36 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



wood painted wlien green, to part with the inte- 

 rior moisture. The consequence is, the grass must 

 either he housed in this half-cured condition, and 

 spoil in the mow, or if the curing process is com- 

 pleted, so as to prevent damage, the leaves and 

 blossoms, which constitute the best parts of the 

 hay, are over dried, crumble and are lost. Cured 

 in cock, every part of the grass, whether the 

 leaves or the thick stalks, dries alike, and is alike 

 preserved, and the evaporation of moisture goes on 

 I believe in even wet weather ; for a partial, though 

 in no wise a prejudicial fermentation takes place, 

 and the rarified air which it generates, being spe- 

 cifically lighter than the atmosphere, is constantly 

 passing off. 



We have been induced to these remarks, at this 

 untimely season, in consequence of finding in 

 the Farmer and Gardener, an agricultural paper 

 published at Baltimore, a communication from 

 John Smith, fully confirming the utility of our 

 recommendation and long practice. It would 

 seem that Mr Smith was led to make the experi- 

 ment rather fi-om necessity than from choice. But 

 we will lethini tell his own story. 



" It will perhaps be recollected," he says, " by 

 all attentive agricultural readers of that j aper 

 (the American Farmer) that it was recommended 

 to farn)ers to put their hay, in its green state, or as 

 soon as cut, into small cocks, and cure it by sweat- 

 ing. 



"When I commenced cutting my clover hay 

 the present season, the prospect for favorable 

 weather was flattering, but in a short time it 

 changed, and it became evident we should have a 

 wet spell. I then dropped the scythes and put all 

 hands to putting up the grass (thenjierfectly green 

 but exempt from external wetjinto cocks of about 

 200 pounds, cured hay, building them compact 

 and high, to avoid the introduction of rain as 

 much as possible. Rain came on before secured 

 all the cut grass, but the next day was fair, and I 

 succeeded, by unremitted attention in getting the 

 water dried out of the remainder, and put it up 

 in the same way. It continued rainy ten days, 

 and afforded no opportunity to cure in the sun ; 

 the cocks were examined daily, by running the 

 hand and arm into them, and contrary to all expec- 

 tation, gave no indications of fermentation. At 

 the end of ten days the weather became fair, the 

 cocks were opened and found to he in a perfectly 

 sound condition, except so far as the rain had pen- 

 etrated, and the external wetting alone, in my 

 opinion, made it necessary to open it at all. Tell 

 farmers they need not fear losing their hay on ac- 

 count of unfavorable weather at harvest. I have 

 never seen worse weather in hay harvest, and I 

 saved mine entirely well. It is most excellent 



HAY." 



" [ For the New England Farrae/.] 

 Thomas G. Fessenden, Esq. 



The main object of these lines is to obtain in- 

 formation relative to the culture and uses of lu- 

 cerne (or French clover), but before I state the par- 

 ticulars which 1 wish to ascertain, 1 will mention 

 a few facts relative to another subject. 



About the year 1827-8 there was much written 

 and said on the culture of the White mulberry 

 tree, and the manufacture of silk, and ever since 

 the subject has been agitated and is worthy the 

 attention which has been given to it. I obtained 

 in the year 1829, I think, one ounce of mulberry 

 seeds, sowed them about the middle of May, if I 

 mistake not. They came up well, and grew from 

 12 to 20 inches the same season. The next sea- 

 son I transplanted them, placing them in rows 

 about four feet apart, 8 to 12 inches in ihe row, 

 which was rather too nigh. They ought to have 

 been 12 to 16 inches at least, if calculated to stand 

 two or three years. The land on which I put the 

 mcst of my trees proved to be dry and poor ; at 

 any rate they grew but very little after the first 

 and second year. I feel confident that the land 

 was too poor, because I had a few taken from the 

 same seed bed, which grew from 6 to 9 feet in 

 one year; whereas those in my nursery grew only 

 from four to six feet in five years. They were 

 stinted, but I hope they will do some good, as I 

 sold some at a low price, and gave away several 

 hundred for the purpose of inocu'atijng with the 

 Chinese mulherry, or Morus Multicauiis. I state 

 these fuels to show that the niulberry tree will 

 grow on any kind of land, but much the best on 

 good. I sowed some seed since the above men- 

 tioned, and transplanted them on good land, which 

 have done remarkably well. I will here state 

 that I kept a few silk worn)S, one season, just for 

 an experirnent, which succeeded well. 1 found 

 nothing difficult about attending them, which 

 some might be led to believe fi-om reading the mi- 

 nute and intricate manuals or details given by 

 some foreign authors, in fact it is an easy, healthy 

 and good business, which almost any farmer lean 

 take hold of. At an}- rate there is nothing difficult 

 in cultivating the trees, and rearing the worms, 

 and if you get the cocoons, they wili fetch a good 

 price without any other trouble than carrying 

 them to market. 



Several years ago I obtained five pounds of 

 lucerne seed, and sowed it on about forty rods of 

 ground, which was light, dry, and withal f opr ; as 

 some said it would grow on poor land I thought I 

 would try it. I put on about four or five tons of 

 manure, and spread and harrowed it in. The 

 seeds came up well, but the most of it died before 

 fall, except where the manure heaps were, where 

 it grew well and continued several years, until I 

 broke it up. Several of my neighbors tried it 



