PRACTICAL F AR M E R 



87 



ground which could be appropriated to other uses. 

 They can be planted by the side of fences in rows 

 all about a farmer's homestead. Even planted so 

 close as to form an impervious and beautiful 

 hedge, a valuable substitute for wooden fences. 



^Vhen the worms are hatched from the eggs a 

 portion of the barn or wood house can be appro- 

 priated to feeding them. About six weeks only 

 are occupied in the process, and the leaves can be 

 plucked and all needed attentions given the worms 

 by young boys or girls with very little experience. 

 After the feeding is over, and they begin to wind 

 their cocoons, they require no furth<jr attention. 

 The work is infinitely more agreeable, as well as 

 lucrative than the sedentary employment of cov- 

 ering buttons, or even working at palm-leaf hats 

 or straw-braiding. 



When the cocoons are wound, they can find a 

 ready cash market. The large establishments 

 which are coming into existence in this country, 

 both for raising worms and winding and weaving 

 the Silk, will consume more than can be had for 

 twenty years. In France and Italy the leaves are 

 furnished by one class of persons, another buys 

 them and feeds the worms, while others purchase 

 the cocoons and wind them for a fourth class, who 

 manufacture the silk. Cocoons are sold as most 

 other commodities are, carried into market by 

 the peasantry every morning, where purchasers 

 are ever ready to secure a good article. We earn- 

 estly m-ge upon every farmer to plant mulberry 

 trees, and furnish a healthful and lucrative em- 

 ployment for his little ones. — JVorihampton Cour. 



Silk. — We were shown yesterday a jiiece of 

 Silk of fine texture and durable fabric, just cut 

 from the loom in the Silk Works of Mr Joseph 

 Rotch, in this town. Mr R. uses Mr Gay's im- 

 proved machinery, and his establishment now in 

 successful operation offers to our agriculturists a 

 ready market for silk cocoons in any quantity in 

 which they can be supplied. We learn that this 

 establishment is only second to one in Providence 

 yet in operation in this country, and it is the in- 

 tention of the proprietor considerably to enlarge 

 its operations as soon as the necessary supply of 

 cocoons can be relied upon. — A". Bed. Mer. 



Hints to farjiers. — Never feed potatoes to 

 stock without boiling or steaming, as this increases 

 their nutritive qualities. 



One bushel flax-seed, ground with eight bush, 

 els of oats, is better for horses than sixteen bushels 

 of oats alone, and will effectually destroy the hots. 



Never burn all dry wood in your fire place, nor 

 use a fire place when you can get a stove. 



Cut your trees for rails in February, as they are 

 most durable. 



Never dew rot your flax, unless you wish to 

 render it worthless. 



Never select your seed corn from the crib but 

 from the stalk. 



Never feed out your best potatoes and plant the 

 refuse, nor sell your best sheep and keep the poor- 

 est. 



A fat ox is worth more than a poor horse, and 

 does not eat as much — a yoke and chain can be 

 bought for less money than a wagon harness. 



Stealing fruit We are among the admirers 

 of General Smith's sentiment, lately given at the 

 Baltimore Exchange, when the mob were styled 

 fellow citizens. " Fellow citizens ! " exclaimed 

 the indignant veteran, " the man that plunders the 

 house of my neighbor is not my fellow citizen." 

 Now we would inquire if the sentiment might net 

 be extended a little further, so as to include the 

 marauder who plunders his neighbor's fruit? and 

 for whom the laws of this land have prescribed 

 fine and imprisonment. 



This summer, two youngsters have been shot 

 in this district during their attemjjts at stealing 

 fruit. For the first, an apology was made in the 

 newspaper that he was only in a frolic ; and we 

 regret that any countryman of ours, having the 

 c(mtrol of a. press, should have no higher standard 

 of morality than to ofl'er such a plea in vindication. 



" If a plunderer comes into my garden," said a 

 friend of ours to a learned judge, " how ought I to 

 proceed ?" "You are to defend your property," 

 was the reply. " Arrest him on the sjiot ; and if 

 this cannot be done peaceably, you are authorized 

 to do it forcibly, if you use no unnecessary se- 

 venty you will be justified." 



Mammoth cheese. We are informed that Col. 

 Thomas S. Meacham, of Richland, Oswego co. 

 who keeps 154 cows and has made this season 

 300 cheese weighing 125 lbs. each, has made one 

 weighing ybwr/eeTi hundred pounds, which he in- 

 tends to present to the President of the U. S. He 

 has also made several, weighing eight hundred 

 po\inds each, one of which he intends for the Vice 

 President, one for Gov. Marcy, and one for each 

 of the cities of New York, Albany, Troy and 

 Rochester.— riJoc/i. Daily Adv. 



Appl;e jelly.— The apples are to be pared, 

 quartered, the core completely removed, and put 

 into a pot without water, closely covered, and 

 placed in an oven over a fire. When pretty well 

 stewed, the juice is to be squeezed out through a. 

 cloth, to which a little of the white of an egg is to« 

 be added, and then the sugar. Skim it previously 

 to boiling, then reduce it to a proper consistency^ 

 and an excellent jelly will be the produce, lb. 



