vol.. XIX. NO. 85. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER, 



195 



ilisgust and aa a miserable concern. Howevor, 

 my trf'cs (white mulberry) were loft stiindinff: the 

 next autumn and winter tliey were mostly destroyed 

 by frost. 'I'his upring, having a new crop of flour- 

 ishing trees of other sorts, and being much at leis- 

 ure, the market becoming more fixed, and, as 

 appeared by the publications, a new spirit of enter- 

 pri.<e was waking up llie community ; and the lib- 

 eral eru-ouragemcnt given by aijricultural societies 

 as aNo by our General and State legislatures — and, 

 withal, if you can perceive any little spice of pat- 

 riotism, you may give full credit to that — .' was in- 

 duced to try again, and am pleased to say that, 

 though the prolits are no ways splendid, I am satis- 

 fied that as a branch of agriculture and domestic 

 economy, the culture of silk, judiciously intermin- 

 gled with other branches, will pay well for the la- 

 bor bestowed u|)on iL It is not my object now to 

 describe the process ; this has been done by others, 

 and treatises on tlie subject may be had at a cheap 

 rate by all who wish for them. 



Tlie information contained in the last Report of 

 our Agricultural Coniiinssioner, exhibits the most 

 accurate, enlarged and judicious views, of any thing 

 I have met with. 



After all, experience will be found our best 

 teacher. What 1 have to say is principally the re- 

 sult of my own experience. I began with about 

 thirty thousand silk worms of the common sort, 

 early in the month of May, just as the mulberry 

 eaves begun to be of a suitable size: I had plenty 

 Df room, every convenience for feeding, good ven- 

 ;ilati(in, uniform temperature, and no trouble from 

 vermin of any kind. The worms were very healthy 

 JiroughoMt every stage, and in about six weeks 

 ;heir work was cojnpleted. The cocoons were meas- 

 Jred and weighed, when gathered : they measured 

 "uU si.^! bushels and an half without the floss, and 

 ibout ten pounds to the bushel, avoirdupois, from 

 vhich we reeled a little over six pounds and a half 

 if silk. The crysalis stifled by the sun and the 

 ew millers which escaped, were preserved for 

 'ggs and the eggs deposited in a dry cellar for fu- 

 I ure use. The labor of setting and taking down 

 he cradles, gathering and distributing leaves, &.C., 

 jvcs done at odd spells when nothing else would 

 jiave been done, and which might have been done 

 ;iy children, for which I make no estimate. I was 

 'lot at any expense in preparing additional build- 

 ings. By courtesi), a corner of our dwelling house 

 in the lower floor, containing one largo and two 

 mall rooms, was this season fitted up for our new 

 ;uests, and 1 have the pleasure to testify on their 

 lehalf, that I verily believe the inmates of no fami- 

 y on earth, of the same number, could have been 

 nore quiet, or would have loft fewer traces, oflen- 

 ive to the most squcmish delicacy. Mulberry 

 rees on a small place, may be so arranged as to 

 le ornamental and the expense of leaves trifling. 



What I bring into account at this time is for — 

 iO,000 silk worms' eggs, at 12 1-2 cts. per 



thousand, $3 75 



■leelingO 1-2 lbs. of silk at $1 per 



pound, (i 50 



danufacturiiig the same into sew- 

 ing silk, at $2 25, 14 (52 



Ainonnt brought forward, $'J'3 (i3 

 To which add the bounty on 65 lbs. co- 

 coons at 15 cts. per pound, 9 75 

 For reeling G 1-2 lbs. silk at 50 cts. 3 50 



$24 87 



!y return of G 1-2 lbs. sewing silU worth 



at the merchant's $9 per lb. $58 50 



24 87 



Nett avails of labor, &c. $33 63 



$40 88 



I suppose that if the silk liad been manufactured 

 into sturt's would have been worth more. 



It may be asked, however, what is 46 dollars to 

 men or women already well enough employed in 

 other pursuits ? I answer, it is just 46 dollars 

 saved, and if " a penny saved is two pence earned," 

 it is twice that sum : at any rate it is 46 dollars, 

 ready cash, all added to our other incomes in a 

 very short time and without hard labor: 46 dollars 

 is nearly sufficient to purchase three fashionable 

 dresses for our wives and daughters, or one good 

 or two cimmon cows, or eight barrels of flour — no 

 trifling items in family expenses. Besides, there 

 is patriotism in the enterprise. 



If there are a million of families in our country 

 which might as well as not, raise their $46 worth 

 of silk annually, it would be a saving of aa many 

 millions of dollars to our common country; and 

 with a very little additional expense and care, the 

 quantity might be doubled, trebled and (juadrupled, 

 by many farmers : indeed, many farmers up and 

 down the Connecticut ; and on our hills, on every 

 side, can even noic show us their ten, twenty and 

 perhaps thirty pounds of raw silk, the product of 

 the present year. I have heard of one who has 

 raised one hundred pounds of silk this year. Be 

 this as it may, 1 am well satisfied with what I have 

 done, upon a small scale, and am pleased to have 

 it known too, for the encouragement of others. 



From my own experience, I have no hesitation 

 in recommending to every family, so far as it is 

 practicable, to begin the cultivation of silk, and 

 with the means they now have. If they have no 

 trees, then buy a few, or as many as Ihey please, 

 and ftcl their way along as they shall be able, and 

 in a short time they will have accomplished their 

 object; and if they should meet with impediments 

 or mysteries, they will soon vanish. A few trees 

 well planted and the raw material is always at 

 hand, and the artist ready to manufacture it, for 

 no other pay than being fed — whereas the raw ma- 

 terial of our cotton or woollen fabrics, is the fruit 

 of hard labor, from year to year at a great expen^^e. 

 But the mulberry once planted, and properly taken 

 care of, will stand and flourish for years, and where 

 it happens to fail can easily be replaced. The be- 

 ginner is apt to misjudge in nothing more than in 

 the number of worms he thinks he may feed. — 

 In starting the business 1 know of no better rule 

 than one laid down by a frienil of mine from 

 Mansfield. " When you have determined how 

 many worms your trees will feed, take just half 

 the number." It is vexatious in the extreme to 

 bo gleaning in the vineyard of others even at 

 the low rate of one cent, per pound for the foli- 

 age. 



The worst effect of overstocking is, it will pro- 

 duce scanty f-'cding. Tci have healthy worms and 

 heavy cocoons the wor.ns must be well fed. As 

 in every other business so in the silk culture, if we 

 would succeed well, we must acquaint ourselves 

 with the best of rules and punctiliously observe 

 them. The whole business should be that of the 

 family. When the Piedmonteso reel and the 

 silk loom shall become to our wives and daughters 

 what the distaffs and the spindle of the common 

 wheel, were to iheir mothers and grandmothers, 



then will the culture and manufacture of silk as- 

 sume its appropriate importance, and then might 

 we expect to see a laudable emulation, not only 

 among the different families, but among children 

 of the same family and of the same school, each 

 having for the season hia cradle of silk worms to 

 tend, and eventually give rise to silk factories in 

 our country villages, side by side with our other 

 manufacturing establishments. 

 Respectfully, yours, 



D. HUNTINGTON. 



MaHsachu«€(t« Horticultural Society. 



KXHIDITIUN OF FKUIT. 



Salurdny, Dee. 12, lb40. 



B. V. French, Esq. exhibited the following ap- 

 ples, viz : Ortlcy Pippin, Red Nonsuch, and Mon- 

 strous Pippin (Coxe, No. 27.) 



M. P. Wilder, Esq., exhibited the following 

 Pears, viz: Passe Colmar, Columbian Virgaulouse 

 and .Monsieur le Cure. 



Dr. Wight exhibited some large red apples, the 

 name of which is unknown to the Committee. 



The Monsieur le Cure having been cultivated 

 under many dilTerent names, the Committee are 

 induced to make the fcjUowing remarks. 



It was raised from seed, or first introduced into 

 notice by the curate of a small town near Paris, 

 and for some years was considered identical with 

 the St. Lezin. It has been extensively cultivated 

 in England under the following names — Monsieur 

 le Cure, Dumas, Poire de Clion, Vicar of Wake- 

 field, and Wilinot's new pear. 



A letter received in London from M. Vilmoren, 

 of Paris, slates that it is a new pear, entirely dis- 

 tinct from St. Lezin — that it is a valuable early 

 winter fruit, and its true name should bo Poire de 

 Clion. 



It was first cultivated in this country by the late 

 John Heard, Esq., as the " Burgomaster," and de- 

 scribed by that name in some Poniological works, 

 and the name of "Winter Hartlett," which it has 

 received in Boston market, will best show the high 

 estimation in which it is held. 

 For the Committee, 



ROBERT MANNING. 



Frost Bitten. — For the information of such as 

 are afflicted with frost bitten hands or feet, we pub- 

 lish the following from the New York Sun : 



"Dissolve half a pound of alum in a gallon of 

 warm water ; and soak the hands or feet before 

 going to bed for ten or fifteen minutes. I had one 

 of my hands fmst bitten, and tried various remedies, 

 and expended five or six dollars, endeavoring to 

 obtain a cure, but all to no purpose, until I tried 

 the above. In my case, I dissolved about three 

 ounces of alum in a quart of warm water, (keeping 

 it pretty warm,) soaked my hands three or four 

 nights, when a cure was effected — tlie expense was 

 two or three cents 



Rhevmalhm. — Take a pint of the spirits of tur- 

 pentine, to which add half an ounce of camphor; 

 let it stand till the camphor is dissolved ; then 

 rub it on the part affected, and it will never fail of 

 removing the complaint. Flannel should be ap- 

 plied after the part has been well fomented with 

 turpentine Repeat the application morning and 

 evening. It is said to be equally efiectual in cases 

 of burns, scalds, and bruises. — Bay Slate Demo- 

 crat. 



