FES SENDEN'S 



PRACTICAL. FARMER, 



AND 



SILK MANUAL. 



Bevoted to Ag:riciilture, Rural Economy, and the Culture of Silk. 



VOL. I. 



BOSTON, MAY, 1835. 



NO. 1 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 



GEORGE C. BARRETT, 



51 4- 52 JVoHh Market St^ at the JV. E. Furmer Office. 



T. G. FESSENDEN— Editor, 



Fifty cents per year — twelve copies for five dollars 

 — always in advance. 



lO' Postmasters and Agents allowed 10 per cent on 

 all subscribers. 



BOSTON, MAY, 1835. 



PROSPECTUS. 



Fessenden's Practical Farvier aiul Silk Manual, devoted 

 to Agriculture, Rural Economy and the Culture of 

 Silk. Published montldy at fifty cents per annum. 



This is the title, and these the conditions of a 

 work intended to embrace the subjects of Agri- 

 culture and Silk Culture, It will contain, 

 ■chiefly, articles on Practical Farming and Rural 

 Economy, selected from the Weekly New Eng- 

 land Farmer, and therefore intended for those 

 who are not subscribers for that work. 



We hope and believe that the culture of Silk, 

 in some, if not iii all its branches will, eventually 

 become the employment of a portion of the family 

 of every farmer-, and not only be made a source 

 of considerable profit to the individuals engaged 

 in this fine art but a great national henefit ; not 

 only save millions to the United States now sent 

 out of the country for the importation of this 

 useful as well as elegant article, but become a 

 source of national income by its exportations. 

 There is a ceitainty of a sale for this article, as 

 the wants ami the wishes of the wearers and 

 consumers will increase with the copiousness and 

 facilities of the supplies. The amount now con- 

 sumed in the country may be in some degree 

 estimated by reference to the value of the raw 

 Silk now imported, which as it appears by oflicial 



documents, exceeds ten millions of dollars, 

 annually. 



In connexion with subjects relating to Agricidture 

 the Practical Farmer will contain the experiments 

 and opinions of cultivators engaged in the grow- 

 ing of Mulberry trees, as well as the manufacture 

 of Silk; avoiding'such theories and speculations 

 as might probably mislead, or be misunderstood 

 by those who are practically concerned in Silk 

 manufacture. And we would respectfliUy solicit 

 communications from those who are or may be 

 engaged in silk culture, to enrich the pages of our 

 Silk Manual. 



Postmasters and others who may be disposed 

 to assist us in obtaining subscribers, will please to 

 retain 10 per cent of the money which they may 

 receive for subscriptions ; and the aid of all who 

 are friendly to the objects of our periodical is 

 respectfully solicited. 



GEORGE C. BARRETT, Publisher. 



FOOD FOR SlLili WORMS. 



The first object claiming attention in attempting 

 to manufacture silk, is to provide food for the in- 

 sect artizan, to whom we are indebted for the raw 

 material. We shall not expatiate on the numerous 

 articles on which it is possible to feed silk worms, 

 but at present confine our remarks to that which 

 all allow to be the best and most profitable, provi- 

 ded it can be obtained. This, beyond question is 

 the foliage of the Chinese Mulberry, (Morus Mul- 

 ticaulis) which without doubt is emphatically the 

 silk worm's staff of life. But there is a doubt in 

 the minds of many whether this precious tree will 

 withstand our winters : some of which appear to 

 have been manufactured at the northern extremi- 

 ty of the north pole, and transported on the post- 

 horses of old Boreas into the territory of the 



