54 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



AI'G. 17, IR«'<i. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTF.R. 



Boston, Wednesday, August 17, 1842. 



SILK AND SUGAR. 



We stated last week that there are Tarmers enough in 

 this country, unless we can find some new articles for 

 extensive cultivation, or better markets than can nmv 

 be had. 



These positions scarcely need a word of illustration. 

 For even before the plentiful harvest of the present year 

 began to come in, the country was v\cll supplied wilh 

 all the articles of subsistence which we are accustomed 

 f) grow. The prices of beef, pork, meat of all kinds— 

 also of every thing that is worked into the form of 

 bread, are as low as the farmer can possibly live by. The 

 supply is ample (or the wants of the country, and for all 

 markets that are accessible. An increase would be no 

 public benefit. 



The withdrawal of men from the work-shop, the fac- 

 tory or counting room, into the fields, would enlarge the 

 production, increase the number of sellers, diminish the 

 buyers of agricultural productions, and thus not only 

 lessen prices, to the injury of (hose now engaged in 

 farming, but cause also the accumulation of grains and 

 meats, beyond what are needful tc the sub.-istence and 

 prosperity of the country. 



What we need now is a good market. This we can 

 hardly expect abroad. The increase of manufacturing 

 business, in its innumerable branches, and the trade con- 

 sequent upon that, would do much to kei'p the number 

 of producers from the soil down where it now is, while 

 it swelled the ranks of those who must purchase what 

 the land yields. This would hflp the farmers. But 

 the government gives us little ground for expecting that 

 the days of bri.sk business are near; — and even should 

 business revive, it would be well for the nation to pro- 

 duce from our o«n soil as many of the articles which 

 our people consume as the climale allows. 



Sugar from the corn stalk, it is maintained, and we 

 think correctly, can be easily obtained in large quantity. 

 To this article the attention of the Western farmers, by 

 whom the corn-stalks can be easily raised, should be di- 

 rected. Could the nation make its own sugars, our people 

 would find, in the increased labor furni.shed for them, 

 and in the saving of millions upon millions at home, 

 which now annually go abroad, — in these they would 

 find a vast addition to national wealth and piosperity. 

 But this is a matter for the West. 



What can we turn our attention to in New England .• 

 SILK— SILK. 



Start not, reader — the Mullicaulis fever has entirely 

 subsided : — there is no danger of your takino it. 



Something like 30 millions of dollars are annually 

 sent out of the country for the purchase of silks, and 

 this too, while we have in New Kngland both soil and 

 climate suited to the tree and the worm ; and while we 

 have also mechanical skill to aid us in the manufacture, 

 greater than exists iu any one of the silk iirowing coun- 

 tries. — Could there be creuled a fair market for cocoons, 

 hundreds and thousands uf Yankee farmers might forth- 

 tnith produce cocoons in very considerable quantities. 

 What we now need, is an establi.ihment — a factory— for 

 the woiking up of the cocoons after they are produced. 

 We know of no other way in which the ric:h men, who 

 desire to promote the interests of agriculture, could do il 

 more effectually than by creating a demand for cocoons. 

 Give us reasim to trust that in two or ihiee ye.irs time 

 such a demand will exist, and we arc ready to appropri- 



ate a considerable portion of our own small farm to the 

 mulberry. 



These brief statements are the results of much reflec- 

 tion. We have for years believed that the silk business 

 might gain a foothold and flourish on our New England 

 soil. We see no reas m to abandon the belief, but hold 

 it more strongly than ever. And now while the busi- 

 ness of the country is languishing ami while the ordina- 

 ry crops of ihe fiirm bring but little profit, the time is fa- 

 vorable for looking deliberaiely at this subject, and for 

 miking efforts to see whether it cannot be made a means 

 ol national prosperity. 



Our columns for a year and an half have contained 

 but little relating to silk. The omission has been less 

 because we doubted whether the subject was important 

 to agriculturists, than because we found the paper so 

 much given up to articles upon silk, when we look 

 charge of it, that we should soon find it changed from a 

 farming paper to a Silk register, if we did not firmly 

 take a stand, and exclude mucli of the matter that was 

 furnished us by silk-growers or llieir friends. 



We now have accomplished the object designed, when 

 we displeased subscribers by refusing to publish more 

 upon their favorite topic — Silk. 



At present we would welcome any calm and sensible 

 article upon the subject, and we are very ready to give 

 such statistics as will exhibit the importance of this 

 business as a source of nationa I industry and economy. 



the strength of his proofs or of his argument — but it 

 because our opinion of the man, will not lei us hav 

 our name and character go out before the public in fi 

 miliar association with his. Never, until his deportmei. 

 shall do away the impressions that twelve or fiftee 

 years' knowledge of him li.ive made upon our mind- 

 never until then can we consent to enter into jirotracte 

 discussion with him. 



Wilh a deep sense of our responsibility to the God c 

 Truth, we say that it is in sorrow that we make tl 

 above statement of our reasons. Wo have borne iinju) 

 charges in silence, hoping by forbearance to be spare 

 the necessity of disclosing our want of confidence in oi 

 neighbor. But the wrong which our own character su 

 fers, calls upon us to speak distinctly. We do it in so 

 row, not in anger — and forgiving the injustice, we c: 

 press a hope that we shall be spared the necessity ( 

 reading or noticing any thing of the kind in future. 



INJUSTICE. 



The editor of the Boston Cultivator, in his last paper 

 says : 



" O'Tlie Editor of the New England Farmer copies 

 our article, ' Cattle Shows,' and credits it to the Boston 

 Times. We always knew that both he and his readers 

 w;inted some of the precious morsels of the Boston Cul- 

 tivator, but we never dreamed of this way of doing it. 

 Now « e like the Editor's articles very well on practical 

 farming, and one or two of his late ones particularly. 

 And we pledge ourselves never to give this flourishing 

 fstablishment, the Boston Times, the credit of them. 

 But when the Editor talks about the rifihts of Farmers, 

 the beiiring of our laws and institutions upon the profes- 

 sion, Oh ! bah ! we cannot frankly and honestly, be- 

 lieve a word of it." 



The editor of the Bosion Cultivator ouglit to know, 

 and all who are acquainted with us do know, that we j 

 are above — far above — the meanness here charged upon 

 us. We fiMind the article above referred to, in the 

 Maine Cultivator of July 30, credited to the Boston 

 'J'irnes, in which paper we supposed it originally appear- 

 ed. Our direction in the printing office is, that every 

 thing not our own, shall be credited to its proper source. 

 We had not the slightest suspicion that the article 

 had ever appeared in the Bosion Cultivator, either a'i 

 original or copied, until we saw the paragraph above 

 quoted. Wo say further, that whenever wc sUallfiwA any 

 thing in that paper which we judge would be useful to 

 our readers, «e will take it f)penly and honorably, and 

 give due credit fi)r it. Further — " Oh ! bah !" are not 

 arguments iha't tell as much against the g^iod sense ami 

 discretion of him at whom they are hurled, as they do 

 in evidence of the frothiness or em|ilinpss of the brain 

 that pours them forth. They do indicate something of 

 the character of iiim from whom they come. 



We have had repeated injustice at the hands of the 

 e<litor of the Ciiliivator ; and he can see one instance of 

 it if he will only read the ichoteiA the report upon Flows 

 tried at Worcester, and learn what opinion we then held 

 of Howard's Plow — -and thai was months before we 

 had any connection with the New England Farmer. 

 We tell liiui, distinctly, iind if he wants wilness of it, 

 we refer him to Hon. Win. Clark, Jr., of NorthaTupton, 

 that we then may have given, as we did, the preference 

 to Howard's Flow for general use an common fiirms. 

 We have let his seeming proof of oui being swayed un- 

 duly by interest, and some other matters also pass un- 

 answered, which might easily be shown to he the ofi"- 

 spriug of his ignoranc^ We have let his baneful 

 and unsound articles upon grave [lolilical questions 

 pa'^s unnoticed. And whtj ? It is not because we fear 



THE BORROWED COAT. 



Our friend of the Massachusetts Plowman, seems t 

 have applied our stalenient of the fact ihal we do not g 

 round soliciting subscriptions to our paper, as a lull 

 his doings. Now, with and about brother Buckminsie 

 we can talk in a playful manner — for we think an 

 speak well of him as an editor and as a man. And w 

 say to him, that we simply meant to signify that w 

 have had the same delicacy about asking a man to pa 

 for what we write, that we should have in asking a pai 

 ish to take us and pay us as their minister, or in asUiii 

 a town to send us as their representative to the Goner: 

 Court. We were thinking only of our own unprnfiir 

 ble feelings, that have stood in the way of puslmi 

 our fortune by the augmentation of the subscription li- 

 Therefore we lay you, good sir, under no injunction^ I 

 keep the coat on — we made it for our own back — w 

 never meant it for yours. Nor do we blame or cen^l)l 

 your course; — we aie as ready as any one else tn ~.i 

 that every man who pays /or your paper, gels his iie 

 ney's worth, and more. 



Were we disposed to retort, il were very easy lo .- \ 

 that we do not estimate the worth of our iutelleeini 

 productions by the number of square inches over u l.n 

 they can be stretched — that. we would not purcha- 

 library by the cord, &c. &c. But as we lake very ^ 

 naturedly the borrowing of our coat by Br Buckiniir- 

 and his hit at the small compass into which we can c-n 

 press much matter, we will say no such things. 



MEDITERRANEAN WHEAT. 

 Hon. II. li. Ellswoith, Commissioner of Patents, ha 

 favored us with a small parcel of Mediterranean whea 

 (or which we sincerely thank him. We hope to give 

 a fair trial here, near the Bay, where wheat of ever 

 kind has been exceedingly subject to rust. Next wee 

 we will give the circular which accompanied thepresen 



Til 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, Aug. 13, 1843. 



From J. F. Allen, Salem— Black Figs ; the fiiu 

 fruit of the kind we have ever seen. Early IX'<\ 

 George and Gross Mignonno Peaches — beautiful S|i(i 

 mens — but the finest one bore the marks of a 

 thumb upon its fair surface. Will not the visito 

 member to keep their hands off.' Mr Allen exhibitc 

 fine Grapes and Peaches a fortnight since, which wer 

 omitted by the reporter. 



From Wm. Thomos, Boston— Plums : Iialian Dam 

 ask and Bolmer's Washington. 



From Robert Manning, Salem — Plums: Early Oi 

 leans and Morocco. Pears : Muscat Robert, Early Rous 

 selelle. Green Sugar, and Bloodgood; Red Astracha 

 Apples. 



From Dr. J. C. Howard, Brookline — Pears: Jar^o 

 nell, Summer Burgamotte, and French Fear, name un 

 known. Summer Pearmain Apple. 



From B. V. French — Apples: Sopsavine and River 

 Pears : English Catherine, Sugar-top, English June;;! 

 ing Jargonelle, and three varieties without names. 



From Otis Johnson, Lynn — Apples ■ Early Bou.tI 

 and Red Aslrachan ; the last named variety were \ir' 

 beautiful and decidedly the finest that have been c.\lii 

 bilcd at the rooms. Also a dish of the President Peaeli 

 eilra fine. Mr Johnson has repeatedly e.xhibitcd veii 

 superior specimens of grapes, peaches, and other fruits 



From Samuel Pond, of Cainbridgepoit — 23 boxes n 

 Plums of five difterenl sorts, viz: Apricol, Italian Dam 



