vol,, xiv.no. 4 a. 



AND GARDKNKR'S JOURNAL. 



3^3 



Silk. — Of the jirodigious value of foreign silk 

 goods iiiiiiorteil into tlio L'nited States, llio people 

 of this eoiintry generally sccin not to have been 

 fully aware. The aggregate amount of this trade 

 for the year 1834, has heen estiniated at about 

 twelve millions of dollars — which incluiled all 

 the imports from abroad, both from Europe and 

 India. But wo have now before us an official 

 ilofumeni, for which we are indebted to our 

 attentive representative in Congress, ;\Ir Reed, 

 whicli di-i-loses the astonishing fact, that during 

 the year 1835, there were imported into the United 

 States, fruiii Frunct uLunt, silks to the value of 

 $12,129,640 — being nearly double the amount of 

 importations for any preceding year, and upwards 

 of three times that of, the year 1830! The value 

 of importe<l silks froin England, Germany, Italy, 

 Turkey, China, and other coui tries, during the 

 last year, we have not at present the means of 

 ascertaining. If this be estimated at only one 

 half the al)ove sun), we then have an aggregate 

 of upwards of eighteen millions of dollars! 



Is it not high time that the .\merican people 

 should realize the important fact, that the enor- 

 mous amount of money thus annually drawn from 

 their purses, is pai<l for articles which may be as 

 abuudanlly [uoduced, and as successfully fabrica- 

 ted, to say the least, in this, as in any other nation 

 on the face of the globe ? Has not the time 

 arrived, when legislators, political economists, and 

 patriotic citizens of every class should losk deeply 

 into this subject, so obviously momentous ? It 

 strikes us that there is no branch of domestic in- 

 dustry, which, at this moment, so imperiously 

 demands not only the attention, but the fostering 

 aid and generous patronage of government. 



Individuals, scattered here and there — and 

 small as.sociations, with limited means — may 

 toil through a course of years, and by slow and 

 gradual advances finally bring to perfection the 

 culture and manufacture of this precious material. 

 Private enterprise and ingenuity may also facili- 

 tate the progress of these undertakings; and cap- 

 italists may engage therein to a certain extent. 

 But the paramount protection and encouragement 

 of the national and state authorities, even if bui 

 partially extended, will accomplish the object 

 almost instantaneously. In view of the immense 

 resuiis lo be reasonably anticipated from the in- 

 troduction and establishment of the silk manufac- 

 ture-^ promising such advantageous changes in 

 our foreign and domestic relations — it becomes 

 evidently the duty of those who are entrusted with 

 the management of our public interests to provide 

 liberally for its speedy promotion. 



From the document before mentioned we learn 

 one remarkable fact relative to the silk trade be- 

 tween France and the United States, which shows 

 that, after all, we have been no great gainers, as a 

 nation, by the payment — or the agreement to 

 pay — the indemnity of five millions. The 

 amendments made in 1832, to the tariff act ol 

 1828, in regard to the duties on imported silks 

 and wines from French ports, must have served 

 as a stinmlus, if indeed they were not intended as 

 a bribe to the government of France, in the way 

 of inducing a seeming act of justice on their part. 

 It appears that we have actually more than de- 

 frayed the whole amount out of our own pockets, 

 by means of the reduced duties on silks alone, 

 within the last three years. France, or those 

 engaged in the silk trade with that country, saved, 

 in con.sequence of the diminished impost on silks, 



in 1833, $1,061,.579 ; in 1834, $1,582,0(13 ; and in 

 1835, .$2,627,184 : in all, no less than $5,270,826. 

 I'pon wines, the saving to F'rance from the same 

 cause, amounted to .*695,031. So that, for the 

 boastcil five millions indemnity, we have granted 

 far more than an equivalent — the French tradi; 

 having been benefitted to the amount of nearly six 

 millions — of which sum our treasury has been 

 deprived, through the operations of the act of 

 1832 — an act authorising the reduction of- our 

 own revenue fiir the exclusive benefit of France. 

 Well might such a measure tempt the rulers of 

 that nation to the discharge oi a portion of our 

 claims — a portion covered entirely by a remission 

 of the customary duties on a single article of coin- 

 inerce ! — JVayi. Inq. 



Receipt for MAKtNO cold Soap — The leach 

 tub or hogshead must be covered at the bottom 

 with straw and sticks — then put in a bushel of 

 ashes, then two or three quarts of tinslacUed lime, 

 upon which you must throw two quarts of boiling 

 water to excite fermentation and slack the lime; 

 put in another bushel of ashes and as much more 

 lime and water, and continue to do so until your 

 vessel is full ; put in hot water till you can draw 

 off the lye, after which the heat of the water is 

 not of' much consequence. You must have, at 

 least, two thirds of a bushel of lime to a hogs- 

 head, if you wish youV soap to be made quick; 

 one hogshead of ashes will make two barrels of 

 soap. When you draw off" your lye you must 

 keep your first two pailfuls by themselves, and the 

 next two in another vessel, and the third two in 

 another vessel atill : then weigh 29 pounds, of 

 clear, strained grease, or of scraps, without strain- 

 ing, 32 pounds, put into a kettle with three pounds 

 of rosin ; then pour over it one pailful of lye from 

 the first drawn vessel, and one from the second 

 drawn vessel ; put it over the fire, and let it boil 

 twenty minutes — be particular to add no lye 

 over the fire, but swing oft' the crane if it is in 

 danger of boiling over ; put it into your barrel, 

 and add one pailful of lye fron) the third drawn 

 vessel, and give it a thorough stirring ; then weigh 

 your grease for another barrel, and take the lye 

 remaining in the vessels, in the same manner as 

 for the first barrel ; then draw off" your weak lye, 

 and fill up the vessels as fast as possible, remem- 

 bering to put half to each barrel, that they may 

 be equally strong ; if your leach run through fast, 

 you may have your barrels full in an hour, and so 

 hard that you can hardly stir them. You must 

 stir it after you begin to put in your lye, till your 

 barrel is full. Fourteen quarts of melted grease 

 is the quantity for a barrel. 



[Many f;imilies in this town make their soap 

 according to the foregoing with j.erfect success.] 

 — Hamp. Gaz. 



Coring Pork. — A method for packing pork 

 (proposed by Capt. Ingersoll, in the V'ermont 

 Fanner) is, after having cut it while hot (i. e. as 

 soon as possible after it is kilh'd and dressed) into 

 pieces of four or five inches wide, he rubs it 

 thoroughly with fine salt and saltpetre, four quarts 

 of the former to two ounces of the latter for one 

 hundred pounds o( meat. He then packs it in 

 the cask as close as possible, with coarse salt ; 

 placing the skin next to the cask, and filling every 

 part with salt, it will require some pickle, which, 

 in warm weather, should be applied immedi- 

 ately. 



By observing the above rules, pork may be 

 preserviul sweet whcti killeil and put down in the 

 warmest season. 



His mode of jirc paring bacon is, to rub it tho- 

 roughly with fine salt and saltpetre, — iialf an 

 ounce of the latter to a leg of connuon size. He 

 then puts them in u cask, and adds one j:ll of 

 molasses to each leg or shoulder. He esteems 

 the shoulders more tender and bett(u- meat than 

 the legs. The meat should he hasted with the 

 pickle and molasses once a day fiar six weeks, 

 when it jnay be dried or smoked. 



Preserving an Apple Trer. — The following 

 novel mode of preserving the life of an apple tree, 

 was tried last season by Mr Mandell, of Barre, 

 and the tree this year bears abundantly. 



"The bark was eaten off" from the body of the 

 tree entirely around, for the space of two feet or 

 more, as clean as if it had been scraped ; he 

 removed the uneven and jagged portions up to a 

 uniform ring ; tlisn took young shoots, and sharp- 

 ening them at linth end.s, inserted them at each 

 end into the bark to act as conductors of the sap, 

 aud covered the whole over with moist and rich 

 earth to the height of a foot or two above where 

 the bark was eaten off"; the scions took root at 

 both ends, and acted as conductors for the sap. 

 On that side where the sticks were placed thick, 

 the tree was entirely restored, the other side, 

 where they are fewer, is partially decaying." — 

 Barre Gaz. 



Wine. — Elnathan Pope, Esq. of New Sharon, 

 about thirty years since, was subject to bilious 

 complaints, for wluch wine was ju-escribed. He 

 accordingly used it as a medicine for twentyfive 

 years, to the amount of two or three gallons per 

 year. During all this perlo<I, he never had two 

 successive years free from bilious attack. About 

 five years since, being a strenuous friend to tem- 

 perance, he determined to refrain from his medi- 

 cal wine. The result is, he has had no attack 

 since. Does not this prove the truth of a remark, 

 now frequent with physicians, that alcoholic and 

 vinous pi-escriptions keep alive di.seases, instead 

 of curing them?. They may occasionally give a 

 present relief, but it is at the expense of the return 

 of the disease in an aggravated form. — Maine 

 Temperance Herald. 



Beet Sugar. — A beautifid specimen of sugar 

 manufactured in Fiance from the beet, was exhi- 

 bited at the Philadelphia Exchange recently.— 

 The lot was purchased in Havre at 9 1-2 cents a 

 pound, and was brought out by a number of gen- 

 tlemen of Philadelphia, who sent an agent to pro- 

 cure all the necessary information relative to the 

 process of manufacturing sugar from beet in 

 France, where it is so extensively carried on as to 

 excite great iliscontent among the planters of the 

 Fi-ench colonies. 



Core for the Big Head. — Big Head is essen- 

 tially a scrofulous disease. Take an ounce of 

 corrosive sublimate, and dissolve it in one pint of 

 alcohol, or one quart of fourth proof brandy. 

 Wash the part aff'ected thrice, or oftener in a day, 

 until it is well blistered. Cure up the wound 

 with elder bark and lard salve, or any other appli- 

 cation. A few hiisterings will eff'ect a cure. 



A great man once remarked, " I have had long 

 experience, and I never knew a rogue happy." 



