362 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAY 23. 18."8. 



Cocoons and Silk. 

 To the person wlio shall raise and exhibit 



the largest quantity of Coroons, $6 00 



For the next greatest quantity, 5 00 



For do do - 4 00 



For every ounce of wrought silk raisi«) and 

 worked in the county, twelve and a lialf cents. 



The subjoined article ou the culture of Wheat, 

 from the Maine Farmer, is of great itnportance. — 

 Farmers cannot be too much on the alert in ob- 

 serving the habits of the Grain Insect. As we have 

 got rid in the county of Essex, of the insect, which 

 infested and destroyed the Barley for several years 

 in succession, we hope an eft'ectnal remedy will 

 be found ajaiiist this wheat destroyer. Such a 

 remedy would be worth millions to the country. 

 The theory of the writer on the subject of lime 

 must go for theory. Such conjectures in our 

 humble opinion are of very little value ; but it 

 would be a hopeless, and, in mOst oases, a useless 

 undertaking to go about to disprove them. 



CULTURE OF WHEAT. 



Mr Holmes : I hope the importance of this 

 subject will be considered a sufficient reason for 

 writing again on this topic. 



Mv object in the present communicatiou will be 

 to inquire what prnbaljle reasons we have to hope 

 to avoid, or mitigate, the ravages of the "Grain 

 Worm." To arrive at as much certainly, as the 

 present knowledge of facts will admit, I shall state 

 some of the facts generally admitted among us, or 

 derived from unquestionable authority elsewhere. 

 First. Wheat sown early or late is not injured 

 to such a degree as that sown at the usual time. 

 Second. Early sown grain generally does better 

 than late sown, so that in some seasons, sowing 

 late to avoid their ravages, would render the rem- 

 edy, perhai)s, as bad as the disease. 



Third. The time in which the grain worm com- 

 mits its devastations is short, and confined, to one 

 particular stage of its growth ; and hence, if the 

 wheat plant can be brought, by any means, to 

 this stage of maturity, either before or after the 

 worm season, it escapes destruction from that 

 cause. 



Fourth. Grain that matures early is not so sub- 

 ject to blight from other causes. 



From these premises it appears to be all impor- 

 tant to avoid their ravages by early maturity. — 

 The inquiry now presents itself, how can this be 

 effected ? 



Early sowing Hiirrgusls itself to the n)inil at once ; 

 but it is more parliiniUrly my object to suggest at 

 this time, sonjo oilier means as auxiliaiy to it. 



One that 1 shall mention is liy paying more at- 

 tention to saving our seed wheat. It has been 

 demonstrated by careful experiments, that almost 

 all kinds of fruit may be hastened in coming to 

 maturity several <lays by carefully selecting the 

 first ripe seeds. 



I believe there is not a particle of doubt but 

 that wheat might be hastened in coming to matu- 

 rity by the same means. It must be evident 

 then, if we can hasten wheat into maturity one 

 week by early sowing, and oi\e week by selecting 

 early ripening seed, we shall get the start of the 

 worm, almost to a certainty. 



Again ; another that I would suggest, is founded 

 in a fact recorded by ;\Ir Ruffin, in his Essay on 

 Calcareous Manures. "Marling serves to make 

 soils warmer, and thereby hastens the ripening of 

 every crpp more than would take place on like 

 soils, if made equally productive with other than 

 calcareous manure. This quality of marled land 

 is highly imj)ortant to cotton, as our summers are 

 not long enough to mature the later jiods. JVheat 

 also derives especial benefit from the warmth thus 

 added to the soil; it is enabled better to withstand 

 the severe cold of winter; and even lUe short time 

 by which its ripening is Jorwnrded bj marling, 

 serves very much to lessen the danger of the crop 

 from rusf." 



Mr Ruffin here describes the good effects of the 

 marl in early ripening the seed wheat to the 

 warmth it imparts to the soil. I am aware on this 

 grounil it might be argued, that additional warmth 

 equally forwards the production of the worm. — 

 But I really question this as being the fact. Mild 

 lime, I should think, would have a different effect. 

 Quick, or caustic lime, produces much heat ; but 

 lime in this state has very different qualities from 

 a mild state. I believe, lliat lime benefits wheat 

 by combining with certain gases which are evolv- 

 ed during the fermentation of putrescent manure ; 

 and which are jioisonous to the roots of wheat 

 plants, and, when abounding to great excees, cor- 

 roding them, and sometimes even destroying them ; 

 and thus forcing the vital [irinciple in the plant to 

 throw out new roots, and to tiller above ground. 

 This doranees the economy of the plant, retards 

 its maturity, and thus brings it, in consequence 

 of this delay, in contact with the causes of rust, 

 and also the fly which |)roduces the grain worm. 



This, the reader may say, is theory. Well, I 

 give it as such; and invite scrntiiiy to biing it to 

 the test. But if this theory should finally be sus- 

 tained by facts (which I think it well lie,) the rea- 

 der will perceive at once, the use of lime affords 

 a powerful auxiliary in hastening the maturity of 

 our wheat. 



From the view we have taken of this subject, 

 we have two different processes presented to us, 

 by which we may bring forward our wheat in 

 season to avoid the Grain Worm. And these two 

 are certain. There is no theory about it. 



We have, also, another process equally certain 

 to hasten the maturity of wheat plants, that is, the 

 judicious use of lime ; but whether this effect is 

 produced by its imparting warmth to the soil, 

 which would equally favor the early maturity of 

 the fly, is still theory. Jf it should prove as I ex- 

 pect, that the judicious use of lime hastens the 

 maturity of the wheat plants, by giving them a 

 healthy and substantial giowth, and lather retard- 

 1 ing than hastening the maturity of the Grain 

 Worm; I can perceive no difficulty, if we use the 

 means judiciously, and perseveri.igly, to counter- 

 act the habits of the Grain Worm, and render its 

 attacks harndess. 



Finally, I see no reason to be discouraged. — 

 That same benign Providence which raised up n 

 Franklin (a Yankee) to guide the forked lightning 

 harmless from the clouds, may raise up some hum- 

 ble, yet efficient genius, to devise means to check 

 or wholly avoid the sore scourge. J. H. J. 



Peru, April, 1838. 



diice unquestionable authority to prove the car- 

 bonate of lime equally efficacious in producing 

 the effect we have mentioned ; though the papers 

 are not at hand. J. H. J. 



MiSSKS Bbeck & Co 



Gentlemen : Will you have the goodness to give tht 

 enclosed an insertion in your useful paper. Itisfron 

 the New York Whig. 



Uespectfully, your friend, 



and humble servant, 



WILLIAM KENRICK. 



JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN INSTI 

 TUTE. 



The .April number of this valuable periodicn 

 appeared in due season. It is full of useful am 

 entertaining matter; more so than any numbc 

 which has appeare<l for a long time. The leadin 

 article is thoroughly American in its tone, and ii 

 the principles it inculcates. We extract the fol 

 lowing passage. 



" What is now to be done for the country .' W 

 say get knowledge, sound practical knowledge 

 not by the mere accumulation of abstract princ 

 pies — not by learning the names of things, vviti 

 out going any furtlur, or even knowing how t 

 apply them. Principles obtained at our semint 

 ries, are mostly like seeds that are locked up.- 

 Large quantities are ol)tained at much expensi 

 which are allowed to perish, because the posse: 

 sors never learn when and where, and how to so' 

 and nurture them in their growth to perfection." 

 This is true, and ought to suggest the rerned; 

 Things, rather than words, must be taught, befoi 

 a good system of education can be realised. Moi 

 time is wasted over Latin and Greek grammar 

 than would suffice for the most ample practical ii 

 struction. Not that we would discourage the a^ 

 quiring of the dead languages, but the method i 

 teaching them. We never could comprehend wh 

 eight or nine years are wanted in these pursuit 

 when one year at the farthest, is enough for tl 

 German or French languages. 



We have not space to devote to the articles i 

 this number, at length; but there are two or thri 

 which we would particularly notice. One of tlier 

 though very brief, relates to a subject of the u 

 most importance to this country, viz: the intn 

 duction and cultivation of valualile foreign scei 

 and jilants. We shall l-efer to the acclimation 

 plants hereafter, and turn now to a matter of in 

 mediate interest to agriculturists ; the encourag 

 ment of raising and manufacturing silk. 



There is every reason to believe that with pro 

 er encouragement, this country may be made 

 excel all others in the great staple of silk. Exp 

 rietice has already shown that the article of a ve; 



superior quality can 



be manufactured in several! 



P. S. I am aware, that the marl mentioned by 

 Mr Ruffin contains animal matter in addition to 

 the carbonate of lime. But I believe 1 can pro- 



ihe States. Specimens of silk fabrics which ha* 

 from time to time, been exhibited at our fail 

 leave this point indisputable ; and we have tl 

 additional ovidence of one of tfie most experienci 

 manufacturers of Lombardy, that we may, if \ 

 please, surpass even the Italian mauulactures.- 

 Legislative co-operittion alone is wanted to e 

 courage the enterprise of individuals, and a ve 

 great achievement will be effected. The possil 

 resources from this article alone, are incnlculab 

 We already pay some ten millions to China, E 

 gland and Italy, for tfiat which, with a little ass 

 tance from our legislators, might be better provi 

 ed at home. New York has been called on agf 



