their 



* These were from Florida. 



* Sent by S. W. Pomeroy, Esq. of Brighlan, Mass. 



