36 



SILK M AJN UA L , AND 



now in operation, many long years must intervene 

 before we can supply the demand of our own 

 markets. Inhabiting as we do one of the best 

 climates in the world for manufacturing silk of the 

 best quality, instead of paying ten millions of dol- 

 lars annually to other nations for the raw material, 

 we ought to export two or three times that 

 amount. 



It is said our imports of silk stuffs exceed our 

 exports of bread stuffs. — Why is this? Only be- 

 cause we do not duly appreciate and improve the 

 means we have. Let our intelligent farmers be 

 convinced that the silk business is profitable, and 

 then we can hope that every exertion will be 

 made to extend the cultivation of the mulberry 

 and raising of cocoons. 



It is a matter of regret that any one should 

 view the subject as a wild project, and say that 

 although it may be good business for a few years, 

 if found lucrative, everybody will engage in it, and 

 glut aifd ruin the market. We wish the subject 

 could be so presented to our fellow citizens, as to 

 impress them with the importance of examining 

 the subject, on the broad scale of greater national 

 importance than any agricultural subject ever yet 

 started. 



But if doubts and fears shall remain, we only 

 ask them to commence the culture of the mulberry 

 on a limited scale for a few years, not to interfere 

 with any other agricultural pursuit. Let the ex- 

 periment be made upon some of our almost barren 

 and useless portions of poor, dry, stony and grav- 

 elly soil. 



It may be asked if the silk business can be made 

 more profitable tiian almost any other crop, why 

 not take the best and richest land? A fair ques- 

 tion, indeed. But such land is not the best for 

 the Chinese mulberry, and it would be desirable 

 to have every patch of poor, waste, dry land de- 

 voted to some useful purpose. — Silk Cabinet. 



ORWAMENTAt. TREES. 



Any one who takes his morning walk about 

 town at this season of the year, will admire the 

 shade trees which have been ])lanted ten or twelve 

 years. Only think how much might have been 

 done, had fine trees been planted in all our streets 

 ten or twelve years ago. Take as an instance the 

 lot on which Dr Myrick is now building a fine 

 house. It was last year a vacant lot, surrounded 

 with trees planted about twelve years ago ; they 

 are now splendid. It might have cost five dollars 

 to plant them. The lot would now quickly bring 

 $500 more than it would bare of trees. As a mat- 

 ter of profit, then, every owner of land should have 

 streets run out early, and trees planted on them 

 without loss of time ; and take care to protect them 

 from injury, too, when planted. All the scatter- 



ing and venerable native white oaks should be 

 ])reserved if possible. We see some of these, as 

 well as other trees, mutilated Jiy barbarians who 

 are a disgrace to a civilized community, and who 

 ought to be sent across the Missisippi with the 

 Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. Almost every 

 black cherry ti*ee in the vicinity is horribly muti- 

 lated by lawless, ill-bred boys, who ought to be 

 put in a work-house or tread mill. The fault is 

 generally in the parents, who never teach them 

 any better than to tear the branches fron> trees 

 and shrubbery. Within a few days we have met 

 children lugging home back loads of the branches 

 and blossoms of lilacs, ruthlessly torn from the 

 stems where they flourished in all their freshness 

 and beauty, to fade and be cast away after an 

 hour's handling. School teachers could do some- 

 thing to repress this rapacious and destructive 

 propensity in youth, and inculcate notions of re- 

 finement and rural beauty. — Kennebeck Jour. 



(From the Genesee Farmer.) 

 MANAGEMENT OF SILK WORMS. 



Mr Tucker: — According to your request, I 

 now hand you a statement of what I consider the 

 best mode of raising the silk worm for beginners, 

 with the necessary cautions. In the first place, I 

 would caution against raising too many, the first 

 season, as any person will gain as much experi- 

 ence for future operations by raising 500,000 ; and 

 I am siM'e an advatitage will arise in having too 

 few rather than too niany, as every one com nenc- 

 ing a new employment must have something to 

 learn. 



Tables made of seasoned rough pine boards 

 will answer, with old newspapers laid thereon, 

 standing from the walls, with the legs fetanding in 

 small tin pans, which are to he kept filled witti 

 water. Mine were at the top 9 inches in diame- 

 ter, and 3 1-2 deep. This will effectually prevent 

 being troubled with black ants, that have often 

 been stated as being very destructive to the worm, 

 and will also guard against mice. This method 

 is far preferable to the use of lemon juice, -which 

 I have seen recommended, as once done it an- 

 swers for the life of the worms. This precaution 

 is quite necessary, where these ants are about. 

 When the season arrives, place the eggs on one 

 of these tables, and keep only as many as will 

 hatch in twentyfour hours, and if the others are 

 destroyed at once so much the better. It will 

 save a vast deal of trouble to have a spontaneous 

 hatching as near as possible, as in the different 

 moultings they require no food, which is distin- 

 guished by the holding up of the head and the 

 torpid appearance of the worm, of which full in- 

 structions are given, as also for their spinning, in 

 Cobb's Manual, &,c. 



