no 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



Disbanding !«ilk tvom tlie Reel. 



We have already spoken of the importance of 

 good reeling ; but in order to ensure a good arti- 

 cle, care must be taken in disbanding the silk from 

 the reel. The single fibres of which the thread is 

 composed, are liable to different degrees of stretch- 

 ing aa they are wound from the cocoons. This, 

 however, depends much upon the assorting of the 

 cocoons — if they are well assorted, the degree of 

 extension will be less than if poorly or carelessly 

 a«sorted. Care in assorlinff, however will not 

 wholly overcome the difficulty, because some are 

 necessarily longer in the water than others, and 

 therefore yield their silk more readily. The weak 

 latter ends of some cocoons a'so wind off with the 

 strong first part of others. The consequence of 

 this is, the fibres are unequally stretched, and (if 

 taken from the reel too suddenly) those that are 

 njost stretched will contract the most and make a 

 thread less compact and firm. 



To remedy this, let the skein remain on the 

 reel six or eight hours, or until it is dry and the 

 different fibres brought to a more uniform degree 

 of extension. '1 his also gives the fibres an oppor- 

 tunity to unite more firmly. After the skein is 

 completely dry and ready to be taken from the reel, 

 squeeze it together ail round to loosen it upon the 

 bars; and then with a thread, made of refuse silk, 

 lie it in the places where it bore on the bars of 

 the reel. It may then be slid off the reel, and ties 

 should be made opposite to those first made. It 

 should then be doubled, and tied near each ex- 

 tremity, and laid by for use or sale. When the 

 skein is finished, a miu-k should l)e tied to the end 

 of the thread, otherwise it may mix with the 

 threads of the skein and render it difficult to find 

 it. — Silk Culturist. 



Bituminous coal in Massachusetts, — The 

 Taunton Gazette states, on the authority of a let- 

 ter from ?dansfield, that a bed of biiuminous coal 

 has been discovered, on the land of Mr Alfred 

 Harden, in That town, about half a mile from the 

 Providence Rail Road. Jt was discovered, in 

 digging a well, ten feet below the surface of the 

 ground, the vein being more than six feet in 

 depth. It is added that a blacksmith in the neigh- 

 borhood has made trial of the coal, and pronoun- 

 ces its quality to be good. 



American silk goods We were on Monday 



shown by Charles Dyer, Esq, of Providence, a 

 number of beautiful patterns of Silk Goods, man- 

 ufactured at his establishment in Cranston, R, I, 

 Mr Dyer informed us that several important im- 

 provements have been made recently in the looms 

 used for weaving Silk, and that it is calculated as 

 soon as a sufficient quantity of cocoons can be ob- 

 tained, the weaving of silk will be prosecuted on 



a more extensive scale than has been done Lereto- 

 fore in this country. 



Several specimens of the above goods have been 

 loft at the Commercial Insurance Office for in- 

 spection, — Prov. paptr. 



Peas, — The Charleston Courier states that a 

 quantity of a new species of pea has been import- 

 ed from Cuba, by Dr B. B, Strobe), of that city, 

 and placed in the publication office of the South- 

 ern Agriculturist, for gratuitous distribution, with 

 a view of introducing the culture into the United 

 States. It is a native of Old Spain, and is called 

 the Garvanza or Braganza. Peas of this kind 

 yield in old Spain 300 bushels 16 the acre ; they 

 scdl ripe in Havana market for from $1 to $1 50 

 per bushel. They are excellent for soups, are 

 larger than even the marrowfats, and are said tt> 

 be better cooked in the same way, — Middhtown 

 Sentinel. 



Preservation of Stravr. 



Mr Tucker: — Ihe time for threshing grain 

 having arrived, I will give you a statement of my 

 manner of saving and feeding straw, agreeable to 

 your request in the 5th number of the current vol- 

 ume of the Farmer, Previous to commencing 

 threshing, I go to a hay stack, and twist a quanti- 

 ty of bands from 6 to 10 feet long, which are 

 placed at the barn door, and when the straw is 

 raked to the door two men take a band and stretch 

 it over the bundle of straw, then run each a hand 

 under the straw, and turn it over endwise on to 

 the band, when one of them fa^tens the band, and 

 the other prepares another band ; and in that man- 

 ner two men wi 1 bind as fast as the swiftest ma- 

 chine will thresh, and the straw is stacked as 

 securely as wheat, and in one-fourth the time 

 required when not bound, and the foddering as 

 peribrmed with much less labor; and if cut, (is 

 it should be) that operation is much facilitated. 

 When my stock comes to the yard, I commence 

 foddering n)y straw, and do not allow them to 

 taste a lock of hay until the straw is entirely gone. 

 The cause of the failure of so many in feeding 

 straw, is their fears that the cattle will starve, and 

 they give them a good foddering of hay once a 

 day, which entirely prevents their eating straw ; 

 and as the hay is not sufficient to keep them in 

 heart, the cattle of course become poor, and it is 

 charged to the straw, I repeat they must not taste a 

 lock of hay, neither must they be compelled to eat 

 the straw clean, as a good bed is essential to their 

 good condition. I shall cut my straw the coming 

 season, and feed in mangers. Lambs and year- 

 ling sheep will not do well on straw imcut. — Gen- 

 esee Fanner. 



Paul Strong, of Northampton, picked from a 

 vine of spontaneous growth, 361 lbs, and 6 oz, of 

 ripe and unripe pumpkins : vine's length, 358 ft* 



