FESSENDEN'S 



AND 



:^mA®^ffi®Am ^Ammam^ 



Devoted to the Culture of Silk. Agriculture, and Rural Economy. 



VOL. 1. 



BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 1836. 



NO. 10. 



POBLiSHED MONTHLY BY 



GEORGE C. BARRETT, 



51 Sf 52 JSTorth Market St., at the JV. E. Fanner Office. 



T. G. FESSENDEN, Eoitok. 



Fifty cents per year — twelve copies for five dollars 

 — always in adK'ance. 



0=" Postmasters and Agents allowed 10 per cent on 

 all subscribers. 



BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 183G. 



Ji^ACTS AND OBSERVATIONS REI^ATIVE TO 

 THE CULTURE OP S1L.1£. 



The followifig was furnislicd by a friend, acquainted 

 witli the Culture of Silk, and gives much valuable infor- 

 mation in a concise form. 



STAGES IN THK LIFE AND LABORS OF THK BLK 

 WORM. 



Sickness begins in eigjit days after hatcliing, 

 when the worms will refuse food for three days. 

 They will again feed five days. Sickness. will be 

 renewed again for three days, and feeding will 

 continue again five days, 'Hie worm undergoes 

 a third sickness for three days, and feeds five days 

 as before, and becomes sick three days for the 4th 

 time. Resumes' its feeding for five days and casts 

 its skin for the last time in the caterpillar state. 

 The worm now devours its food voraciously for 

 ten days and commences spinning. 



The different periods in the progress of the life 

 and labors of the insect may be expressed in a 

 tabular form as follows : 



8 days old, 

 3 days sick, 

 5 days feeding, 

 3 days sick, 

 5 days feeding, 

 3 days sick, 

 10 days feeding, 

 10 days spinning. 



47 



0.\ THK CULTURE OF MULBERRY TREES, &C. 



In England and countries of a similar tempera- 

 ture, seedling mulberries Viill not attain a greater 

 he'iglit than three inches in the first year. In war- 

 mer climates their growth is much more rapid ; 

 SO tliat in some parts of India large quantities are 

 sown whose crops are niowed down in the ensu- 

 ing season as food for silk worms. Sprouts again 

 spring forth from the roots the same year, and are 

 used for a second brood. The silk produced from 

 the worms fed on those tender shoots is supposed 

 lo be readily distinguishable by its su[)eriority 

 o.er that producid when the insect is fed on the 

 leaf of the full grown mulberry tree, — Dr Lardner. 



SUCCESSIVE CROPS OF MULBERRY TREES AND 

 SILK WORMS, 



Notwithstanding the jtossibility, in son'ie clf- 

 mafes and countries, to raise two or three crops; 

 of mulberry leaves and of silk worms in. the saiac' 

 season, we doubt whether such attemjjts will h& 

 attended with beneficial results in a«y part of New 

 England. Even in warmer climates than ours 

 the best Judges prefer single to successive crops 

 in a season. Dr Lardner observes as fellows : 



" Count Dandola is of opinion that in Italy it 

 is disadvautageous to obtain more than one crop 

 in each season. He afiirms that the mulberry 

 tree cannot bear this constant stripping of its leaves 

 without injury. ' All things considered,' says 

 he, 'I am well persuade<l that one of our good crops 

 will be equal to any number that may be gathered 

 elsewhere in a year.' It is observed that the 

 quality of the siik obtained in Italy from their 

 second racolta is always inferior to that from the 

 first breed of worms. 



"The Persian cultivators are accustomed, from a 

 motive of economy to feed silk worms upon 



