FESSENDEIN'S 



AND 



I>CYoted to the Culture of Silk, Agriculture and Rural Economy. 



^^m,:4ii 



BOSVfM, MARCfr, 18:^:- 



NO 11. 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY Bt 



JOSEPH BRECK & CO. 



51 ^ 52 JYorth Market St., at the JV.-£. 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, MAaCH, 18 37. 



PUEHSIlEnS' NOTICE. 



DigCOMMNUATION UF THE SiLK MaNUAL. We 



shall (liscoutiiiiie the publication of ttie S V: Man- 

 ual and Practical Farmer, with the present Voliiine, 

 which ends witli the April number. Subscribers 

 who have npt ])aifi will hand the amount of their 

 arrearaires to the Postmaster where they reside, 

 who will remit by mail, or send by some friend vis- 

 itmg the city. To those wlio have paid in advance 

 the weekly New England Farmer will be sent un^- 

 less otherwise ordered by the Subscribers. 



The attempt to introduce the Silk Culture into the 

 United States is not a new undertaking. For sev- 

 eral yeai s the subject has demanded Uie close at- 

 : tenlion of the most distiuguished men in the conn- 

 try. Previous to tiie Revolution, Georgia, South 

 Carolina and Virginia had begun the ex[)cr- 

 iment, and with some degree of success. Since 

 that lime various attempts have been made to re- 

 new those experiments, and embark largely in the 

 business. Benjamin Franklin was among the 

 most forward to recommend this measure, and a 

 filature under his direction was established. But 

 for want of funds this project failed, and for want 

 of patience and information all the otfiers were 

 abandoned. NotvvitliStan<ling these failures, the 

 attention of some men wiio were convinced that 

 this culture could be made successfid if jjroperly 

 managed, ceased not to be lirawn to it. And they 

 continued their inquiries and ptd)iished tlieir re- 

 sults, exhorting tlie peo|)le then)selves to com- 

 . |iT£vuce, and {>ersevere until the desired end was ac- 

 -xiomplished. Conspicuous among these writere 

 were P. Oil Ponceau, Esq ol Philadelphia, and our 

 own patriotic Dearborn. As a result of their la- 



bors, and the l{il}.^fs of their cotemporaries, Con- 

 gress now begaii to entertain the question) 

 « Whether it was practicable to introduce success- 

 hilly the Silk Culture into the United States." A 

 committee was appointed who reported favorably 

 to the measure and|».nder their direction a manual 

 was prepared, end)0(%ing much new and useful in- 

 formation wiiich was circulated extensively. State 

 Legislatures also began to move in ijiis matter, and 

 by their bounty encouraged very much the begin* 

 ning of the business. Joint Stock Companies were 

 raised to propagate the mulberry tree. But the 

 undertaking would never succeed in this way. 

 The farmers must begin. In the days of Franklin 

 if they could have been induced to risk a little 

 time and expense in cultivating the mulberry and 

 raising the silk worm, his experiment would have 

 succeeded and we should have been enjoying at 

 this time the full fruition of the advantages to be 

 derived from so imj)ortant an addition to our agri- 

 culture and manufacture. But the inducements 

 held out to them were too vague and unsatisfactory, 

 and the result too remote to warrant their running 

 any risk. Neither was it considered important to 

 urge their interest in the success of the enterprise. 

 Happily the state of things changed, and encour- 

 aged by legislative bounty, farmers were nothing 

 loth to begin their experiments with a good will. 

 Information elemental, we tij,3y call it,; was wanted 

 respecting the culture of the Mulberry, its varieties, 

 soils best adapted for its growth, manner of raising 

 and feeding the silk worms and all the 7nodus oper- 

 andi of the business called into existence the Silk 

 Manual. Our object was to present this informa- 

 tion in a cheap form so that it might be accessible 

 to all, and our subscription was placed at 50 cents 

 per amium, barely sufficient to renumerate us for 

 the cost. 



Contemporaneous with the Silk Manual other 

 papers of the same kind were establislied on the 

 same hberal plan, and many others in every part of 

 the United States have since been commenced be- 

 sides numerous books and pam|)hlets all relating to 

 this interesting sidiject, which has been widely cir- 

 culated. Sucli being the case we are willing to re- 

 tire leaving the ground so well occupied. In with- 

 drawing our sheet from the public, d.o not let it be 

 understood thut our interest in the subject discussed 

 is Waning, or that we have fears as to its final suc- 

 cess. We Jock upon the silk hnsiness, its culture, 



