mm-m mmm^^^m 



AND GARDENER'S J Q U R N A L. 



^^^^B^ED M JO.K..H nKKCK ^ CO.. NO. a., NORTH MAaK^;,:^EET ,A = 



==================—— __J^ 2lLl__ (Agricultural Warkhocse.) 



LETIER 



Iht Cons:ress,anal Commiltee on kricuuj' 



^'ortUamplon^Couv^j of Hampshire, Mass. } 

 , February 10, 1838. \ 



mi t rr,/ A:'"''r •^°'"""""-''- fro,r, ,he Co n- 

 iiiiitfe on Aff •icii tiirp i Hm,! \i; i ■ „ 



kno.vle, ,,e of tl,e sul.ject is constantly on Hie i , 

 crease In.p.ovea.ents are n.a.le f.on. yea.-.oye " 

 not only M, ,l,e rnltnre of the nntlberry In,, inXe' 

 I .nnufact.M-e of ,l,e article of silk iV , 



t-.-fore,,,e.,,.,,,ht.on.erfnriMt'';i;o:;,,r;j 



.nclude not only ,„y own ol.s.rvation nn,l ext.e 



nenre, b„ttl,eeA-,,erienceof „tl,er.of n,v acqna n- 

 ranee, ,„ whce opinion I have the nt.nost conli- 

 (lence. --"iiii 



I commen,,ed with the ItaU„n whit, ninlherrv 

 !.":'. 'r." ,'""' "'-^^ ""= *'"^^' •■""' r^d m.,ll.erry 



NO. 49. 



a leaf of the satne size, is consi.lere.l much I.eav. 



.er than the Manilla-some say rionhle the wei-M... 



I have cocoons in posscs.sion, ,na,le by worms 



which were fed exeln.sively on the Iblia.e of the 



vvhrte nmlherry; and another parcel fed exclu 



each of which require. „-mV;;n;^;rn!a";rhZw'i h..^}' ".'"'" "" 'i"';""" '" ""^ ^''"'""'- The latter" 



;:'<^';- I , fou-d that, althongh thj wor.ns wmdd me' . I 'T,? ^".'.'^"•'"'■•'-X (nr surpassing the (or- 



■■ - - "^"^ '"'"'""' ''ifl^"^'-en.-e is nearly as great as be- 



c 1 ,, , ' --B" ""= "uriiis won ( 



leed well on these, yet they were equally fond of 

 he Mul.M-auhs, which was selected for Its l.-.n^e 

 eaf, nutritious quality, „nd tender fibre, which' 

 he worms can eat. while the fibres or ribs of the 

 uhite mulberry are so ligneous as not to be edi- 

 l>le. Eighty pounds of Mnlticaulis foliage are con- 

 sidered equal to one hundred pounds of the hal 

 lan white, for feeding worms. 



The tree or shrub comnioniy known as the Mu' ' 

 licaulis, was found in a garden in MnMlla 



cniti 



rouu.l necessary hereiftern °"''' ^e "caniis, was found in a ganlen in .W,„„7/„ 



opi.non, practice of cnl.'r "'7"'"" "'"• Present Nated as a tree of onKunent; and to lii'n.ui 1, 



in .he iminnfiict:,:: ^'r;:.::^.:::I"--^"-' I •;:'!..!;■- «^"- -".erric;, is ,;o: tii^d^h!: 



kee perseverance and in^ennitv wiiM' ' 



The committee will pTer-^-Vtlrr'""-'.- 

 Edward Church. Esq., 'o, h ; ,, c ,fh ■' "', "' 

 ■eslde/I i,. p.... . |il>'<-e, who has ong 



esi.led m France; and, while there became vc-v 

 •ttich intereste.l in the subject of .,',1!. f ' 



-.;I|.resnme,hathe oi: : ^,^;:;^- 

 notion on that subject, or' even more, "in a oi 

 nyi-son „, the United States, and ave em "e 

 "n to reply ,o the subject of beet-su^ar " = 

 On -he subject, or respecting the culture of the 

 erry It wouhl afford me' great pleasme ' to 



eat nn J ""!"""",:"'' "" '"•^°"'*'^ ",ode of 

 aH t of •" ' ''""''^ ^^ >^VP>'c-Me to every 

 Hey o climate, and the inconstancy of the 

 "ather for several years msi n, , ' ■ 

 ... !,„„„ ., ^ "^ '""''• ^"' '^o variable 



jVamlla mxdlicauUs,mul particularly to dis,in..„ish 

 It from another tree., m<u-e deserving ,S ^nullhaulis 

 on account of its capacity to produce mure „, 

 merous stalks and branches. 



Although the Manilla midlicauHs has a v^ry 

 large leaf, grows rapidly, and the silk- worm is fo^d 

 "Jll f' 'r '^""''''T'ence of its ra,.id growth, ,he 



tween the Merino and wool of native sheep 



It is thMopiui,,,, of horticulturists and tho.se best 

 n'-qnainted with the propagation of trees or planis 

 from seeds, that trees from seed withstand the se 

 I verity of cdimale better than trees propagated bv 

 any other mode. ' • t, 



j .Another circumstance occurred last autumn, in 

 I favor of the Canton: I had the Canton and Mt- 

 «.«« trees, and another kind, called the Matic 

 seedling, growing side-by-side in my garden each 

 having the same exf.osure to an untimely arid se- 

 vere frost, when the .mnilh was inucl". injured, 

 the Canton aiul .4n„t{c escaped unhurt; and two 

 other kind.s, called the Chinese and Smyrna, were 

 uninjured. 



These seedlings, we hope, will be a most valu- 

 able acquisition to the list of mulberries adai.te.l 

 to the fi.eding of worms, and enduring the cold 

 and frost ' ' 



stacks are often so green and tender that when ""V"'" neverthele.ss, great caution is necessary 

 overtaken hv enrlv r,n=. ,i ,• ,, ■■ "en in the use of imiioit.;d seed- fnr ;n..,...>,.„ _....■ 



ue heen the season.s, that the successful mode 



on ture and protection of ,he tree during one 



ar, has disappointed the cultivator the ne.xtyear 



1. In reply to the fir.st question: 1 began the 



an,„,a,,ono. the niulberiy business severalyea 

 .ce lit did not commence the cultivation of 

 iUulticaiiis lint I'S'iQ .... j 



-•erullywalchedthe.Sc:: ''^'^^"'"'^'^^ 



':^^::?.:^t::sz-t=::i's^^ 



„„ ,■ I , • ' """ ""u exposure : 



eoiind that our pr,/,g/,,,rf,3,, „,,,/:, ,^^,^.. 



"I .mi.., than our richest lands. The location 



-'«./-o« should be high, or elevated above 



U-er o( water collecting about the roots. 



Pn such soil.,, although the trees would no, at- 



t he height of trees grow,, on rich land ye. 



foliage would be more numerous; am-'hc' 



p o having .he trees ripen, or fiirin iir;. 



- cuniugs. and sustaining our winters 



lid he enhanct'd. ' 



Respecting the most valuable mulberry for en 



overtaken by early frost, they are liable io' be in 

 jnred, be ore the wood had been sufficiently f„n,i- 

 ed ,0 endure cold and fros,. ^ 



Nevertheless, the Manilla mnlticaulis is so val- 

 "able a tree, that experience,! cultivators have told 

 -;e that. If i, Should become necessary ,o take 

 them up every autumn, protect then, durin- win- 

 ter, and reset every spring, i, would be mud, bet- 

 ter than to cultivate ,be white mulberry ; and that 

 the enltureofan acre of mulber,-y would reqi.i,^ 

 no more labor and expense than that required for 

 an acre of Indian corn. 



But there is another mnlberrv allud,.^d to_,he 

 Canton mnlticau!is_so called from the place of 

 ns denvation, being ,he product of seed which the 

 Canton mission wore requested to procure, beii.c 

 ..•■m^.dere. the very best and most approved mni: 

 herry used by ,be Chinese ; and is believed ,o be 

 the brst genuine seed ever imported into this or 



favorable circumsun;;:;;;:';!: til;;;:!;''!''' "'" " ■"•"""■' 



-nrred; and the sami. missim. t:;Tc:m;:''''"'^^'™^^^^ 

 forwarded more seed for next sprin.''s u.sv 



„Jnl .','" rM""'"" '""^-^'^^'^ i.s^he',rue kind 

 used by the Chinese, is made evident from a set 

 "f historical paintings from China, and from ,he 

 seed giowingatthe foot of the stalk, didorent from 

 other mulberries. 



impoit.;d seed ; for instance, seed 

 grown U[,on the Mnlticaulis tree, will not produce 

 a plan, like the o,-iginal tree; at lea.st, it has so 

 proved under my observation. The leaf is differ- 

 ent in phape, and not one-fourth so lar'-e as ,he 

 original ; neither do the seeds produce trees which 

 furnish a uniform leaf in shape or size. 'Jhere ia 

 often deception in seed procured at fi.reign seed- 

 stores ; «,metimes the vitality of the seed is de 

 stroyed, or otherwise injured by neglect For 

 these and other reasons which might be offered 

 purcha.sers of seed have been ilisappointed, and' 

 the mulberry caii.se injui-ed ; because they have 

 expected too much, or that, by the seed of a cer- 

 tain name, they should obtain the genuine tree _ 

 The peach, apple, and some o,lier trees, f,-om seed 

 or stone fru.t, when planted, produce a grea, va- 

 nety ; perhaps not one seed iu a ,hoij.sand shall 

 pioduce a ,ree in all respects like the original it 

 is advisable ,o have no dependence on the seed 

 hut to p,-ociire trees which have developed the' 



I Having mentioned the Canton ,m,lbeiTy as first 

 on the list, yet «!,ne, who do not know t'he Can 

 ton, wonl.l have the Manilla slanri at the head of 

 the list of the most valuable mulbeines. The 

 ^sialic and C/iijiese may be the next best, on ac- 

 eouiit of their capability of enduring cold and 

 (rost ; the leaf of which, in shape, resembles the 

 Canton, but not .so largj; each of which, liowev- 

 e,-, on account of ihe nnme,-oiis buds on the stalks 



From the experience I have bn,l, I concur in 

 opinion with those who have culiivaled the sev i „. ., - 



eral kinds of miilbeiTV that the Cnton mo ,1 ' " """"'"^ "'^""' "nmerous buds 



|ti<M, ; its c^p//n-%to.nd.i;:';he';i7/"-^ 'iT",'"!''' '' •''■^-'•^■i"f-' of the" first consideration ,7"' "•"''V"''"':'."'^ "' "T'' "''''^''" "' ''"li"^"-. "nd of a, 



,-<"isirippi,.l tLsc m.e'Ti', V; ^■"'- '^^ ^T'al capabi:iiy of en i.ig eold a,,d f , ^ L TV";-, "c"' ""'"'' """ '*'""'"'* ""'"--lis 



i-ed with Vele^eace r.l,is l" f "'•';> ''""" ""^ '"""''"'•■ ^o^litv, and size o, ,he .'if f ^V' f •"■•■'""""»" "' "'i-' '"titode, ,es, rt 



eucetuthis c.imate ; and will Ahhougl, not no, .sJ large .-.s the Ala, ill h.;~ ' "'"' '"^ /'■""""- Canton, Matic, Chinese, .,,,1 



anniah,,,, J.., ,^,„e others which have been propagated iium 



