PRACTICAL FARMER 



35 



gain separate roots, or shall I heap the earth up to 

 them for that purpose ? 



I have never seen a plant of the Morus nxuki- 

 canlis hefore these, which I have had but twenty 

 days, and I do sincerely wish, for the good of the 

 cause, to have a little instruction on this my new 

 project. Will you also please to inform whether 

 I may take the cuttings from the White mulberry 

 tree, and when, and how they must be treated ? 

 You may, if you please, give me an answer by 

 letter, ©r in your valuable jjaper, in a projier time. 

 Yours, &.C. John B. Cady. 



Answer by the Editor. — We are always 

 pleased to receive letters of inquiry from practical 

 cultivators, and especially sucli as are sensible of 

 the importance of being "matter of fact" farmers, 

 and manifest that spirit of intelligence and inquiry 

 which apparently dictated the foregoing letter. 

 Many fanners have enough of the "go ahead," 

 but unlike the famous Davy Crockett, are not 

 " sure they are right," and consequently do noth- 

 ing, or do to no ])urpose. It cannot be expected, 

 in the infancy of a new branch of rural economy, 

 that every farmer will be conversant with the sub- 

 ject in detail ; but every farmer in the community 

 has a tongue and a pen, and if they would use 

 them with the same freedom as Mr Cady has his, 

 a mass of information would be collected, and the 

 business of growing silk become as common and 

 familiar as the growing of corn and potatoes. In 

 the management of our paper, it is our intention 

 to give full directions for every step in the process 

 of growing and manufacturing silk ; but there are 

 almost numberless cases occurring in practice, 

 which will not occur to us while seated in our 

 editorial chair, and may not while engaged in our 

 -own experiments and operations. Information on 

 these subjects must, therefore, be drawn from us, 

 rather than expected as a matter of course ; and 

 we know of no better way than that adopted by 

 Mr Cady and some of our former correspondents, 

 of putting direct interrogatories, to be answered in 

 the Culturist. There is a childish timidity about 

 some farmers, wbich, though honored with the 

 appellation of modesty, is highly detrimental both 

 to their individual interest and that of agriculture 

 in general. It prevents that interchange of views, 

 discoveries and improvements, without which the 

 science of agriculture cannot advance, or a know- 

 ledge of its progress be diffused throughout the 

 community. If farmeis would communicate freely 

 with each other, and keep up a familiar corres- 

 pondence with editors of agricultural papers, they 

 would soon seen see their practical effects on 

 themselves, their families, and their farms. But 

 to the questions proposed by Mr Cady. 



1st. Of all methods of propagation, except from 

 seed, that of layers is undoubtedly the best, espe- 



cially where a rapid increase is desirable. When 

 the stem or stems of the plant are laid down, they 

 will generally throw out shoots at every bud, and 

 all draw nourishment and support from the root 

 of the parent stock till separated from it. This 

 gives them an advantage over cuttings, both as it 

 respects increase of number and size of plants, 

 which no extra cultivation can counterbalance. 

 In all practical cases, therefore, we should prefer 

 layers. 



2d. Cuttings should be cut in the spring, before 

 the buds begin to swell, and kept in moss or earth 

 to prevent their drying. Packed in this manner, 

 they n)ay be transported from one extremity of 

 the country to the other, without damage. They 

 may be cut after the buds have considerably swol- 

 len ; but in that case, they should not be long out 

 of the ground. 



3d. The rule in taking- cuttings from the stem.s, 

 is to have two buds on each, — one for the root, 

 and one for the branch ; but they will sometimes 

 send out roots when there is no bud below the 

 surface of the ground. 



4th. The shoots should be laid down in the 

 spring, about the time of transplanting. When 

 trees are transplanted for the purpose of being 

 laid down, a good way is to set them so that they 

 will incline towards the ground, and form an angle 

 of about fortyfive degrees; then bend them down 

 and fasten them with wooden pins ; leave them 

 uncovered initil the buds begin to send out shoots, 

 and from time to time draw the earth over as they 

 advance in their growth. The whole, or any 

 number of the shoots may be laid down, as may 

 be most desirable. 



5th. If the new shoots attain sufficient size, they 

 may be laid down, and a second crop obtained ; 

 but if the season is far advanced, it will be better 

 to omit it till the following spring, when they may 

 be again transplanted, laid down, and their num- 

 ber greatly multiplied. Cuttings from the White 

 mulberry are treated in the same manner as those 

 from the Chinese. 



France is considered a silk growing country, 

 yet she does not grow sufficient for iier own man- 

 ufactures, and it is said, annually imports raw silk 

 to the amount of $6,0c0,000. 



England, owing to the humidity of her climate, 

 cannot raise the worms to advantage, and for her 

 numerous manufactures is obliged annually to im- 

 port the raw material frara other countries, to the 

 amount of about $17,000,000. It is stated that 

 we import annually of raw silk to the amount of 

 about $10,000,000, and of the manufactured over 

 $16,000,000. 



Unless the United States push the culture of the 

 mulberry and raising of cocoons beyond anything 



