60 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



ACG. !34, lS«a,| 



LEATHER BUSINESS OF DANVERS. 

 We find in the New Genesee Fanner for Au- 

 gust, the fiillowing accnunt of the shoe and leather 

 business of our native town. The compiler is re- 

 markable for Ilia accuracy in statistical matters, and 

 our own belief is that the account is not exagge- 

 rated. It was originally furnished for the Salern 

 Gazette Eu. N. E. P. 



STATEMENT. 

 A statistical account of the Shoe and Leather 

 business in the town of Danvers for the year 1841, 

 compiled from the returns made by committees ap- 

 pointed in each department of the business, who 

 reported specially what was done by each person 

 engaged in it. 



1. Boots and Shoes manufactured — 924,000 pairs. 

 Estimated value, when ready for mar- 

 ket, $050,000 



Forty per cent, of this is labor applied 

 — 1255 males are constantly employed, 

 and 946 females. 



2. Tanning and Currying. — 373,800 

 aides of leather. 



10 per cent, of labor applied in the 

 process of tanning — 20 per cent, of labor 

 applied in the process of currying up- 

 per leather. A large proportion of the 

 leather tanned here is also curried. 328 

 males are constantly employed in thia 

 business. 



The Real Estate, consisting of tan- 

 neries and mills used in this business, is 

 valued at .$123,000. 0500 cords of bark \ 



lire used in the tanneries, estimated at 

 $8 per curd, when delivered at the yard, 

 $50,000, 9-lOths of this is the result of 

 actual labor applied. The transportation 

 of the bark from Maine to Massachu- 

 setts, employs 15 vessels of 80 tons each 

 and CO men. The transportation of 

 hides from South America employs 5 ves- 

 sels of 200 tons each and 50 men. lu 

 addition to the above, citizens of this 

 place are concerned in tanneries in 

 Maine and Vermont, from which they re- 

 ceive leather ready for the market, of 

 the value of $200,000 



3. Miinufacturc of Mtris. — 150,000 

 dressed annually. 



Estimated value when ready for the 

 market, 90,000 



40 per cent, of this labor is applied — 

 44 males constantly employed. 



Gross amount of the value of materi- 

 als brought to market annually by our 



manufacturers, 



81,732,000 



The whole number of persons employed as sta- 

 ted above, is 2639. Supposing one third of the 

 nett proceeds to be applied as a compensation for 

 their labor, this would give about .$214 to eacl 

 person, not by any means an extravagant compen 

 sation for their labor. It is not pretended that the 

 amount of capital employed is as large as the sum 

 above stated ; because some of the articles are 

 twice estimated. 



Such for instance is the case with the leather 

 purchased by the currier of the tanner. It will 

 also be remembered tliat a large part of the stock 

 worked in the shoe factories, is purchased in the 

 New York and Philadelphia and Baltimore markets. 



The foregoing estimates are the best approxima- 

 tion to Ihe facts that I liave been able to obtain 

 from an examination of the returns of men practi- 

 cally engaged in the business. Throughout it has 

 appeared to me they were not disposed to overrate 

 their business. A more sober, industrious, and 

 mind-their-own-business class of people than the 

 manufacturers of this place, it will be difficult to 

 find in any community. 



I hope sir, that the above statements, hastily 

 sketched, will be found a satisfactory answer to 

 your inquiries. 



Very respectfully and truly yours, 



Danvers, March, 1842. J. W. PROCTOR. 



From the New Genesee Farmer. 



ADDITIONAL ON DANIELS' PATENT MA- 

 NURE. 



In my last letter I gave you my ideas respecting 

 Mr Daniels' new manure; since then I have re- 

 ceived the specification of the patent : — here it is, a 

 little abbreviated. 



The substances are divided into three classes : 



First: Ligneous matters, (say sawdust of any 

 wood,) also peat, straw, and weeds of any kind. 



Second: Bituminous matters ; these are, mineral 

 coal, (not anthracite, I am sure, although this is 

 not so stated,) asphaltum, pitch made from coal 

 tar, or other pitch, mineral resin, and also tar. 



Third: Animal matter, such as butchers' offal, 

 graves, flesh of any dead animals, also fish. 



The ligneous matters are ground to powder — or 

 the same cfl^ect may be produced on them by mix- 

 lure with caustic (unslacked) lime. 



The bituminous matters, when brittle, are ground 

 into powder by machinery ; but if sticky, like pitch, 

 a small quantity of dry quick lime is added to pre- 

 vent their sticking to the machine. When these 

 bituminous ingredients are liquid, they are convert- 

 ed into vnpnr by dry distillation, with which vapor 

 the ligneous matters are saturated. These ligne- 

 ous matters may be, spent tanners' bark, dyers' 

 spent wood, sawdust, &c. The soft bituminous 

 matters may also be reiliiced to a state of minute 

 division, by being rendered soluble in water by the 

 addition of caustic alkali — and in this solution the 

 ligneous matters are steeped. 



The animal matters nre mixed with pulverized 

 ligneous or bituminous ingredients before mention- 

 ed, and are then ground into fine powder. 



This manure is deposited in the ground with the 

 seed by means of a drilling machine, or scattered 

 over the ground broadcast. 



The words within parentheses are my additions. 



It will be immediately perceived that the partic- 

 ulars given in this patent are calculated more to 

 conceal than to disclose the real method of con- 

 cocting this manure. Still, as the patent right 

 would be vitiated unless all the ingredients were 

 irentioned, there is no doubt that every substance 

 used is given, and that the sulphur, of which I did 

 not see the use, is not amongst them. 



There are two ways in which this preparation 

 may be made. The bituminous matters, any or 

 all, may be dry distilled, that is, enclosed in an 

 iron retort and acted on by fire, the ligneous sub- 

 stances expo.sed to tlie vapor proceeding from this 

 distillation, and thoroughly saturated with it. Coal 

 gas, for illuminating cities, is produced by dry dis- 

 tillation of bituminous coal. This method, howev- 

 er, would require a regular manufacturing estab- 

 lishment with proper machinery. 



When peat, weeds, &c. are used, then, with th 

 tar and liquid bituminous matters, they may 

 operated on by quick lime, and sawdust adde 

 either of these mixtures, with finely divided anim 

 matters, would no doubt make a rich manure. 



The principles of the formation of this new m 

 nure of Daniels', seem to agree pretty well w 

 those I have laid down — namely, that all ligneo 

 matters containing the basis humus or geine 

 source of carbonic acid gas, well saturated wi 

 azote, particularly in the form of ammonia, ai 

 mixed with alkaline bases, as lime, potash, or sot 

 are highly important manures, particularly on lig 

 sandy soils ; and that animal and carbonaceo 

 matters are excellent ingredients to produce ti 

 saturation of azote. 



Also, as a general rule, that whenever any ri 

 manure, as cow or horse dung, is put on a hill 

 which plants are to be set, it is an excellent pi 

 to mix a little quick lime with it before cover) 

 up. The lime liberates the ammonia, with wh 

 the earth around becomes impregnated, and 

 roots then find their proper food with its digest 

 power ready for them in abundance. The o, 

 precautions necessary, are to guard against 

 lime coming into contact with the roots, and a 

 to cover up carefully, so that none of th,e anmio 

 may escape into the atmosphere. J. E. T 



NATIVE SILK. 

 The Cincinnati Gazette gives the following sti 

 ment of facts showing the progress of the silk bi 

 ness in this country, as indicated by the boun 

 annually paid in the several States: 



"In Ohio, the bounty paid to silk-growors in 



1839 was $71 10 



1841 wa3 2681 76 



The whole amount of reeled silk produced 



year is set down at 3000 pounds. 



In Massachusetts, the bounty paid in 



1836 was ,$85 20 



1839 was 439 99 

 1841 was 4675 10 



In New York, the increase in the quantit 

 cocoons produced, has been very rapid, in ] 

 being 2000 pounds, while in 1841 it was 6426 



In Pennsylvania, the bounty paid in 



1840 was $2101 80 



1841 was 4418 55 

 The Rev. Frederick A. Ross has probably n 



more silk than any other |)erson in the cou 

 During the last year he sold 300 pounds of re 

 silk in Burlington, N. J., for $1600. A silk 

 ture has been established in Philadelphia." 



In France, and some other countries of the 

 tinent, companies fur the insurance of agric 

 rists from loss through the destruction of star 

 crops by hail storms, have long been establi: 

 and have proved of great utility. In Engl 

 happily, our ripening harvests are not so frequ 

 exposed to injury from such causes, but, neve i< 

 less, it is the part of prudence to guard agbl 

 even improbable danger, when the cost is tri Ij 

 Men do not insure their houses from fire bee II 

 they exptd a visitation from the devouring eleiill 

 but simply as a measure of wise precaution agDI 

 a possible casualty, — JVew Farmers^ Jour. 



05=The annual Cattle Show, &c. of the li9 

 Agricultural Society, will be held at Anda 

 South Parish, on Sept. 28th. 



