116 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



Edward P. Roberts, Editor, Farmer and Gar- 

 dener. 



Immediately after the title page, the reader of 

 this Manual is presented with a handsome plate, 

 headed representation of the different ages of the 

 silk worm. In this the insect is exhibited as feed- 

 ing on a branch of a mulberry tree, and the differ- 

 ent appearances of the wonderful worm in all its 

 metamorphoses are pleasingly and faithful'y deli- 

 neated. 



The following extracts from the preface to this 

 work will give our readers a better idea of its plan 

 and execiition than could be done by any of our 

 observations. The author states that in the com- 

 pilation of this Manual " he is indebted to articles 

 in the Encyclopedia Americana ; Lardner's Cyclo- 

 pedia ; the Edinburgh Encyclopedia ; Kenrick's 

 Orchardist ; Observations on the Siik Worm, by 

 William B. Buchanan, Esq. published in 1828 ; 

 the Treatise on the Culture of Silk, published in 

 1830, by John D. Homergue and Peter S. Dupon- 

 ceau, Esqs. ; Cobb's Silk Manual, published in 

 1831 ; the Trade and Navigation of Great Britain, 

 considered by Joshua Gee, published in 1760 • 

 the letter fro d James Mease, transmitting a trea- 

 tise on the rearing of siik worms, by Mr Dellazzei, 

 of Munich; and the Manual of the Secretary of 

 the Treasury on the same subject; both of whicii 

 last works were printed by Congress, in 1828 ; the 

 various articles resjjectively in those excellent peri- 

 odical Journals, Fessenden's Silk Manual and 

 Practical Farmer; the Silk Culturist; the Silk 

 Worm ; essays in the Farmer's Register ; and va- 

 rious other periodicals, # # # * 



" The work of Count Dandolo, which forms 

 the superstructure of the two Congressional 

 documents, previously noticed, is so full upon 

 every head connected with the subject, that after 

 reading every thing within his command, the Edi- 

 tor's only difficulty seemed to be to seperate what 

 might be termed the purely scientific and philo- 

 sophical parts, from those of a more practical char- 

 acter, with a view of presenting to the agricultural 

 community, a Manual, wherein all might derive 

 the necessary information to carry on the silk cul- 

 ture in its every branch and department from the 

 sowing of the mulberry to the reeling of the 

 silk. How far he has succeeded he will not 

 pretend to say, but shall leave that to others 



to determine, being content himself, in the de- 

 claration that he labored with a singleness of 

 intention to promote what he considers a great 

 and growing interest of his country." 



We have not yet had time to read this work, 

 attentively, but from the slight perusal we have 

 been able to give it, we believe it will prove a val- 

 uable acquisition to the stock of information al- 

 ready in possession of the public. 



REV. JOHN TODD'S ADDRESS 



DELIVERED BEFORE THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETV, 



at JVorthampton, October 7, 1835. 



There seem to be some obvious advantages in 

 calling a man to address you on a subject about 

 which he knows nothing. If a man understands 

 a subject, you feel bound to give him your close 

 attention, — to Aveigh what he says, — and, it 

 may be, yield some prejudices, or act in conform- 

 ity with his advice. Not so in the other case : 

 if you bestow little or no attention, you feel that 

 he deserves no more ; if you feel that here or 

 there your principles or practice are reproved, 

 you can comfort yourself that he does not under- 

 stand the subject. All these advantages, and 

 many others, equally great, will be abundantly 

 realized on this occasion. There is one thing, 

 however, which I hope you will remember; and 

 that is, that if 1 do not throw out any hints which 

 are of any worth, it will not be because I do not 

 wish to do it. 



It is obvious to every man, whether he be a 

 keen observer or not, that our farming improve- 

 ments are very far from keeping pace with the 

 day. Our manufacturers spare no study, no 

 travel and no expense, to improve their machi- 

 nery. If we have not machinists who can make 

 this or that part of the machinery, they send to 

 Europe where there are. If we have not men 

 who can dye this or that color, or weave this or 

 that beautiful pattern, they will search every nook 

 and corner of the old world, till they are found. 

 And men have been smuggled away from Eng- 

 land in casks and hogsheads who are now in 

 some of our factories. The man who can sim- 

 plify a machine by taking out a single wheel, is 

 rewarded with a fortune. But when and where 

 do you find the farmer or a combination of farm- 

 ers who take equal pains to make improvements? 

 Is it not a kind of received maxim, that little or 

 no improvements are to be made in farming? 

 And as a profession, is not that of farming sup- 

 posed to be where, or about where, it is to re- 

 main ? As you pass over the beautiful hills and 

 valleys of New England, and see not more than 

 a half, or perhaps a third of the land subdued ; 

 barren hills, bushy swamps, and fern pastures, — 



