VOl,. XVI. NO. g. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



59 



Practicai, Rf.sults of a silk grower i.»( the 

 CoN.NKCTicuT Vallev. — llav liig visiteil tho estab- 

 lishment of IMr Tiiriotliy Smith of Amherst, South 

 Pniish, [ wasdelijjhled witii it as a iviiole, particu- 

 larly with the location of liis luHnl)le,iin painted hut 

 neat farm house, a short distance frotn a row of 

 beautifiil shade trees in front ; then his garden, 

 teeming with an abundance of such vegetables as 

 should always be found on a farmer's table. In 

 this garden were numerous beds of the most ap- 

 proved kind of mulberry seedlings ; and then his 

 nursery of white mulberry in hedge rows of five 

 and six years of age, 2400 in number, on about 

 half an acre of groun<l, affording sufBcient food 

 for 150,000 worms, exclusive of bis Multicaulis 

 foliage. His cocoonery was next visited, being 

 the upper story of a building in his barn yard, 

 commonly called a cow house. On each side of 

 the upper part, were set slitvvork posts at suitable 

 distance apart in the row, verging nearer together 

 at the top than at the bottom, so that the bottom 

 shelves might ho wider than the top, and prevent 

 the worms falling to the floor. There were six 

 and seven tiers of shelves, made of rough boards 

 on each side, from 36 to 28 inches wide, and one 

 foot apart, on which the worms were fed, and when 

 ready to wind or form coeoons, a small tmmber 

 of straws, 25 to 30, forming a bundle of about half 

 an inch in diameter, cut even at each end, and tied 

 about two inches above the bottom, and then set 

 across the shelves in regular rows, eight or ten 

 inches apart, the tops reaching to the under side 

 of the next shelf, and the straws being spread out, 

 afforded a convenient lodgment for twenty or thirty 

 worms to spin their cocoons in a comjtact form, 

 on the under side of each shelf, spun so close to- 

 gether, that the floss of one helped another worm 

 to part of a nest, and prevented that great waste 

 of silk into floss, therefore must be a useful and 

 economical improvement, above the old mode of 

 win<ling cocoons on twine or bushes, more clean- 

 ly, less waste, and easily separated from the 

 Btravvs. 



The shelves can be put up at a trifling expense 

 in any out buiMing or garret of the house ; two 

 expert hands might set up in one day, a sufficient 

 number of shelves to aC(^oinmodate 200,000 worms. 

 In another building, skirted with multicaulis trees 

 and cuttings, was witnessed the operation of reel- 

 ing Bilk from cocoons of this years growth, and 

 were shown a con^iderable quantity of reeled silk, 

 which would do credit to any country whatever. 

 Mr Smith intends to manufacture his silk into 

 sewings, although the present year is a year of 

 experiments,yct the bounty of this Commonwealth 

 is so liberal as to cover all the expense of gather- 

 ing the leaves, f;eding, reeling, &c. excepting the 

 board of two females — <ind probably another year 

 the bpunty would defray every expense, so that 

 every [lound of silk would be a clear profit. Mr 

 Smith has fed about 150,000 worms from his half 

 acre, and is a confirmation of what has been said 

 '' that a clear profit of 300 dollars might be taken 

 from an acre set with mulberry." The experi- 

 ment made and now making, is precisely that 

 which is wanted to encourage our farmers to en- 

 gage in one of the most lucrative and j)leasant 

 branches of husbandry. Those in this vicinity 

 who contemplate immediate engagement in the 

 silk business, would be well paid for the trouble 

 of a visit, while the worms are winding and reel- 

 ing silk. A Visiter. 



J^orlhampton Courier. 



TiiK Crops. — In every direction, wo learn 

 from our exchange papers, from our corres- 

 ponilence, ami personal conversations with agri- 

 culturist.-i, th-.t the crops of all kimls that have 

 been gathered are abundant in quantity and good 

 in quality. The wheat crjp, we think from the 

 best judgment we can form from the materials be- 

 fore us, taken throughout the several States, is a 

 very fair average crop. — There are parts of coun- 

 try, however, where the quantity is not so great 

 as in former years, and for the conclusive reason 

 that loss seed was sown. In Maryland, particu- 

 larly, this is the case ; for in addition to the dis- 

 couraging results of the three preceding years, 

 which of themselves were calculated to deter the 

 cautious from sowing a large qnantily, the seed 

 itself was difficult to lie obtained, owing te the in- 

 ferior quality of a large portion of the wheat rais- 

 ed last year. The same remark will hold good as 

 to rye. The crops of oats, in every quarter are 

 unusually heavy, and as greatly increased quanti- 

 ties were seeded, the aggregate raised is very far 

 above that of any former year, which circumstance 

 will exercise an mfluence to lessen the price. The 

 crops of corn are both large and promising, and 

 we think it fair to infer that this will he the great- 

 est corn year known to our land since its «ettle- 

 raent. For in addition to the ground devoted to 

 its culture, much of the wheat grounds were 

 ploughed up early in the spring, and put down in 

 corn — a jiractice at all times of doubtful policy. 

 Corn too, must from excess of quantity come 

 down in value. The early potatoes have proved 

 most fruitful, and are now selling in our market 

 at just half the price they sold for at this time last 

 year, and we doubt not the signs of the earth, our 

 good friends, the Yankees, who have for so many 

 years supplied this market with a poriion of the 

 potatoes consumed by our population, and for 

 nearly fifty miles around for planting, will find 

 themselves at fault should they venture to bring a 

 tithe of their former quantities to this market. — 

 Bait. Far. 



Hogs. — The Cincinnati Post states that a large 

 contract for bogs to be delivered the coming fall, 

 has been made at $2 50 cents per hundred. As 

 the price of corn always regulates that of pork, a 

 surer inde.x could not be d(;sired than the above 

 fact furnishes, to determine two important points 

 — first, that the corn crops are universally looked 

 upon as promising abundant products — and sec- 

 ondly, that a greatly reduced price will conse- 

 quently be obtained for the article The demand 

 for it the approaching season, will be materially 

 decreased in the south and in the southwest ; for 

 many planters on hearing of the great fall in the 

 the price of cotton, ploughed up portions of their 

 cotton grounds and put them in corn. This will 

 cut off from the corn growers of the western and 

 Atlantic States, some of their nearest and best 

 markets for the time being ; but the growing of 

 corn in the cotton regions of our land, can only 

 obtain while the price of the latter article is de- 

 pressed, as when its market value is at the prices 

 recently maintained, planters would not dream of 

 growing thtir bread-stuffs. — lb. 



TnRiMf Cui-ture. — As the time is now at band 

 to either make or ruin your turnip crops, we 

 would respectfully make a few suggestions. As 

 soon as your turnips are fairly out of the ground, 

 take a bushel of powdered lime, one of unslacked 



ashes, mix them together and sow th(^se in the 

 proportion of two bushels to the acre. If you 

 cannot get both articles, tise two bushels of either. 

 In addition to these, four pounds of flour of sul- 

 phur to the acre should be evenly sju'cad over 

 your field. 



As soon as your turnij'S begin to bottle, run 

 your harrow lengthwise and crosswise through 

 them ; you need not be fearful of injuring them, 

 for although you may drag up a great many, there 

 will he enough left to make a good crop, and there 

 is no one but those who have witnessed the dif- 

 ference in the growth of this plant when thus 

 treated, and when cultivated in the old mode, can 

 form any idea of its extent. When the root of 

 the turnip is as big as a walnut, a second harrow- 

 ing is of great service. When the leaves cover 

 as much surface of ground as could the linman 

 hand, they should be thinned out to about nine 

 inches a[iart, and hoed. Two harrowings and 

 one thinning, and hoeing, if well done, will prove 

 sufficient culture to secure a good croj) if the sea- 

 son be favorable. — 76. 



Apples make a most excellent food for horses. 

 Several physicians of extensive practice in Con- 

 necticut and Massachusetts feed their horses on 

 apples and hay, and I have never seen fatter hor- 

 ses, or more sleek and spirited. Their hair is 

 much more lively, and r(;quires less grootning^ 

 than that of horses fed on grain. Mr Norton, of 

 Farmington, Conn., has about the finest pair of 

 horses I have seen. They are fed mainly on ap- 

 ples and hay. They travel very fast and seem to 

 have both wind and bottom. It is proper, howev- 

 er, to remark, that not so much grain is given to 

 the horses at the North as is customary at the 

 South. One thing is worth noticing ; horses fed 

 on apples do not eat as much hay as when they 

 are fed on grain. Very sour a|)ples injure the 

 teeth of horses ; but when boiled they do not. 

 The rule of feeding is to commence with a small 

 quantity, and gradually increase to a bushel a day 

 for one horse. 



Apples are most excellent food for beeves. 

 The fattest beef I have seen was maile so on sweet 

 apples. 



Nothing will fatten mutton quicker than apples. 

 It is necessary, or best, to cut up the apples when 

 fed to sheep. "' 



Hogs care notliing for corn, if they can get aji- 

 ples: if sweet, the apples may be given without 

 boiling, if sour, they must be boiled. Mixed with 

 corn-meal the flesh is firmer. 



Apples increase the quantity and quality of the 

 fnilk. At first there was a prejudice against giv- 

 mg apples to milch cows, because it was thought 

 they diminished or dried up the milk. It is trim 

 that a gorge of apples, or any other green food, 

 will cause a fever and dry u|) thenjilk ; but given 

 in (>roper quantities, the effect is quite different. 



Cattle and hogs are purchased and fattened on 

 apples, and sold at a fine profit, when to fatten 

 them on corn would ensure a loss. 



Sweet apples, and good eating apples, are to be 

 preferred as food for horses, sheep and cows ; also 

 for hogs, though some recommend a mixture of 

 sour and sweet for hogs. 



Dr Church's steam coach, with an omnibus at- 

 tached, carrying 12 passengers, went from Bir- 

 mingham to Coventry, on a common road, at the 

 rate of 12 miles an hour. 



