180 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DEC. 16, 1835. 



such as this silk makes, is mucli wanted. This 

 species cannot be domesticated." 



" 'i'he Arrindy silkworm is pfeculiar to the inte- 

 rior parts of Bengal, in the districts of Dinagepore, 

 and Rang()ore, where the natives rear and breed it, 

 in a domestic state, as they do the si :lv worm. The 

 food of this kind consists of the leaves of the com- 

 mon iticiVnw, or P«/ma C/im/i plant, which the na- 

 tives of these districts call Arrindy, and is abun- 

 dantly reared in all parts of India, on account of the 

 oil obtained from the seed. Feeding these cater- 

 pillars with these leaves, wid therefore make it 

 doubly valuable, where they know how to spin 

 and manufacture the silk. Their cocoons are 

 remarkably soft, and whitj, or yellowish ; and the 

 filament so exceedingly delicate, as to render it 

 impracticable to wind off the silk ; it is therefore 

 spun like cotton. The yarn thus manufactured, 

 is wove into a coarse kind of white cloth, of a 

 seemingly loose texture, but of iiicredible durabil- 

 ity, Its uses are for clothing, for both men and 

 women ; and it will wear constantly ten, fifteen, 

 or twenty years. The merchants, also, use it for 

 packing fine cloths, silks and shawls. It must, 

 however, be always washed in cold water; if put 

 into boiling water, it makes it tear like old rotten 

 cloth." 



Kinds and Qualities of Raw Silk. — " Bengal 

 raw silk, is divided into two classes ; the reeled 

 according to the old method, commonly called 

 country wound, and that reeled according to the 

 new, or Italian method. The places where the 

 former is manufactured, are Comercolly, Jungy- 

 pore, Ru'ngpore,andBanleah ; and those where the 

 latter is prepared, are Comercolly, Malda, Radna- 

 gore, Jungypore, Rungpore, Banleah, Cassjmbu- 

 zar and Gonatea. 



The leading points which determines the value 

 of Bengal raw silk, in cleanness, or, being free 

 from knobs, or knots, known amongst the manu- 

 facturers, by the appellation of "/om/ ;" evenness 

 of thread is also most essential. 



To judge if silk be clean, the best mode is to 

 open the skein, and stand with your back to a 

 window, so that you look down the ext;;nded silk 

 in the same direction that t le light falls j by this 

 means you will easily perceive imy foulness ihat 

 exists, and a very little practice, will enable any 

 person by a mere coup d'oeil. to judge accurately 

 upon this most esseruial ijuality of Bengal raw 

 silk. 



The different degrees of fineness .and coarse- 

 ness, are denoted by the letters A. B. C. Silk of 

 4 — 5 cocoons, is called A. No. 1 ; of 6 — 8 cocoons, 

 A. No. 2 ; of 8 — 10 cocoons, B. No. 1 ; of 10 — 12 

 cocoons, B. No. 2 ; of 12 — 14coeoons,and 16 — 18 

 cocoons, B. No. 3 ; of 18 — 20 coeooii.^, C. No. 1 ; 

 of20 — 22 cocoons, C. No. 2 ; and 22 — 24 cocoons, 

 &c., C. No. 3. All filature silk, or that wliich is 

 i-celed in factories, is included within tiie above 

 named letters and nuudjers; but silk v.:hich the 

 natives reel, by hand, is much connje*:'j and is 

 marked by the letters A. B. C. D. E. 



The Banleah filatur.-! Ki k, is inferior in fineness 

 to Radnagore, or Cassimbuzar filature silk of cor- 

 responding letters, and Comercolly lilature si k 

 exceeds these." 



[From Feaaenden's silk M.'inual.] 

 ROBERT'S SILK MANUAL. 



We have been favored by the author, with a 

 copy of a work entitled "A Manual, containing 

 directions for sowing, transplanting and raising of 



the mulberry tree together with proper directions for 

 propagating the sa^ne by cuttings, layers, ^c. fyc. 

 As also instructions for the culture of silk : To 

 which is added calculations shewing the produce 

 and probable expense of cultivation of from one 

 to ten acres, as tested by actual experience, by 

 Edward P. Roberts, Editor, Farmer and Gar- 

 dener. 



Immediately after the title page, the reader of 

 this Manual is presented with a handsome plate, 

 beaded representation of the different ages of the 

 silk worm. In this the insect is exhibited as feed- 

 ing on a branch of a mulberry tree, and the differ- 

 ent appearances of the wonderful worm in all its 

 metamorphoses are pleasingly and faithfuly deli- 

 neated. 



The following extracts from the preface to this 

 work will give our readers a better idea of its plan 

 and execution than could be done by any of our 

 observations. The author states that in the com- 

 pilation of this Manual " he is indebted to articles 

 in the Encyclopedia Americana ; Lardner's Cyclo- 

 pedia ; the Edinburgh Encyclopedia; Kenrick's 

 Orchardist ; Observations on the Silk Worm, by 

 William B. Buchanan, Esq. published in 1828 ; 

 the Treatise on the Cidture of Silk, published in 

 1830, by John D. Honiergue and Peter S. Dupon- 

 ceau, Esqs. ; Cobb's Silk Manual, published in 

 1831; the Trade and Navigation of Great Britain, 

 considered by Joshua Gee, published in 1760; 

 the letter fron James Mease, transmitting a trea- 

 tise on the rearing of silk wortns, by Mr Dellazzei, 

 of Munich; anil the Manual of the Secretary of 

 the Treasury on the same subject; both of which 

 last works were printed by Congress, in 1828 ; the 

 various articles res;)ectively in those excellent peri- 

 odical Journals, Fessenden's Silk Manual and 

 Practical Farmer ; the Silk Cnlturist ; thy Siik 

 Worm ; essays in the Farnjer's Register ; and va- 

 rious other periodicals. * * » » 



" The work of Count Dandolo, which forms 

 the superstructure of the two Congressional 

 (locuineuts, previously noticed, is' so full u|)on 

 every head connected with the subject, that after 

 reading every thing within his command, the Edi- 

 tor's only difficulty seemed to be to seperate what 

 might be termed the purely scientific and -rhiio- 

 sn])hical parts, I'i'om those of a more practical char- 

 acter, with a view of presenting to the agricidtural 

 community, a Manual, wherein all nught derive 

 the necessary information to carry on the silk cul- 

 ture in its every branch and department from the 

 sowing of the mulberry to the reeling of the 

 silk. How far he has succeeded he will not 

 pratend to say, but shall leave that to_ others 

 to determine, being content himself, in the de- 

 claration that he labored with a singleness of 

 intention to promote what he considers a great 

 and" growing interest of his country." 



We have not j'et had time to read this work, 

 attentively, hut from the slight pe^rusal we have 

 .been able to give it, we believe it will prove a val- 

 uable acquisition to the stock of information al- 

 ready in possession of the public. 



MASS.4.CHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Committee on Inventions for the year 

 1834, to whom was referred the claim of William 

 Clark, Jr. for an effectual and satisfactory mode 

 of destroying the l5ee-Moth, or of preventing its 

 ravages, reported in January last, that in their 

 opinion Mr Clark was not entitled to the premium. 



his mode having been previously adopted by sev- 

 eral other per!?ons. 



The Trustees having understood that Mr Clark 

 was not fully satisfied with the report, requested 

 the committee to take the subject again under 

 consideration. They have taken great care in 

 investigating the claim anew, and feeling some 

 diffidence in their own judgment, they have con- 

 sulted several persons res|iecting the keeping of 

 Bees. A letter was addressed to J. Prince, Esq. 

 request ng his opinion upon that subject ; the an- 

 swer was as follows. 



Jamaica Plain, Aug. 13, 1835. 



My dear Sir : — In answer to your inquiry, 

 about keeping Bees the last winter, on Mr Clark's 

 claim for premium, I told you I thought there 

 was nothing new in the method adopted by him. 

 In 1829 or 1830 I puchased some hives of Bees of 

 Beard, from Maine, and also his righi of making 

 and using his improved hive, the bottom of which 

 was on hinges, which he recommended to be let 

 fall after the first swarms left the hive, and this is 

 before the usual time of the Bee-moth appearing 

 among them — this gives the opportunity to the 

 Bees to drop them on the ground, from which 

 they cannot ascend again, and I am fully con- 

 vinced is the best mode of preventing their depre- 

 dations. 



In the autumn of 1830, a gentleman (P. N. Bar- 

 nuni, Esq. of Versailles, Ky.) was in my garden, 

 ii.troduced by your brother, R. C. Derby, who 

 observing I kept Bees, told me of the successful 

 method of a friend of his keeping them in his 

 garret. In the following winter, I prepared a 

 chamber under the ridge of my barn for Bees. 

 It was in the south-west end ; it proved too hot ; 

 althotigh they did better than on the usual sta- 

 ging. I never saw or heard of a moth or worm 

 among them while there. Intending afterwards' 

 to dispose of my farm, I disposed of all my Bees. 

 I should prefer an east or south-east exposure as 

 being cooler ; there is no danger of cold, the great- 

 er is from wet or damj) getting among them. 



I fully believe the elevation of fifteen to twcn- 

 tyfive feet from the ground, and opening the liot- 

 tom of the hive, will be found a sure [.reventative 

 of the Bee-moth. You will find communications 

 from me on the above in the N. E. Farmer of 

 April and May, 1831. 



I am very sincerely yours, 



J. Prince. 



Your committee have also examined the com- 

 mimications in the N. E. Farmer alluded to by 

 P.lr Prince, by which it appears that the same 

 mode had been practised by others long beforo 

 Mr Clark made the experiment. Therefore they 

 feel bound to confirm their former decision that 

 Mr Clark is not entitled to the premium. 



Per order, E. Hersy Derbt. 



JVov. 1835. 



Teasels. — This, at jiresent, is one of the most 

 profitable crops. 'I'here is a crop to be gathered 

 this iidi, on three or four acres of what was Mr 

 Cogswell's garden, said, by conifietent judges, to 

 be worth $3000. We Hre told that many farmers 

 in Hatfield have gone into the cultivation of it. 

 The scarcity of the article is the cause of its pre- 

 sent high price. A few years since, they were 

 so low as to be hardly worth raising. The i)ro- 

 bability is there will soon be an abundance to 

 sujjply the market. — Jour. Amer. Inst. Oct. 1835. ' 



