PRACTICAL FARMER. 



141 



■ Encouragement for Silk Growers ? 

 Extract of a letter to a gentlemen in this town, 

 dated October 16, 1835. " One observation we 

 have made in regard to tlie product of leaves of 

 the plant (Chinese mulberry), which I think wor- 

 thy of notice. We set last Spring 1500 cuttings, 

 about 1000 started and grew well, but the dry 

 weather affected them much ; the ground on 

 which they stand, is by no means rich — it would 

 not yield '20 bushels to the acre. From 100 of 

 these young plants, which we considered below 

 an average, we gathered 55 pounds of leaves, giv- 

 ^ing, at the rate they were set, about 8000 to tiie 

 acre, sufficient to make at least 100 lbs. of silk. 

 From 100 trees (or roots) that were started the 

 year b 'fore, we gathered 150 lbs. of leaves, the 

 same number per acre would give us 21,000 lbs. 

 of leaves, or from 275 to 300 pounds of silk. 



From the manner we cultivate those trees, we 

 are • satisfied, tiiat an acre can easily be made to 

 produce at the same rate. We shall try the ex- 

 periment next season, with one acre of cuttings — 

 and one acre of trees (with roots) started the past 

 season." 



JVorthampton, JVov. 1835. 



CONCORD SILK COaiPANY. 



I believe there has been a passing notice in 

 your valuable paper of a company by the above 

 name, but no particulars were given. At the 

 present time, when there is such a general excite- 

 ment through the United States, and especially in 

 New England, on the subject of silk growing, a 

 brief account of this company may not be uninter- 

 esting to your readers, atlhough it is yet in its in- 

 fancy. The coujpany was formed last June, and in- 

 corporated with a capital of $75,000. A farm was 

 purchased of 250 acres, and cost $4,000. The 

 officers chosen for the present year, are Albe 

 Cady, President; Hamilton Hutchins, Secretary ; 

 Moses G. Atwood, Corresponding Secretary; Gar- 

 den P. Lyon, Treasurer; Isaac Hiil, Abner B. 

 Kelly, Stephen Brown, John Whipple, Samuel 

 Evans, and Charles Smart, Directors. An agent 

 has been appointed, who resides on the farm and 

 manages it, being under the control of the direc- 

 tors. The 'ocation of the farm is quite retired, 

 being about two and a half miles from Concord 

 village, but beautifully situated on the easterly 

 side of Turkey Pond. A two story house and 

 barn in the purchase, have been repaired, and a 

 building of 64 feet by 34, for various purposes, 

 has been added the present season. A building 

 particularly for a cocoonery has not yet been 

 erected, as part of those now occupied will be 

 used for that purpose probably two or three 

 years. The land is good, and all the variety 

 such as wanted for general farming is here 



found. It is calculated by those competent 

 to judge, that more than one half of the farm, or 

 125 acres is well adapted either for the Chinese 

 or Italian mulberry. About 4000 trees have al- 

 ready been planted, and it is intended to add a 

 much greater number next spring. As the land 

 will be cultivated for other purposes, the trees 

 have been set out 15 feet by 6, which gives about 

 500 to the acre. At this distance they will be 

 permitted to grow about 10 feet high. The land 

 occupied by the trees this year has been planted 

 v/ith potatoes which yielded about 150 bushels 

 to the acre, without any manure, except a small 

 quantity of j)!aster of Paris. No worms have 

 been kept the past year, as it is not advisable to 

 pick the leaves the first season after transplanting. 

 It is intended to commence next summer, by feed- 

 ing about 100,000. 



The Concord Silk Company have not been led 

 into this enterprise by any high colored statements 

 which may have been made by enthusiasts and 

 those little acquainted with the business ; but 

 they have taken for the basis of their calculations 

 the lowest estimates of experienced men ; men 

 who had no object to deceive, but rather vyould 

 be interested in giving correct information. They 

 feel perfectly satisfied that the profits of a mul- 

 berry plantation, judiciously managed. Will be 

 such as to satisfy those who are at all reasonable 

 in their expectations, and who do not expect to 

 make a fortune by a single effiart. 



OxE OF THE Company. 

 Concord, JV. H. Dec. 15, 1835. ^ 



(From the New England Farmer.') 

 BROOKS' SILK SPIKNING MACHINE. 



The late valuable improvements that I have 

 made in many respects on my machine, by which 

 I si)in nearly double to each spindle that was 

 spun by the machine stated in the following letter, 

 induce me again to invite those engaged in silk 

 culture to try Brooks's Patent Silk Spiimer ; fully 

 believing it is the best adapted to spinning silk in 

 the best manner, for any use whatever. As a 

 confirmation of its giving satisfaction, I publish 

 the following letter from a citizen of Ohio, who 

 never saw the machine before he purchased one ; 

 and had no instruction how to use it, except the 

 printed directions which are furnished with each 



machine. . 



Mount Pleasant, Jefferson eo., Ohio, } 

 11th mo., 28th, 1835. ) 



Respected Friend— Thine of the 14th has just 

 come to hand, and I am sorry to learn that mine 

 of 7th mo. last, never reached thee. After havmg 

 tried my machine, I wrote immediately, to let 

 thee know that I would give thee thy price for the 

 ri<^ht of this State. Not being acquainted with 



