262 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Maiilli 2, 1831. 



are not coiiiniouly used as a inaiuire, tlioiigli tliere 

 are inauy cases in which such an application 

 might be easily made. Horses, dogs, sheep, deer 

 and other quadrupeds tliat have died accidentally 

 or of disease, after their slcins are separated, are of- 

 ten suffered to remain exposed to the air or im- 

 mersed in water till they are destroyed by birds or 

 beasts of prey, or entirely decomposed ; and in 

 this case, most of their organized matter is lost 

 for the land on which they lie, and a considerable 

 portion of it employed in giving off noxious gases 

 to tlie atmosphere. 



By covering dead animals with five or six 

 times their bulk of soil, mixed with one [lart of 

 lime, and suffering them to remain for a few 

 months, their decomposition would impregnate 

 the soil with solid)le matter, so as to render it an 

 excellent manure ; and by mixing a little fresh 

 quick lime with it at the time of its removal, the 

 disagreeable effluvia would be in a great measure 

 destroyed; and it might be applied in the same 

 way as any other manure to crops. 



Procure the very best of garden seeds and oth- 

 er seeds for the ensuing season. If you mean to 

 deserve the character, and realize tlie profits of a 

 good cultivator, you will see that every article of 

 use in your honorable vocation is among the best 

 of its kind. You must plant good seeds, or you 

 will not grow good vegetables, possess good breeds 

 of domestic animals, or your stock will not be so 

 valuable as it might and ought to be. If your 

 tools and implements are not the best, you will 

 waste much strength to little purpose when you 

 attempt to use them. 



Those plants, which you wish might yield a 

 forward crop, such as g.irden peas, beans, &c, may 

 be sown very early in the spring, and very thick 

 in hot hovises, or under hot bed frames, or the 

 south side of walls, and transplanted when they 

 are one or two inches higli, into the places in 

 which they are intended to stand for a crop. 



Your ploughs, harrows, carts, hoes, rakes, &c, 

 should be inspected and put in readiness for use. 

 They will last the longer if painted or covered 

 with some suitable composition. Covering wood 

 repeatedly with oil or grease will have a tendency 

 to preserve it. Where tools or implements are 

 exposed in the field a good part of the year, they 

 require to be new painted at least every second 

 year. This applies as well to the iron as to the 

 wood, both of which should be kept coated, as 

 far as is practicable, with paint or oil. 



It will soon be (if it is not now) the proper sea- 

 son for pruning fruit trees. Loudon says ' For all 

 the ^operations of pruning which are performed on 

 the branches or shoots of trees, it would appear 

 the period immediately before, or commensurate 

 with the rising of the s^ is the best.' Col. Pick- 

 ering observed, ' My practice has been to prune in 

 the spring, beginning when the buds have scarcely 

 begun to swell, and ending before the expansion 

 of the leaves. But I never leave ' stumps' of 

 limbs. Every branch that is taken away, is cut 

 close and even with the s:em or limb where it 

 grows; and the healiiig of the wound commences 

 and proceeds kindly as vegetation advances. If 

 the branch cut off be largo, the wound should be 

 covered with some kind of plaster.' 



A writer for the Genesee Fanner of January 

 la.«t observes, ' it has been my practice for several 

 years past to prune hi autumn and in winter, ap- 

 plying a coat of boiled tar and brick dust, or of 

 common paint, immediately to the naked wood ; 



and I have been led to believe that no time is 

 more favorable. 



' I was induced to try this experiment, partly in 

 consequence of being often from home at the usu- 

 al season, and partly from a desire to test the pre- 

 valent opinion that autumn pruning was very inju- 

 rious to fruit trees ; for I coidd not perceive why 

 an artificial covering, which protected the wood 

 from the weather, would not be a good substitute 

 for living bark. I began the worl:, therefore, as 

 soon as the leaves were fallen ; and I never siiw 

 trees bear pruning better. .3 considerable part of 

 mi/ fruit garden loas pruned two months ago. 



' Permit me to add that it is a maxim in surgery 

 to SAVE SKIN, and in pruning to save bark. The 

 saw ought therefore to be used in preference to 

 the axe, so as to cut the large branches square off. 

 In some trees, (as in the Fall Pippin] the limbs 

 are much less two or three inches from the trunk; 

 and if taken off at that distance, would be much 

 sooner covered up with new wood. Itis injudi- 

 cious, however, to leave the stumps too long, as 

 well as to cut too close to the trunk.' 



LEGISLATIVE ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE 

 CULTURE OF SILK. 

 Tlie following Report of a Committee of the 

 Massachusetts Legislature is ably drawn, and the 

 paramount importance of its objects concisely and 

 happily expressed. At the time this was sent to 

 the press, the Report had not been brought official- 

 ly before the House, but so far as we can learn, 

 public opinion is much in favor of some legislative 

 aid in the object contemplated in the bill ; and we 

 hope that our rulers will readily take proper mea- 

 sures for supplying the people with ' that capital 

 wliich consists in knowledge ;' which seems all 

 that is necessary, in addition to the enterprise and 

 industry characteristic of our countrymen, to make 

 Silk a staple commodity of New England. 



House of Representatives, Feb. 24, 1831. 



The Committee on Agriculture to whom was re- 

 ferred the order ' to inquire into the expediency 

 of adopting measures to promote the growing of 

 the Mulberry Tree, and the Culture of Silk, have 

 had tiiat subject under consideration and ask leave 

 to submit the following; 



REPORT. 



Tlie Committee have examined the subject at- 

 tentively and find it to be of much greater impor- 

 tance than was at first supposed. They are sur- 

 prised to find how great a field is here open, and 

 liow long it has been neglected ; they are satisfied 

 beyond a doubt, that we have the power to produce 

 and manufacture silk in this Commonwealth to an 

 immense extent, and that no difficulty is to be en- 

 countered either from soU or climate. 



The nations of Europe are generally engaged 

 in the culture and manufacture of sdk. Prance, 

 more than any other nation, derives her power and 

 resources mainly from this branch of her industry ; 

 her example has induced England, Holland, Ger- 

 many, Prussia, and Sweden to engage with zeal in 

 the same pursuits. 



The culture of silk is important in relation to the 

 amount of silk imported and consumed in this 

 country, which e.xceeds seven millions of dollars, 

 while the amount of broad stuff exported is on the 

 average less than six millions of dollars ! Facts 

 like these need no commont ; yet it is proper tliat 

 we should bear in mind, that the vast sums thus ex- 

 pended for silk, in its various forms, are paid indi- 

 rectly to enrich the Agriculture and Manufactures 



of otlier nations, the raw material of which mo 

 bo produced hero with as mucli certainty as cott 

 or any other staple product. 



The article of Silk has 'ah'eady been produci 

 by a few of our citizens in small quantities, of 

 quality not inferior to the best imported. Jon 

 than H. Cobb, Esq. of Dedham, has coniraenc« 

 the culture of silk with success, and has introdu 

 ed some valuable improvements, especially in tl 

 art of reeling from the cocoon, and itis due to th 

 gentleman, that the committee should remark, th 

 it is from practical information communicated 1 

 him, that they have derived some important fac 

 in relation to this subject. 



The state of society in this Commonwealth 

 well adapted to promote the successful culture' 

 silk — it is an employment, in which females ai 

 children may be honorably and profitably engagei 

 with the exception of planting the Mulberry tre 

 the whole labor may be performed by that class 

 the community. The committee feel warranted 

 saying that so soon as the article can be produce 

 a good home market will be found at such prici 

 as to afford a profit on the expense and labor b' 

 stowed upon it. The White Mulberry Tree is c 

 sily cultivated, does not require the best soil, serv 

 a valuable purpose for hedges, and is highly orn .: 

 mental. f 



The Committee are satisfied that little capital * 

 required to commence the culture of silk, exec 

 that capital which consists in knowledge. It is i 

 FORMATION which is the foundation of Agriculti; 

 as well as all other arts. Nothing is so well c; 

 culated to call the attention of the public to tl 

 subject as information respecting its value, ai 

 the means by which our citizens may avail the 

 selves of the advantages which are connected w 

 it; for the purpose of disseminating this iuforii. 

 tion the committee have thought it their duty 

 report the following resolution. 



Which is respectfully submitted, 

 For the Committee, 



Abel Wheeier, Chairman. 



House of Representatives, Feb. 2J. 1S3I 

 Resolved, That His Excellency, the Governor, 1 

 requested to cause to be compiled and printed, 

 concise manual, to contain the best information n 

 specting the growth of the Mulberry Tree, wil 

 suitable directions for the culture of silk — andth 

 this manual be distributed in suitable numbers i 

 every town in the Commonwealth — That to di 

 fray the expense thus incurred, he be authorize f 

 to draw his warrant on the treasury for a sum nt r 

 exceeding six hunijred dollars. 



Erratum.— In last weeli's paper, page Q.'JO — 9d cnlnmn— I 

 line from bottom — for ' plonglung the corn,' read ^jihniiiai^ i 

 corn.' 



Readers of No. 3, Vol. 10 of the Massachusolts As 

 cultural Repository and Journal, are rcqueslpd to corn 

 the following errata : — at page 2S8, in Mr Ware's slai 

 meni, of !iis crop of English Hay, for 775 tons, read 1 

 tons. At page 246, the price of Henry Sprague'sBuHi 

 .sold at auction, should have bocn ' 25 to 36,' iosteail 

 25 to 26 cents. 



NOTICE. I 



Jj^Members of the Massachufetts Society for promO'l 

 ing Agriculture, are informed that the third No. of Vol 

 10 of the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository is jOn 

 published, and may be obtained at Mr J. B. Russed 

 Seed Store, No. 52 North Market street, Boston. Mc 

 hers of the Society are entitled to one copy, each, grau . 

 Price to others, 50 cts. per nuiuber. 1 



