FES SENDEE'S 



^^ 



AND 



I>evofed to the Culture of Silli, Ag^rieiilture and Rural Economy. 



VOL. II. 



BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 1837. 



NO. 10 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



51 ^ 52 JVorth Market St., at the JV. E. Farmer Office 



T. G. FESSENDEN, Editor. 



Fifty cents per year — twelve copies for five dollars 

 — always in advance. 



O" Postmasters and Agents allowed 10 per cent on 

 all subscribers. 



BOSTON, FEBRUARY, 1837. 



THE MULBERRY PATCH AND COCOOKERY. 



Extract of a letter, dated Aug. 4, 1836. 



'From the seed of the Canton Mulberry, pre- 

 sent(>d me in May 1834, I have obtained a num- 

 ber of trees. The last winter was so severe, that 

 the stalks were killed down to the hard wood, 

 but this summer the branches have started from 

 the roots and grown over four feet in height. 



' I fed my worms upon the Chinese or Canton 

 Mulberry, and some of the white. Ten of the 

 cocoons before stifling, weighed one ounce, at 

 which rate 1600 would make a bushel. 



' I adopted a new plan, or new to me, for the 

 worms to wind their cocoons. T made a frame of 

 lath, (the size of the table on which the worms 

 were fed) one and four-tenths of an inch wide, 

 six and three-fourths of an inch high. The out- 

 side I covered with millinet, and also the inside, 

 to within one inch of the bottom of the frame. 



' The worms, when ready to rise for winding, 

 would go up between the two pieces of millinet, 

 and suspend themselves in the centre, between 

 the two pieces of millinet. The cocoons were 

 more perfect, much cleaner, and more easily col- 

 lected than formerly.' 



Remarks. — Our corresj)ondent may preserve 

 his Chinese or Canton Mulberry from future in- 



jury of the wfnter, 4)y heading down the tree to 

 two or four buds above the roo(s, slightly cover- 

 ing the stumps, and may also cover the branches 

 cut off, either in a dry place in the open field, or 

 remove to a dry cellar and there cover with dry 

 earth, to be used for cuttings the next spring, or 

 he might take off the side branches to one or two 

 buds of the main stalk, to be used as short cut- 

 tings, and lay down the main stalk, with or with- 

 out a root, covering the same with about two 

 inches of earth, from which shoots would start so 

 early next spring, as to produce abundance of 

 vigorous shoots, with large roots, and afford 

 abundance of foliage for worms the same seaaon, 

 and might be used with advantage to the plant- 

 in this there is no mistake. 



We think favorably of the method he adopted 

 for the worms to spin the cocoons, which is about 

 as neat and convenient as the mode used'in Chi- 

 na — when millinet is not at hand, the whole might 

 be made with thin lath. We think the method 

 of feeding on hurdles made of twine will give 

 way to the above or a better mode. Even plain 

 shelves or boards are preferable. The Chinese 

 feed on oval trays made wholly of bamboo, 

 with a rim of one or two inches to keep the 

 worfiis from falling off, and of sufficient size to 

 contain 50 to IOC worms separate from each 

 other, and might be made of thin lath — square, 

 and of a size to be easily handled, removed, 

 cleaned, and set on racks. From a gentleman to 

 whom the plan of our correspondent has been 

 communicated, we are expecting an iniprovement 

 or better plan of feeding which,' should it be 

 made public in season, will be communicated with 

 pleasure. — J^orthampton tjourier. 



The Shakers have fifteen societies in the United 

 States and about six thousand members. 



