292 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MAftCH !43, 1836. 



coiripetition with tlic.ir rivals in other countries 

 Meanwhile, as is well worthy of remark, (and ex- 

 perience abundantly warrants tlie assertion,) many 

 of the new fabrics and inventions, when their suc- 

 cess is once established, become general among 

 the whole body of iiiannfacturers ; the domestic 

 manufacturers themselves thus benefitting in the 

 ond from, those very factories which have been at 

 first the objects of their jealousy. The history of 

 almost all other mannlaclures in which great im- 

 provements have been made of late years, in some 

 cases at an immense expense and after numbers of 

 unsuccessful experiments, strikingly illustrates and 

 ejiforces the above remarks. It is besides an ac- 

 knowledged fact that the owners of factories are 

 often among the most extensive pin-chasers at the 

 halls, where tliey buy from the domestic clothier 

 the established articles of manufacture, or are able 

 at once to answer a great and sudden order ; 

 while, at home, and under their own superintend- 

 ance, they make their fancy goods, and any arti- 

 cles of a newer, more costly, or more delicate 

 quality, to which they are enabled by the domes- 

 tic system to apply a much larger proportion of 

 their caiiital. Thus the two systetns, instead of 

 rivalling are mutual aids to each other ; each sup- 

 plying the other's defects, and i)romoting the oth- 

 er's prosperity.'' 



When I first began to turn my attention to 

 silk culture, I was apprehensive that the climate 

 of New England was not favorable to that branch 

 of industry. I thought that the Southern States 

 would have greatly the advantage of the Northern 

 by reason of their warmer and longer summers ; 

 and that, by obtaining several crops of cocoons in 

 •a season, our brethren in that part of the union 

 would possess such superiority as to render all 

 cor.ipetition of the inhabitants of New England 

 unpiofitable if not impossible. But reading the 

 fo'lov>ing passage in Dr Lardner's Treatise on the 

 Culture of Silk, together with some other consid- 

 erations iiivs changed my opinions on the sub- 

 ject. 



Count Dandolo, (a celebrated Italian silk cul- 

 turist) is of opinion, that in Italy it is disad- 

 vantageous to obtain more than one crop in each 

 season. He .affirms that the mulberry tree cannot 

 bear the constant stripping of its leaves without 

 injury. « All i*hings considered" says he, " I am 

 well persus-J^J that one of our good crops will be 

 equal in produtee to any number that may be gath- 

 ered in a year," If then one crop a year is all 

 that can be adv3nt, ige ously obtained in a country 

 80 famous for the pt odi iction of silk as Italy, our 

 warm season in New Ei 'gland is long enough and 

 warm enough for that kind of culture. 



The reason why I'le ad\'ance of silk culture has 

 beet) SQ slow, in plac^fe in w'hich it has maintained 

 lOaly a languishing pji'istenf e, or at best a feeble 

 progress for many y^Mys and '''^'^" centuries, has 

 been the want of lhat:gieiieral information relative 

 to the growth and n.ar.ufaijture of silk, which our 

 New England habits of ii>vestiga.'ion together with 

 our printing presses will supply. It A. makes an 

 iraprovemeiit of any consequence, B. C, &c. to 

 the end of the alphabet will sooii l)e in possession 

 of it. The press gives universality to every im- 

 provement in the arts. Any labor s.avi ng machine, 

 contrivance or discovery, diffused by our loco- 

 motive omnipresent newspapers, and other peri- 

 0(licals, instead of being confinedi to the closet of 

 the philosopher or the work shop of the nu^chanic, 

 HOon beRi.nea as common as day light. 



But I am told that no capital, nor incorjiorated 

 company is requisite for the Uianufacture of silk. 

 That half an ounce of midberry seed, and limd 

 enough lo sow it on, are all that are necessary to 

 begin with. Very well, neither is capital neces- 

 sary to commence operations in makinga railway or 

 a canal, say one hundred miles long. A spade and 

 a |iick-axe are alone wanted, yet, we, very properly, 

 incorp(u-ate companies for constructing canals and 

 railways. A single laborer might break ground 

 for forming a canal across the isthmus of Darien, 

 to unite the Atlantic with the Pacific ocean ; but, 

 if we wanted to make a good job of it we should 

 incorporate a company with a large capital. 



If iVIassachiisetts gives no encouragement to 

 silk culture, but seems to look upon it with a 

 jealous eye, and extends to our infant manufac- 

 tures a hard and a heavy instead of a helping 

 hand, we shall induce artists and capitalists to 

 choose their locations in other States. Connecti- 

 cut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, &c., will 

 not fail to take advantage, of such illiberal and 

 short sighted policy. But we have no reason for 

 complaint or apprehension ; and believe that this 

 enlightened Legislature will act in accordance to 

 the maxim that a judicious liberality is the best 

 economy. In praying for acts of incorporation 

 we do not ask for any exclusive right, and are 

 perfectly willing that others should build silk fac- 

 tories. Neither do we ask for money from this 

 Commonwealth to carry our plans into operation. 

 We only petition for the privilege of expending, 

 under the sanction of the Legislature, our oion 

 money, in a way, which, if it succeeds will great- 

 ly benefit the public, but if it fails will injure 

 none but your petitioners. Companies for the 

 growth and manufacture of silk have lately been 

 formed, and have gone, or are going into opera- 

 tion in Providence, Concord, N. H., Hartford; 

 Con., Poughkcepsie, N. Y., Warren county, N. 

 Jersey, several parts of Peun., Columbus, Ohio, 

 &c. Some of these, I am well assured, and all, 

 I believe, have lands, and the privilege of growing 

 as well as of manufacturing silk. 



There are some advantages which silk cidtur- 

 ists of the present day enjoy, and which give them 

 superior means to attain their objects, to those 

 within the knowledge and reach of their prede- 

 cessors. The facility of diffusing information by 

 means of the spirit of investigation and the power 

 of the press have been adverted to. To these we 

 may add the introduction of the Chinese Mulberry, 

 the invention or improvement of the power loom, 

 and the native characteristic ingenuity and inven- 

 tive faculties of the people of New England. If 

 the Chinese mulberry can be acclimated, made to 

 endure our New England winters, as we have 

 many reasons for believing, it will give a new and 

 improved character to silk culture by increasins 

 the quantity and facility of raising food for silk 

 worms. And the quality of the silk which is 

 formed from leaves of this, is said to be superior 

 to that which is obtained from .any other i)lant, 

 and the cocoons of a larger size. The Chinese 

 midberry plilntsare injured or destroyed by kind- 

 ness, by being grown on too rich a soil, which 

 causes the wood to he formed faster than it can 

 be ripened, but the mistakes in its culture will be 

 rectified by time and experience, and the acquisi- 

 tion of the plant, will I think, give a new and 

 bright aspect to our silk culture. 



The invention and application of the power 

 loom to weaving silk, i)y Mr Gay, of Providence, 



will also, I believe, tend to produce a new era in' 

 this art. By this valuable improvement it appears 

 that an individual may, by attending to four looms 

 produce 100 yards a day of woven silk. 



Mr F. said that silk ought not to be viewed as a 

 mere article of luxury. That, with the improve- 

 ments which the art of silk culture appeared capable 

 of attaining, not only the cheapest sort of garments 

 for laborers might be inade of refuse silk, but, he 

 believed, (though he might be too sanguine and 

 somewhat of an enthusiast in his anticipations) 

 that vessels for sea might be fitted with this ma- 

 terial. He thought that the time was approach- 

 ing when not only the rigging and sails, but even 

 the cables of ships, &c. would be formed of silk, 

 the cheapest and strongest material which nature 

 and art could furnish for those important purposes. 



(Communication.) 



THERMOMETRICAI. OBSERVATIONS 



of Weather, for Feb. 1836. 



Sunrise. 12 o'clock. Sundown. 



12° above 0, 18 above, 6 above. 



13 below, 4 below, 9 below. 



4 below, 9 above, 4 above." 



5 below, 12 above, 1 below. 

 12 below, 4 above, 3 below. 



7 below, 10 above, 10 above. 

 4 above, 25 above, 15 above. 



23 above, 30 above, 31 above. 



20 above, 26 above, 26 above. 

 17 above, 28 above, 24 above. 



4 above, 25 above, 16 above. 



14 above, 27 above, 20 above. 



21 above, 20 above, 23 above. 



15 above, 19 above, 1 above. 



8 above, 12 above, 10 above. 

 2 below, 13 above, 5 above. 

 1 above, 23 above, 7 above. 



6 above, 13 above, 1 above. 



5 above, 26 above, 20 above. 

 19 above, 34 above, 28 above. 

 32 above, 49 above, 40 above. 



29 above, 49 above, 32 above. 



30 above, 49 above, 34 above. 

 32 above, 39 above, 33 above. 



31 above, 23 above, 10 above. 

 8 above, 23 above, 11 above. 

 1 above, 21 above, 12 above. 

 4 above, 18 above, 7 above. 

 8 above, 32 above, 20 above. 



Observations. — Feb. 1, west, fair ; 2d, do. ; 3d, 

 north, fair; 4th, west, fair; 5th, north-west, fair; 

 6th, west, fair ; 7th, north-west, snow ; 8th, north 

 east, snow, rained in Boston ; 9th, north-west, 

 cloudy; 10th, west, fair; 11th, do.; 12th, north 

 east, snow ; 13th, east, snow; 14th, north-west, 

 fair; 15th, do. ; 16th, west, fair ; 17tii, north-east, 

 cloudy; 18th, north-west, fair; 19th, north-west, 

 cloudy ; 20th, north-cast, snow ; 21st, north-east, 

 cloudy; 22d, west, fair; 23d, east, fair; 24th, 

 south-east, rain ; 25th, west, snow ; 26th, north 

 west, cloudy ; 27th, north-west, fair ; 28th, west, 

 fair; 29th, north-east, cloudy. 



N. Pierce. 

 Ashburnham, 54 miles from Boston, ^ 



on the height of Jand between > 



the ocean and Connecticut river. ) 



Feb. 1, 



2. 



3, 



4, 



5, 



6, 



7, 



8, 



9. 



10, 



11, 



12, 



13, 



14, 



15, 



16, 



1'7, 



18, 



19, 



20, 



21, 



22, 



'^23, 



24, 



25, 



26, 



27, 



28, 



29, 



The skeletons of three mammoths are said to 

 have been found, recently, in a cavern in the isl- 

 and of Pedrose, and carried to Cronstadt. 



