PRACTICAL FARMER. 



19 



cannot, for a century, be such competition as to reduce 

 the price or lessen the demand for silk. On the contra- 

 ry large estabhshments will encourage and reward 

 those who do no more than furnish mulberry leaves 

 for silk worms, or cocoons fit for reeling, &c. which may 

 be done in the family of every farmer. In our humble 

 opinion Congress cannot apply money to better purpose 

 than by granting a bounty upon every 100 pounds of 

 silk reeled in the United States. I am particularly op- 

 posed to such companies as would have a tendency to 

 introduce monopolies, or discourage or destroy individ- 

 ual industry or enterprise, but say " go ahead" to those 

 men of wealth and enterprise, who unite their talents 

 and influence, and raise a joint fund for the purpose of 

 creatin<r such a great staple commodity as may be done 

 by establishing, and rendering common in the United 

 States, the silk business in all its branches. 



Public Good. 



By the Editor. 



We are and hope always shall be on the side of 

 " Public Good." There is a great advantage in the 

 union as well as in the division of labor, and both of 

 tliese may be best introduced in large manufactories, 

 where money and mind can be brought to bear on the 

 same objects. The following remarks of Dr Johnson 

 are good authority as well as good sense. 



" Boyle has observed, that the excellency of manu- 

 factures, and the facility of labor would be much pro- 

 moted if the various expedients and contrivances 

 which lie concealed in private hands, were by recipro- 

 cal communications made generally known ; for there 

 are few operations that are not performed by one or 

 other with some peculiar advantages, which though 

 singly of little importance, would by conjunction and 

 concurrence open new inlets to knowledge, and give 

 new powers to diligence." 



These " expedients and contrivances" for giving 

 " new powers to diligence," would surely be more apt to 

 be developed as well as more easily made generally 

 known, and the inventors would have a better chance to 

 be rewarded for their ingenuity in large manufactories, 

 than where solitary workmen were laboring in seclu- 

 sion. Some of the labors pre[w.ratory to the manufac- 

 ture of silk require little capital and less skill ; such as 

 propagating the mulberry, gathering the leaves, raising 

 and feeding the worms, &c. These can be performed in 

 every family, and by every individual who has hands, 

 eyes, and is capable of moderate locomotion. The high- 

 er branches of the art require accomplished artizansand 

 that union of capital and intellect which is most likely 

 to be found in associated companies. But, without 

 such companies the individuals adverted to would find' 

 less encouragement, because they could not produce 

 the perfected articles of the first class, or at least could 

 not afford them at the common market price. 



We do not see how any objection can be raised 

 against silk societies, which will not as well apply to 



agricultural societies, or any other societies in which 

 improvement is the object. The cotton planter might 

 as rationally oppose cotton factories, as the farmer ob- 

 ject to silk factories, for which he does or may furnish 

 materials to be wrought upon. In both cases, to use a 

 homely but expressive phrase, the opponents to facto- 

 lies " quarrel icith their own bread and butter." 



[Fertile New England Farmer,] 

 THE SEASON. 



Vegetation has corfie forward in the course of 

 the last week with unexampled rapidity. Trees 

 were in their fullest bloom oil Friday the 29th ult., 

 and on Wednesday succeeding the fruit was visi- 

 ble, — Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants are 

 quite forward, the grass has come forward promis- 

 ing well, but shouhl judge not so well as on an 

 average for the last seven or eight years : our pas- 

 tures are very backward as all will be able to dis- 

 cover by the high price given for poor butter ; we 

 must have patience for one week longer before we 

 can have it in perfection, as the season has left the 

 pastures, if nothing else, ten days in arrears. 

 Seeds have come up femarkably well and quick 

 (I only speak of such as I had from the New 

 England Seed Store), and if the warm weather 

 continues the Farmer s work will press heavily 

 upon hiiii for a while. 



June 4th, 1885. F. 



New York AMERic.-i.N Silk Society — A soci- 

 ety, having for its object the introduction and 

 extension throughout the country of the knowl- 

 edge and practice of cultivating and raising mul- 

 berry trees, of feeding and managing silk worms 

 and reeling silk from cocoons in the most approved 

 method. 



The importance of this knowledge will appear 

 from the fact that the nett profit of land devoted to 

 the culture of Silk, is double, if not triple, to that 

 derived from any other crop which can be put 

 upon it, it is also a fact, that every moderate farm- 

 er can raise several hundred dolfars worth of silk, 

 without interfering with his ordinary agricultural 

 operations. But in order to avail himself of this 

 facility to obtain competency and wealth, which our 

 soil and climate have given him, he must possess 

 himself of information on the subject — for with- 

 out it his attempts will be fruitless. It is, there- 

 fore, the object of the Committee to diffuse this 

 information as extensively as possible. 



This Society was formed in this city on the 

 15th of May, 1835. — Long Island Star. 



Huge Dandelion. — Mr G. Pierce exhibited in the 

 Boston Market, Stall No. 90, a Dandelion, which 

 weighed 4| pounds. 



