VOIi. XIV. KO. IT. 



AND G A R L) E N E R ' S J O U R N A L 



Ui 



luil iiiil;,'iin.'nt. This bnmcli of a^iiifiiluinil iii- 

 liistry is, at pres(Mit, in an early stage of oxperi- 

 iieiit, ill tliis coiiiitry, at least in most parts of it. 

 Pew have had iiiueh (i|i;)ortnnity to acquire 

 i;uo\vle(li;e by their own experience ; and, con- 

 secinently, few are i]i!alilieil to be teachers, or to 

 nipart valuable iiiforiMation to enlighten and 

 guide the cnltivator, cr to awaken and direct at- 

 tention upon this important subject. Not a few, 

 however, seem ambitions to lend a helping hand, 

 by |)ublishing the result of their speculations, and 

 sometimes stating observations and opinions osten- 

 sibly grounded on known facts. Much, however, 

 of this character, and presented in this form, 

 ueeds revision. I have, myself, for about six years 

 past, been in the habit of consulting books, read- 

 nowspapers and periodicals, and what I es- 

 teem vastly better than all the rest, gleaning some- 

 thing from personal experience, for the purpose 

 of getting an understanding of the art of rearing 

 the silk-worm and ascertaining its profits. And 

 I do not now, Mr Editor, sit down to pen this 

 short article with any high pretensions, to palm 

 myself upon your readers as a man qualified to 

 teach them, to guide them to all the knowledge 

 that is important to practice. My object is rather 

 to guard against mistakes, to warn men not to 

 receive as canonical, all the high-toned and ex- 

 travagant representations of enthusiasts, who, 1 

 doubt not, esteem themselves public benefactors 

 in proportion to the exalted terms in which they 

 paint the prosi)ect of all silk cultivators. My 

 motive is derived from a belief, that sober facts, 

 precisely reported, and well authenticated, are 

 ultimately of infinitely greater advantage to the 

 cause they ?eek to advance, than ."i!l the highly 

 colored and flattering encomiums enlisted into the 

 service by volunteers, who have more warmth 

 than light, and more valor than experience. 

 When led to expect more than it is possible we 

 ahould ever realize, our disappointment, when it 

 conies, must necessarily produce a inost disastrous 

 efffect upon the engagement, into wjiich we were 

 seduced, or conducted at least, by an inordinate 

 estimate of its advantages. 



1 am iuluceil to otfer these suggestious in con- 

 sequence of having often met with paragraphs 

 which I know to be incorrect, and which it seems 

 to me, tend to mislead those, who would rather 

 be enlightened than deceived upon this highly 

 interesting practical subject. A few days since i 

 read iu the Transcript, from a correspondent of 

 that paper, some remarks dated at Ashfield, iu my 

 own County, respecting the high condition to 

 which silk cultivation had already risen iu North- 

 ampton. I impute nothing intentional to the 

 writer, whoever he may have been, but I will 

 venture to say, that liad he been a man of any 

 knowledge concerning what he wrote, resting on 

 his own experience, he would not have amused 

 MS with so fine, so splendid a pictur(;. T, myself, 

 have, since the first of June last, been twice on 

 the same ground, which lit up such a glow of 

 imagination in the mind of this traveller and 

 journalist, and have found nothing to warrant his 

 views. It is true there is, on the premises of Mr 

 Whitraarsh, the beginning and foundation of a 

 great silk establishment, which, in process of time, 

 will, I doubt not, produce great results. But to 

 say that even now there is |)rovision for rearing 

 "one or two millions of silk-worms," on that 

 ground, as promising as it is, ran be no other 

 than extravagant and idle in the extreme. Nav, 



I seriously doubt whether, in the whole state of 

 Massachusetts, their have been nmlberry leaves 

 enough, the season past, to yield one half as much 

 silk as has been ofttMi, and by many, stated as 

 coming within the capability of that single town. 

 Now, such over statements and unauthorized es- 

 timates, made imqucstionably, in simplicity and 

 with the most laudable views, have no tendency 

 to accelerate, but to retard, the progress of that 

 enterprise, which is eventually, as I believe, to 

 convert New England into a great and prosperous 

 silk-growing district. What has been commenced 

 in Northampton, as already referrrd to, may be 

 regarded as a prelude to something very consid- 

 erable, being, as it is, in the hands of a gentleman 

 who is i)ersevering, and not likely to be broken 

 down by the premature expenditure of some hun- 

 dred!! of dollars in the erection of accommoda- 

 tions, which, I am confidimt, cannot be more than 

 partially needed for many years to come. 



The way in whicii this business is most likely 

 to succeed, and be a source of jirofit, is in a 

 speedy commencement and a steady, gradual pro- 

 gress, by sowing seed, or otherwise procuring 

 trees, for supplying food for worms, and when, in 

 the course of two or three years, foliage shall 

 have grown in some quantity, begin to feed them 

 out on a moderate scale, increasing from year to 

 year, as trees grow, and experimental knowledge 

 strengthens confidence, and renders more easy 

 and sure the process by which the end is to be 

 attained. Daring adventurers may launch forth 

 at once upon a wide ocean of untried and uncer- 

 tain effort, expecting to reap an abundant, over- 

 flowing harvest almost as soon as the seed is sown ; 

 but, in this case, the mortification and discourage- 

 ment attendant on disappointment is more proba- 

 ble than the gain fondly anticipated. For the 

 present, I would say to the agricultural community 

 disposed to make trial of silk-growiug, first pro- 

 vide trees, as largely as you choose ; and when 

 they have leaves, begin to use them with due 

 caution not to be overstocked, not to have more 

 mouths than you can fill, not to crowd your 

 thoughts, or your hurdles, with millions, when 

 you have scarcely wherewith to sustain thou- 

 sands. 



The chief hazards in this novel and much 

 talked of branch of rural industry are, I imagine, 

 in the outside, before opportunity has been had for 

 making up a well-formed and ripened judgment 

 as to the proper mode of managing the con- 

 cern. 



To avoid this difficulty, and to acquire skill for 

 practice in the cheapest way, and to make a dis- 

 [losition the least likely to issue in failure and 

 discouragement, cultivators, I think, will do well 

 to act upon something like v/hat is hinted in the 

 above remarks, rather than take their im|iressions 

 from what is said so often, so confidently, and in 

 language so flattering, while experience neither 

 attests,, nor seals it. 



With these remarks, Mr Editor, 1 declare to 

 you an.d your readers my sincere desire of seeing 

 your useful publication accomplishing much in 

 the promotion of its object, and in prompting to 

 that industry which it recommends. 



Boiton, Oct. 21, 1835. J. Field. 



To tlie Editor of the Silk Manual. 



Sir — I am informed by those who have had 

 experience in the cultivation of the mulberry tree, 

 that it will not thrive on land where the surface 



or subsoil has a mixture of clay. Will you jilvuse 

 to stale in the next number of your valuable 

 Manual, whether a calcareous soil or a soil com- 

 l)osed iu part of lime, would be suitable for u 

 mulberry lilantation ; or whether lime applied to 

 the land as manure, would be beneficial or injuri- 

 ous to the growth of the trees in any case. IJy 

 so doing you will much oblige one of your sub- 

 scribers, and perhaps, many others who are now 

 interested in the culture of the mulberry. 

 Dedham, Oct. 30, 1835. W. G. 



By the Editor. — .All the writers on the subject 

 of cultivating mulberry trees, &c. concur in re- 

 commending a warm, sandy, dry soil, and do not 

 mention the subject of lime, or calcareous iriatter 

 as connected with growing the trees. Lime, 

 however, according to Mr Edmund liuftin, author 

 of an able " Essay on calc ireons Jlanures," is un- 

 favorable to the growth of forest trees in general 

 We should be glad to learn the opinions of coiri- 

 petent judges on this subject ; but, at jiresent, 

 would not advise the use of calcareous manure, 

 nor recoinmend a calcareous soil till the subject is 

 better understood. 



ENGLISH HOGS. 



The following description of English hogs, 

 which we co|]y from the last American edition of 

 the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, will be found to 

 possess interest. 



The Berkshire is a small-boned breed and dis- 

 posed to fatten quickly. It is the sort mostly fat- 

 tened at the distilleries, and is good either for pork 

 or bacon. 



The Chinese breed, the size of Avhich is small, 

 and the flesh delicate, is to be met with in every 

 country. It is the best adapted for using as pork, 

 but is seldom cured into bacon, being too small 

 for that purpose. 



The Gloucestershire breed, which Mr JIarshall 

 supposes to have been formerly the prevailing 

 breed of the Island, is large, but ill formed. Its 

 color in general is white. It is a very unprofita- 

 ble sort, and is chiefly confined to the Gloucester- 

 shire, Shropshire and the west of Devonshire. 



The Hampshire breed is very large, but not so 

 compact as the Berkshire. They are white, well 

 disposed to fatten, and come up to a great weiglit 

 when properly managed. 



The Herefordshire is a large useful breed, but 

 not by any means superior to either the Berkshire 

 or Hampshire. 



The Rudgwick breed, so called from a town of 

 that name in Essex, on the confines of Surrey, is 

 supposed by Mr Middleton to be the largest in the 

 island ; feeding to an extraordinary size, and, at 

 two years old, weighing nearly double or treble 

 the weight of other sorts of hogs at that age. 



The Northampton breed, which are reared 

 chiefly in that county, are of a large size, but 

 they do not fatten very kindly. The breed of 

 Shropshire is nearly similar to that of Northamp- 

 tonshire. 



The swing-tailed breed are not very numerous. 

 Their size is small ; their form well proportioned. 

 They are hardy and fatten to a good weight. 



The Bedford breed is a variety of swine intro- 

 duced some years since by the late Duke of Bed- 

 ford, called the larger-spotted- Wobiirn breed. — 

 They arc very prolific, hardy and well disposed 

 to fatten, attaining nearly twice the size and weight 

 of other hogs. 



