248 



Mixed Tlushandrij. 



Vol. II. 



acre profit may beobt.iineil without difficulty. I esti- 

 mate 25 ll)s. raw silk to the acre. J8125. 



Si3 a pound rearing and reeling. 75. 



Leaving a clear profit of- f!;50. 



By muking- this estimate to you, I feel myself on the 

 safe side, and think it may be nmch augmented by pro- 

 jier exertions. But if I live another year 1 intend to sat- 

 isfy myself by my own e\pf riment as to its correctness. 



7ih. Interrogatory. " Which is tiie most valuable 

 species of the silk worms, what the best mode and lime 

 f .ir their propagation, the quantity and tjiiality, value 

 of, and market for the cocoons ?" 



We haveseveial species of silk worms, and spin seve- 

 ral colors of silk, some are near white, some between the 

 white and yellow, some a bright yellow &c., all of 

 ■which will become one color, after being cleansed of the 

 g-luten by boiling in soap and water, wiiieh is white.— 

 The history of the silk worm is traced back to ancient 

 <Iaie. We trace its history to China, aad the Chinese 

 pretend by their history they had a knowledge of it 

 about 5000 years ago, and it is well known by other his- 

 tories that the Greeks and Koraans had no knowledge vl' 

 what silk goods were made of, but knew they were 

 fetched by caravans across the deserts from th • east, and 

 cost an enormous price, even their weight in gold. But 

 ill the sixth century two Persian Monks secretly got a 

 few silk worm eggs in the liollow of a cane, and fetulied 

 them to Constantinople to the Emperor J iisiiiiian, and 

 they gradually spread over the south part of Kiirope. 



We wish to find the species of worm that will spin the 

 largest cocouns, and equally as good quality as any 

 oi her. I have a preference for the kind called the White 

 Mammoth worm, which spins a large white ball, and of 

 good quality. We have a kind that winds a yellow ball 

 of good size, and is a veiy good kind, but the one that 

 spin< the large white hall I prefer. 



The mode and time for their propagation in some re- 

 spects varies ; but the mode of hatching is noihing more 

 than exposing the eggs in a warm room of some 70 or Si 

 degrees lieat, and in a fow days they germinate into lif , 

 ana the worms appear, and though quite small at first, 

 if pieces of .Mulberry 1 avcsare laid by or over them they 

 soon commence eating. They may be placed on paper's 

 or cloths, and laid on tables whilst hatching, and fed 

 there a few days, when t'ley are removed on a net work 

 frame, and there to be fed until the limeof spiling their 

 balls. But in no wise must they be exposed to ihe 

 rays of the sun either the eggs or worms 



The time for propagation is when the foliage becomes 

 sufficient fir stripping to feed the worms. We learn that 

 in Europe they have but one hatching seas.in, which is 

 about the middle of May, and the last of June their feed- 

 ing season Is over; but a nude has been discovered 

 among us of late by some of our experimenting fellow 

 countrymen to procrastinate the eggs from hatching to 

 our convenience. This mode is to place the eggs in an 

 ice house in dry vessels, and when prepared for the 

 worms, bring the eggs into a warm aimijsphere, and they 

 hatch perfectly well any time during the summer. Bin 

 care must be taken to deposit the eggs in the ice house 

 in the winter time before warm weather. This is noth- 

 ing more than prolonging their vifinter. As to the quali- 

 ty of American cocoons or silk, 1 will refer you to the 

 authority of Italian and French silk growers and Knglish 

 manufacturers, who report to us that no silk in the world 

 will excel the American as to the quality of silk on a 

 given amount of cocoons, or the superiority of the silk in 

 its texture. 



Ten lbs. cocoons are allowed to make one bushel with 

 the floss on, and one bushel is allowed to make one pound 

 of raw silk, reeled ready for market or manufacturing. 



When raw silk is worth $3 a lb. a bushel of cocoons 

 is well worth $1,'2:- "Twenty-five hundredcocoonS'WiU 

 make one pound reeled silk. There is a ready market 

 for raw silk or cocoons, at the eastward, where manufac- 

 turing has begun. 



When filatures (reeling houses) shall be established, 

 they will cause ready markets for small or large parcels 

 of cocoons in their vicinities. Their transportation to a 

 distance is not practicable, 



We have already facilitated the reeling, and brought 

 ft into so simple a form, that young girls at the a^e of 

 eight or ten years can wiH-k at it admirably well. The 

 French and Italian writers on the subject have represent- 

 ed it as avery^reatobstacleto surmount in the silk busi- 

 ness. But I think those who may visit us in Burlington 

 the coming summer and autumn will have ocular de- 

 iuonsiraiions that the difficulty can be easily overcome. 



Btli, Interrogatory. " Has yaiu' State Legislation pro- 



posed any, and if any, what encouragement to promote 

 the culture of the Mulberry and sugar beet ?" 



The New Jersey Stale Legislature, the present session 

 have made an able report in'favor of the culture of silk, 

 accompanied with a bill granting a premium of fifteen 

 cents a pound on all cocoons raised in this slate for the 

 next five years, 



7th, Interrogatory, " What is the best variety and the 

 best mode of cultivating the sugar beet, and what its 

 value, cost, and profit per acre V 



I cannot answer you from experience which is the best 

 variety of beet, but no doubt the While Silician beet is 

 ni'ist productive of saccharine matter. 



After the ground is made mellow the beet seed may be 

 planted in rows by drills eighl or ten inches apart. Their 

 value and profit per acre,'! feel fully assured is equal 

 to the patatoe crop, for the farmer to raise for feeding 

 slock. The cost of raising will be greater, but the crop 

 will be much more abundant than ihe polatoe crop. 



8th and 9th, Interrogatories. "What would be Ihe 

 necessary e.vpense of erecting suitable works for the 

 manufacturing of sugar from the beet 1" 



" Would the manufacture of sugar from the beet be 

 more or less expensive than from the cane : could it be 

 profitably conducted at present prices, or at what pries 

 could it be furnished V 



To these two last interrogatories I can furnish no satis- 

 factory answer, 1 have seen some specimens of sugar 

 made from the beet that was very good. 

 :iManyofour countrymen entertain the belief the beet 

 sugar business will be brought into a system which will 

 pay ago id profit. 



it might be said a community or a nation of pe iple can 

 comfortably live without the articles of silk or wine. But 

 their use has become so interwoven wiih the habits and 

 Customs of civilized nations, they are made indispensable 

 alticles. At present we are paying an enormous tribute 

 toforeisn nations for these articles. And as we have such 

 a variety of soil and climate, I feel assured both may be 

 produced in our country with a profit to the producer. 

 Besides some attention is beginning to be paid to the cul- 

 ture of silk, attention is being paid to the culture of the 

 vine in some sections of our union, and tlie juice is expres- ; 

 sed from the grape with good success. Our native grape i 

 is found to be profiialde fir our use. 



Respectfully yours, i^-c. 



CHAUNCEY STOXE. 

 Hon. Jan. T. Randolph, C , airman of the Committee 



on Agriculture. 



Burlington, N. J. Feb. 1838. 



From the Genesee Farmer, 



If3:ixe<l Husbandry. 



Mr. Editor. — The question is often asked 

 " what branch of agriculture is most profita- 

 ble — JTahi raising — dairying — wool-growing 

 — the rearing ofstock — graining, or any oth- 

 er of the various pursuits of the agricul- 

 turist!" This question, though well enough 

 for the purpose of eliciting discussion, is nev- 

 ertheless, 1 conceive, a most idle one, if put 

 with any view of learning tiie truth from a 

 direct answer. There are those however 

 who are ready to give tiiat answer, and to 

 decide in favor of one single department of 

 agriculture, to the e.xclusion of any other, or 

 all others. This is not perhaps surprising. 

 The man who has followed one particular 

 path and been successful in it, is apt to ima- 

 gine that his own is the only road to wealth. 



I have been otlen struck with this fact in 

 looking over our agricultural publications. 

 A. writes to prove that dairying yields the 

 best profits, and that it is subject to fewer con- 

 tingencies than any other branch of husban- 

 dry, B. is equally sanguine for grain rais- 

 inf, — and C. for sheep. Each not only at- 



