326 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



APRIL. 18, IMS. 



AND gardener's journal. 



Boston, Wednesday, April 18, 1838. 



TO THE FARMERS IN MIDDLESEX. 



The CommissKiner of llie Slate proposes lo cimiiience 

 immudiately llie Agricultural Survey of the couniy of 

 MirfdlcsfX. He respeclfully .nsks the co-oper;iti(m of 

 the fanners of that county in his important undiTiakng ; 

 and relies essentially and confidently upon their public 

 •piriled aid in objects allogelher of public advantage. 

 He will feel himself mueb obliged by any communica- 

 tions relating to agriculture, winch they will 1 e kind 

 enough 10 address to him ; he will be happy to meet 

 the farmer:! ol the county in smaller or larger numbers 

 at any times o? places they may appoint ; and lo visit 

 any fanner in the county, who will do him the favor to 

 invite him to his premises He may be addressed at the 

 Post Office in any town, as it will be his rule on nuing 

 into a town lo inquire at ihe Post Office for any thing 

 designed for him. HENRY COLMAN. 



Boston, Jlpril 14, 1838. 



The printers of the public papers in Middlesex and 

 any others, whose circulatii>n >u Middlesex is consider- 

 able, are resi)ectfully requested to >..ive the above one or 

 more inseilions; and they will be furnished with a copy 

 of the Survey when printed. 



SILK CULTURE. 

 From information coming to U8 from various sources, 

 we are inclined lo believe that a disposition to try the 

 experimenl of the cultivation of silk has received a new 

 impetus, and is prevailing in variou.s parts of the coun- 

 try wilh a power from which great results may be ex- 

 pected, Tiie demand for the niorus muUicaulis and 

 other valuable kinds ol the mulberry has been unprece- 

 dented. The importance of the interest begins strongly 

 to arrest ihe attention ; and its actual importance, in our 

 firm persuasion, is not likely to be overrated. 



The great cause of discouragement has been the do- 

 gtruction ol the mulberry trees by the severity of the 

 winter. fOit only has the mo/us multicauiis suflTered 

 greatly, but likewise the common white mulberry ; so 

 that by the unprecedented severity of the two last win- 

 ters many of the standard trees in MaEBJield, Conn, of 

 many years growth, have perished. 



An experiment however has been made, which by 

 an improved mode, (for so it must be called,) of man- 

 aging llie plants, avoids the danger of the winter, and 

 obtains on early return. 



The land is laid oul in furrows four feet apart. In 

 these the plants, ihe morus multicauiis, are laid, the roots 

 three feet apnrt, the roots being covered, and the bran- 

 ches fastened down and covered slightly with mould 

 until they start. After this the covering is to bn in. 

 creased ; and throwing up shoots from every bud they 

 will form a hedge, the leaves of whiuh may be used, as 

 goon as grown, for l!ie feeding of the worms. In the 

 autumn the shoots, which will then have formed trees, 

 are to be separated by a spade or some sharp instrument 

 and taken up and deposited securely from the frost. The 

 main roots, after all the shoots are cut from them, are 

 to remain in the ground ; and to he covered by turning 

 a furrow U|)on them each way. These remain for a per- 

 nianeul plantation. The small plants which are taken 

 up, and the shoots which are cut from the main root, 

 may be used for forming a new plantali ^n the ensuing 



season, anil so on year after year. As to ihe trouble of 

 taking up the |.lants annually and resetting them in the 

 soriiiff, it is not to be coi;iplaioed of compared with the 

 advrntages. which such management promises, ana is 

 in a great measure compensaied by the facility with 

 which the folia.ge is gathered from a low hedge rompar- 

 ed with the labor of rollerting it from high standard 

 trees. As ihe foliage for the feed of the worms will not 

 be so early in this way as from standard Iiees, it will be 

 necessary to delay the hatching of the worms. This 

 may easily be done by keeping the eggs in an rce house. 

 That this plan is practicable, an actual experiment 

 will fully prove; and we give it in the letter, which 

 we subjoin from a gentleman well and mosl favorably 

 known lo the agricultural community from his public 

 spirited exeitions, to promote this great and important 

 liianch of industry. 



A circumstance which shows the short space of time 

 required lo realize a crop of manufactured silk, from the 

 Chinese or Morus MuUicaulis mulberry, came under 

 mv notice last season, viz: Messrs Cheeney of Man- 

 chester, Ct raised silk at the rate of 50 lbs to the acre, 

 from trees-planted by layers the same spring, say in the 

 month of May, which produced silk at the above rale in 

 October, and manufactured by me made a beautiful ar- 

 ticle of soft, strong, even sewing silk, and put into the 

 market a finished article in the space of seven months 

 from the time the trees were planted, thus proving that 

 it is not necessary for the farmer to wait several years 

 for his trees to grow, before he can realize any profits, as 

 has been the general impression. This tree is cultivated 

 annually, as we do a crop of corn or by leaving the 

 roots in the ground in the manner the sugarcane isculli- 

 ,a,e(l. LEMUEL COBB. 



earth be taxed to its fullest extent. The more it is cul- 

 tivated, the more means we shall po-sess of rendering 

 it more productive ; and everything useful, that is 

 raised fiom the eailh, is so much addi d to the general 

 and substantial wealth and comfort of the community. 

 The liberal manner in which the State has pleilged 

 its credit lor the making of lailroads through the Com- 

 monwealth, evinces a sirong conviction of the social 

 value of these great internal improvements. They tend 

 to equalize advantages; facilitate intercourse almost be- 

 yond the stietch of imigin.ition ; and bind together our 

 growing republic in an intimate fraternity. 



One of the most imuortant measures of the session has 

 been the abolition of the License Laws ; and the regu- 

 lation of the sale of ardent spiiits. If it were in any 

 way possible to extinguish the dreadful vices, crimes, 

 and miseries, which spring out of the uses and abuses of 

 intoxicating drinks, no imagination could overrate, no 

 language could measure the good, which such extinc- 

 tion would confer upon Ihc community. That any leg- 

 islative enactments could do as much as this we do not 

 presume ever to hope. We believe, however, that the 

 law just passed will confer immeasuiable beni fit upon 

 the community ; and though we cannot doubt that va- 

 lious evasions will be alleinpted ; and in some rases 

 prove successful, yet the law will avail much ; and will 

 especially so strongly re-enforce and confirm public 

 opinion, that it will in that way operate against the vice, 

 and in support ol sound morals, more favorably than 

 even by its penalties. 



SUMMARY OF GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. 



Massachusetts. The Legislalure are still in .ses- 



sion, but are looking forward to an adjournment at the 

 end ol the week. The session, though unusually long, 

 has been full of maf.ers of inteiest. The great subjects 

 have been the Banks ; ihe Wheat bill ; the Loans to 

 Rail roads, and the License Law and regulation of the 

 sale of ardent spirits. 



The banks have passed a severe ordeal ; and some 

 disclosures have been made which compel a Massachu- 

 setts man to pull his hat over his eyes. The crimes 

 and corruptions of which some of these corporations, 

 have been pToved guilty, show ihe dangers of abuse, 

 whenever power under any form is entrusted lo human 

 hands ; and the necessity of multiplying the guards and 

 restraints by which such power is to be controlled and 

 watched. The institution of a Board of bank commis- 

 sioners, to whose constant observation and inspection 

 all these corpoiations are to be sulijecli d, can never be 

 objecled against by honest and honorable men ; and 

 may save the defenceless and unsuspicious from being 

 any further the prey of swindlers and gambler.^. 



The bounty proposed to be given for the cultiv.ition 

 of wheat has quickened the pulse of the fanners llirough 

 the whole country ; and ihe dcimind.for seed wheal has 

 been unprei cdenled. Whether the cultivation of wheal 

 in Massachuselts, as a general farming crop, can be pur- 

 sued lo advantage is a question whrcli we prefer to 

 leave lo the decision of the experiment soon lo be 

 made, ralher than hazard any judgment upon it. One 

 tiling we shall always urge ; and when wo are inquired 

 of what is the first duty of the farmer, we answer, pro- 

 duction. What is tlie second .' Production. What is 

 the' third .' Production. The propgrtion of consumers 

 to producers in Massachusetta is too great. Let the 



A CARD. 



The Commissioner of Agricultural Survey has obtain- 

 ed three barrels of corn in the ears, valuable for its good 

 character and early maturity (it having been taken from 

 fields, which perfectly ripened the two lastjears,) which 

 he will bo happy to distribute among the members of 

 the Legislature, who will take the trouble to call for it 

 at the Agricultural Warehouse of Messrs J. Breck fc 

 .Co. in whose care it will be left. 

 .lyril 17, 1638.' 



Massachusetts Horticnittiral Society. 



GERANIUM SHOW. 

 Qj'The Massachuselts Horticultural Society will 

 award its Ptemiiims, on Saturday next, 21st insl.fortlie 

 best specimens of Geraniums, viz : for ihe best six vari. 

 eties in pots, and fir the b. st seedling. The specimens 

 must be on the table, at the Rooms of the Society, 23 

 Tremonl Row, at 10 o'llock, A. M. The Rooms wi|| 

 be opei ed .or the public, at 11 o'clock, A. M. and close 

 at 2 o'clock, P. M. 



Per Older of the Committee on Flowers. 



SAMUEL WALKER, CliuiTman 

 23 Tremont Row, Jpril 14, 1838. 



BRIGHTON MARKKT.— Monday, April 16, 1838. 

 Htjtf.rleii lor the New Engtanil Farmer 



At Market 200 Beef Cattle, 10 yoke Working Oxen, i 

 12 Cows and calves, 310 Sheep, and 275 Swine. 



PnicKs — lictf Caltte. — A joke or two were sold fo^ 

 a trifle more than our highest quotations. We quote— 4 

 First quality, $7 25 a ■$7 50. — Second quality $6 75 «^ 

 $7 00— Third quality, $5 75 a $6 50. 



U'oTking Oxen. — A very few sales only were made. 



Cows and Calves — Sales were made at $27, $30, an4l 



i 



Sheejj.—Lois were sold at $3 75, $5 00, $7 50, am 

 $8 00. 



Swine. — Lots lo peddle were taken at 7 1-4 a 7 3 8 foti 

 sows and 8 1 -4 a 8 3-8 for barrows. Al retail, 9 and 10)1 



