Vol. VIT.— No. 30. 



AIND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



237 



ly under tlie cornice,) barely wide enoii^'h to hold 

 au apple ; in this way the ceilings are fringed with 

 frnil, which are not easily got at without a ladder, 

 while one glance of the eye .serves to show if any 

 depredations have been cornniitted. — Brandt's 

 Qaar. Jour., Jan. 1828, p. 497. 



Use of Botanical Geography. — James Lee, the 

 grandfather of the present nurseryman at Ham- 

 mersmith, is said to have discovered what islamite 

 had belonged to Europe, and what to Asia, by th( 

 heath, which is abundantly dispc rsed over Europe, 

 Africa, and America, but is not to be found in Asia, 

 or in any of the islands whic-h must have once 

 formed a part of that continent. — Thornton hi 

 Lee's Introduction to Botany, pref ]>. xiv. 



The Caledonian Horticultural Society recently 

 held a Meeting. Thirty-five sorts of seedling 

 £;ooscberries were produced, chiefly raised from 

 the Sidphur, Ironnjonger, and Warrington, at 

 \\hitehill, near Lasswade ; seed .sown in 1824, 

 nnd the berries sent from the original seedling 

 bushes. The whole having been carefully exam- 

 ined, nine of the sorts were judged good, but two 

 more especially preferred, — a veiy rough white, 

 nnd a very rough yellow kind. The Meeting 

 judging it right to encouraige such zeal in raising 

 seedling fruits, awarded the Society's .silver medal 

 to Mr David White, gardener to Colonel Ramsay, 

 at Whitehill. 



From the Delaware Advertiser. 



SILK. 



I am happy to see by your late papers, that yon 

 are lending yom- columns to the encouragement 

 of a new and important branch of husbandry ; 

 one entirely witbm the means of tlie inhabitants 

 of this State — the culture of silk. The Governor 

 having called the attention of the Legislature to 

 it, I offer you my mite of experience. 



For some years past, the seasons have general- 

 ly been unfavorable to the farmer ; an{l the low 

 prices of grain and wool have diminished his 

 power of im])roving the soil. Under the experi- 

 ence of these evils, I turned my attention to the 

 profits, and mode of rearing silk in the different 

 countries of Eino|)e, and in our own New Eng- 

 land States, and have assiduously sought for the 

 newspaper remarks of individuals from all the 

 States, who have like myself, been making experi- 

 ments in rearing the worms. Oti the farm on 

 which I reside, the experiments of all have lieen 

 tried, except that of rearing them in buildings con- 

 structed for the purpose. The result is a i)ositivo 

 conviction that in the Middle States no profit can 

 be derived from them, uuless raised according to 

 the European system. 



If I am right in this opinion, it is important that 

 the public should not be led astray by the essays 

 of writers whose ext)erirncnts have been made for 

 amusement, and not with that scrupulous regard 

 to cost, which would direct the person whose la- 

 bor must I'c repaid. Such instruction will he 

 found in the admirable aail complete report of Mr 

 Rush, Secretary of tlie Treasin-y. j 



A Mr Gideon Sinith, of Baltimore, author of 

 some essays on Silk, published in your paper, gives 

 information to the people of the Southern States 

 that the .silk-worm will thrive in any temperatm-e, 

 and that they have spun him silk in a tempera- 

 ture of 90°. On this farm there were reared last 

 year thirty-five thousand worms, in different apart- 



ments, subject to diflerent temjieratures. They 

 all kept healthy, until the thermometer, which 

 hung in the room, rose to 80° — when they began 

 to languish ; at 85 there was much disease among 

 tliem,andat 90 vast rpiantitiesdied in a very putres- 

 cent state. Where they suffered no greater heat 

 than' 78°, they yielded more than three pounds of 

 cocoons to the thousand worms ; but in the high- 

 er temperatures only two pounds to the thousand. 

 From this I infer that in cool buildings, properly 

 protected from the sun, they would yield here, as 

 well as in Europe. 



If experimentalists who write for the papers, 

 would give the exact weight of silk obtained in 

 different temperatures, farmers, who eventually 

 will be the principal rearers of this article, would 

 be convinced of the necessity of adhering as nnicli 

 as possible to the Eurojiean standard, which does 

 not exceed 73°. 



The worms reared were of three kinds: — 1st. 

 The straw-colored silk, which forms the bulk of 

 what is produced in Europe. 2d. Those jiroduc- 

 iiig the fine white silk, but lately introduced into 

 France.. 3d. The large black worm producing 

 the orange and sulphur-cfdorcd silk, and which 

 comes to maturity earlier than either of the 

 others. 



One great advantage, which tlie culture of silk 

 would afford the farmer, is that it would give to 

 the females and children of his family employment 

 at home. 



In consequence of the v.ast quantities of native 

 mulberry trees, throughout this State, most fami- 

 lies would have it in their power to enter into 

 this business, on a small scale ; and should the 

 Legislature of this State find it advisable to of- 

 fer any encouragement to this new branch of 

 husbandry, a considerable quantity of Silk would 

 in a few years be exported from Delaware. 



Samples of the kinds of silk reared, will be for- 

 warded for your inspection, by the first conven- 

 ient o])portuuity. 



AN AGRICULTURIST. 



HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS. 



The influence (if individuals has long been con- 

 centrated in united action for the encouragement 

 of agriculture, and tiie liberahty of the Legislature 

 has been freely bestowed in aid of their exertions. 

 The beneficial results are familiar to all who have 

 witnessed the collection of the choicest specimens 

 of flocks and herds gathered to the annual shows, 

 exhibiting the perfectiims of different races, and 

 by comparison of various modes of management 

 and the distribution of premiums awakening hon- 

 orable emiilaliou, stimulating industry, and adding 

 to the wealth of the country by increasing the 

 value of the soil and the abundance of its pro- 

 ducts. While the labors of the field have flourish- 

 ed under such patronage, those of the garden have 

 been honored, in our own state, with hut slight 

 attention. Effects as im])ortanf, from similar as- 

 sociations, acting upon the branch of agriculture 

 whose objects are most beautiful, might be antici- 

 pated ; for the art of gardening is not confined to 

 the education of tulips and geraniums, cabbages 

 and cauliflowers, Imt includes the productions of 

 those fruits, once luxuries, now become almost 

 necessaries. The collecting together the tenants 

 of distant gardens, the assembling of new vari- 

 eties of plants and fruits, the communication of 

 observations and experiments, while it gratifies 

 an useful and innocent taste, will add to the com- 



forts and conveniences of life. The general pro- 

 cesses of the fanner do not interest all, but those 

 of the gardener come home to each. There is 

 abundant room for improvement in those patches 

 of mingled jiotatoes, sun-flowers and weeds, which 

 are dignified by the name of gardens, appended 

 to the domestic establishments of our cultivators. 

 The introduction of valuable exotics, or useful na- 

 tive plants, the production of rich and rare, ot 

 common and delicious fruits, are objects which 

 would be more promoted by one exhibition of the 

 rewards of skill and industry, than by all the ex- 

 hortations to care, and all the motives to diligence, 

 held out in books. The distribution of seeds, the 

 circulation of local specimens of value, the knowl- 

 edge gained by the interchange of information, 

 and more than all, the taste which would insensi- 

 bly spread abroad through the community, would 

 conduce to the j)ros|ierity of the agriculturist, 

 while they aflbrded the most rational enjoyments. 



Worcester JEgis. 



CH.\NGES 



fVhich take place in the Domestic Jnimals of Eu- 

 rope when transported to America. — The mammifo- 

 roiis animals transported from the Old to the Ne«r 

 World are the hog, the sheep, the goat, the ass, 

 the horse, the cow, the dog. — 1st. The Hog.— 

 This animal, in the hot valleys of South America, 

 where he wanders whole days in the woods, liv- 

 ing chiefly upon wild fruits, loses speedily the 

 marks of domestication, and partakes largely of 

 the nature of the wild boar. The year 1493 was 

 the date of bis lirst introduction into the New 

 Worid ; and now he is found established from 25 

 degrees north latitude, to 45 degrees south, and 

 every where breeds as plentifully as in Europe.— 

 2d. The Cow. Animals of this species appear to 

 require a considerable quantity oi salt as a part of 

 their nourishment. When salt is placed where 

 they feed, they return pijnctually to seek it ; but 

 when this duty is neglected by their masters, the 

 flock disperses and becomes wild. There is also 

 a difference in the size of the udder, particularly 

 in Colombia, where the milk is not reckoned of 

 the same importance as in Europe. 3d. The Ass. 

 The Ass suffers hardly any alteration either in his 

 form or haliits. In some places where he is over- 

 worked and little cared for, he becomes deformed, 

 but no where does he lose his civilization. 4th. 

 The Horse. Not so with this animal : he finds 

 chcsnuts in the woods, and speedily presents one 

 of the distinctions of wild animals — a sameness of 

 color, which with him is almost invariably chesnut. 

 The amble is the jiace most admired by the Co- 

 lombians ; they accordingly breed u]) their liorses 

 to this mode of motion ; and it is no less remark- 

 able than true, that with the present race the am- 

 ble is the natural pace, just as the trot is with 

 oiir's. 5th. The Dog suffeis no change. 6th. 

 The Sheep, in temperate climates, breeds as freely 

 as in Europe, and never shows any inclination to 

 esca[)e from the dominion of man. In the wann- 

 er plains tliey are more difficult of preserv.iiion. 

 The wool grows slow(u- ; but if shorn at the prop- 

 er time, presents nothing remarkable. If on the 

 other hand, this time is allowed to jiass, it is d<* 

 tached by the shears of nature ; and instead of a 

 new crop, growing, as in other case.s, a short, 

 smooth, shining hair presents itself, resembling 

 that of the goat of the same climate. 7lli. J he 

 Goal, although with us a mountaineer, suits bet- 

 ter the low warm valleys of South America, than 



