I'. XIV. NO. ag. 



AND G A R I) K N K R'S JOURNAL 



221 



)iis to tlie liiiiiian constitution, and tlio gen- 



of iliscasc and death. They have ohiimed, 



Inly, that the pestilential air of a cocoonery, 



|a close room is occupied as such, is dolete- 



the health of the feeders, and especially 

 nfs that are nursed l>y mothers nr nurses 

 mployed. In proof of this they have saiil 



many yeni-s it was noticed that larpe 

 rs of infants died annually in the silk 

 countries, particidarly at Tiers, Narhonnc, 

 &c. where multitudes of silk worms are 

 mothers ; and hence they have concluded, 

 itionally, that the motlier communicates a 

 seasc to her infant in the impurities of the 

 ent on which it suhsists. It has also been 

 cd that simple vvourids, whether on men 

 men thus em|)loyed, have become ulcers 

 y painful hut incurable, 



disastrous consequences, which were 

 ly of frequent occurrence, have been care- 

 vestigated, and their causes satisfactorily 

 incd. It was found that they invariably 

 1 in the establishments of the opulent, 

 hose of the poor were wholly exempt from 

 In the poorest villages, where the crevices 

 overing of the huts of the inhabitants fur- 

 aniple ventilators, large and certain crops 

 uud to be made; while in the close cover- 

 llings of the rich, they were rarely foimd. 

 huts of the poor it was found that the in- 

 were in good health, even to the infants, 

 be rich were diseased and their nurslings 

 i dying. 



e facts furnish the most indubitable ev- 

 that both the worms and their attendant's 

 itract disease from the exhalations of the 

 ntsand litter, if they be suffered to remain 

 se room even for a few hours — and, on 

 trary, they as satisfactorily prove, that if 

 regularly and seasonably removed, and 

 1 well ventilate 1, both wi'l enjoy good 

 It is wisely ordered in the economy of 

 ncc, tl<"' «l„o..i: — Jr •- — - 



1 to the health of the worm as to the 

 if its attendant — and hence what con- 

 to the comfort and enjoyment of the one 



manner does to the other, 

 preparation of food for the worm is certain- 

 •y healthy employment ; and, with no loiore 

 an is necessary for the health of the won., 

 les of the cocoonery may be made equally 

 le French and Italian Culturists ridicule 

 I attempt to alarm them with fears on this 



; and Mr de Turk, speaking with respect 

 •ulture of silk in Prussia says many who 

 jen engaged in it have reached the age to 

 man ever attains. The same is true of the 

 Iturists in Bavaria. Unwilling, therefore, 

 should be, to be instrumental in introduc- 

 3usiness which would require a conimuta- 

 health for wealth, we can without any mis- 

 ^ say, no person need be deterred from en- 



in the culture of silk on account of the iu- 

 j upon health.— St7A; Culturist. 



|iuri)orts to contain the discovery, by n young 

 English lady, in 1652, of a method of feeding silk 

 worms, in iIm! woods, on the mullierry trees in 

 Virginia, without shelter from the weather, or 

 much assistance, protection or attention from the 

 planters. From the description which the writer 

 gives of the cocoon, and tiie various trees anil 

 shrubs on which the worm fed and made silk, we 

 should think the account needed confirmation were 

 it not kiu)wn that the climate of \irginia is re- 

 markably adapted to the constitution of tlie silk 

 worm. That the worm in some parts of Virginia, 

 as well as in China, wiil live in the open air, anrl 

 make its cocoon upon the tree, we have no doubt ; 

 but we confess ourselves rather skeptical as to the 

 size of the cocoons of which the writer speaks. 

 If, however, there ever were silk worms of this 

 character in the forests of Virginia, it is to be 

 hoped that the rice has not beccine extinct ; and 

 it is certainly worthy the attention of naturalists 

 in that region to ascertain the fact. We give the 

 writers description of the cocoon and habit of the 

 worm in his own language and orthography, pre- 

 mising the remark that "silk bottome" is synono- 

 mous with cocoon. 



"'IheSi!k Bottome of the natmall Worme in 

 Virginia, found there in the woods, is ten Inches 

 about, and six Inches in length to admiration ; 

 and whereas ours in Europe have their Sleave 

 and Loose Silke on the outside ; and then in a 

 more closer covering they intombe themselves. 

 These rare Worms, before they inclose themselves 

 up, till with Silke, the great emptinesse, and after- 

 wards inclose themselves in the middle of ;t, so 

 they have a doyble Bottom. The loose Sleave 

 Silk is all on the outside of this compass, for if 

 that were reckoned in, the compass of the Bottom 

 would far exceed this proportion; But this is suf- 

 ficient to be the wonder of the whole World ! to 

 the glory of the Creator, and exaltation of VIR- 

 GINIA."— Si74 Culturist. 



sown it since with wheat, which was a failure. I 

 would recommenil anyone who has a light, freo 

 alluvial soil, to try a little of it alone, as an experi- 

 ment. In an adhesive, cold, wet, or stony soil, 

 it should not be sown ; but on the rich, free, allu- 

 vial soils of the Connecticut, touch may be expect- 

 e<l from it ; the great secret being u freeness in the 

 soil, to acconmiodate the tap root, which will 

 enable it to stand the drought. I know of no 

 grass that will give the yield, (where it is suited 

 to the soil,) or is more satisfactory to the sight of 

 man, or the taste of beast, than a field of Lucerne 

 Clover. Yours, with res[iect, B. V. F. 



NATIVE SILK -WORM. 



Statements contained in a work published 

 idon in 1655, by John Streeter, entitled 

 Reformed Virginia Silk Worm," &c., are 

 d to credit, it would seem the forests of Vir- 

 in the days of its infancy, were inhabited by 

 ies or variety of the silk worm, of a very 

 rdinary character and habit The book I five times a year, yieldmg ^ooj prop, 



liVCERNE. 



To the Fditor of the New England Farmer, — 



Dear Sir :— In your last Farmer I noticed a 

 commuiiication from that distinguished a^riculfti- 

 rist, Hon. Samuel Lathrop, of West Springfield, 

 on Indian Corn, closing with an inquiry concern- 

 ing Lucerne or French Clqver. Desirous that 

 this clover should be fairly tried in field culture 

 nduces me to communicate through your valua- 

 "' paper to him and the pi'hlie, an experiment 

 nian, j„ j|,g y^g,. jggy^ _.,( ,|^^ House of Industry 

 tarm, x^mlj Uggto,, The land iV] front of the 

 house wu jjyjj^ uneven, and to bring it into 

 shape. It was..^g^jy^j j^^ ^^^ direc'ors to raise the 

 land in front oi .^^ ^ouse, ann nu^,, ^j^,, ^ gi^^jg 

 of about two lui>.,.ed and fifty feet in length, 

 with a slope of about vxteen feet, xhis bank was 

 made of a fine sandy s^.;)^ with a flnish of frgg 

 loam, not rich, with an inUfltion,f soddino- but 

 finding it to be very expensive, \i^^^ resolved to 

 try the lucerne, knowing it had, 1^,^^ ^^^^ ^.^^^^ 

 which would probably preserve |^g ^^^^ ^^.^^^ 

 gullying out. It was prepared, ant,,g ^^^^ ^^^^^ 

 the latter part of May ; soon aA ^ j^j^jj ^^j^^^ 

 drifted the bank to such a" exfj (j^g^ij^g ^^^ 

 was pretty much blown off; it W repaired and 

 sown againaboutthe 10th June, (j ^.j^gred ; the 

 seed soon came up, and did w;_ j^^ October, 

 roots of grass were pulled "Pfleasuring thirty 

 inches in length. It has beet^^^^^ gj^^g ,^g„ 



I have 



CiiunNiNG Butter. — Mr Holmes : As your 

 paper is intended as a medium to spread abroad 

 everything useful to farmers, and ladies or dairy 

 women in their several occupations, I am led 

 through it to communicate a fact accidentally dis- 

 covered by me, relative to the churning of butter, 

 which I have heretofore found a laborious job in 

 winter. I set some frozen cream in a tin vessel 

 on my fire-frame one night — the next morning 

 I found the cream full as warm as milk when first 

 taken from a cow. On placing it in the churn it 

 required not more than two minutes churning 

 before the butter come, as we say. To show that 

 this was not a .solitary instance, I have ever since 

 placed my cold and frozen cream in a vessel, and 

 so placed it as that it sliould slowly become as 

 warm as above named, when not once only, but 

 uniformly the same result has taken place. Let 

 anyone who is desirous try this mode, and my 

 word for it, they will find the above verified, 

 which does away the fatigue of a long and some 

 times doubtful churning. If the cream is mode- 

 rately warmed to the extent named, I will warrant 

 the result to be as above. — Correspondent of the 

 Maine Farmer. 



Printing — The most extensive printing estab- 

 lishment in England at the present time, is that 

 of the ' Society for the Diffusion of Useful Know- 

 ledge.' It gives regular employment to thirtysix 

 type founders, seven men damping paper, aud one 

 hundred and si.xty compositors. Besides fifteen 

 common presses, two steam engines are employed 

 in driving eighteen printing machines, ^^J-— " "" 

 throw off from seven hundreri '" """ tt'ousand 

 impressions each per ho- ' ^]'"^ .^'"^ '" "'e 

 establishment abo-," ""' «li°"sand works in stere- 

 otv/-". ""J0.-0 ivliich are seventyfive different sets 

 of plates for the Bible. The first cost of these 

 plates was not far from $1,500,000. 



Oil — The New Bedford Mercury contains a 

 statement of the quantity of oil imported in the 

 year 1835, at the different ports of the United 

 States, amounting to 172,683 barrels of Sjierma- 

 ceti, and 120,649 barrels of Whale oil. The im- 

 port at New Bedford amounted to 84,966 barrels 

 Si)erm, and 49,764 Whale ; at Nantucket 39,735 

 Sperm, 4,710 Whale ; New London 10,-585 Sperm, 

 and 14,750 Whale, and the residue at 22 different 

 ports. 



The Mercury mentions a sale of 1300 barrels 

 Sperm Oil in that town, at 90 cents per gallon. . 



The whole number of deaths in Boston for the 

 past year, was 1914, of whom 208 died of con- 

 sum|.tion, 141 of lung fever, 188 of measles, 73 of 

 typhus, 37 of intemperance, hanged 7. 



