254 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. 9, I84!S. 



AND HORTICULTURAL RKGISTER. 



DoSTOif, W£DI(ESnAT, FEBRUARY 9, 1642. 



FIFTH AGRICUI-TURAL MEETING AT THE 

 STATE HOUSE. 



Silk .Culture. 



Mn Q,umcr, President of the Senntfi, in the Chair. 



Rev^. Air liarbour, ufOxfurd, stated thut in rnlntion tu 

 every new branch of agriculture, there are snine impor- 

 tant qucstiuiia at ihe bottom. Are l\<a cUmntc, soil, ge- 

 nius of the people, :ind liic market Cxvor^hlo ? If thoy 

 are, the tiusinesa proniiHcs well 



la ciur climate tavorable to the silk business.'* Fur 

 this business there is wanted a cliivate warvi and dry, 

 but not hot. A temperature of 70 to SO degrees is bet 

 ter than n higher. The worms suffer in very hot weath- 

 er. Our climate is war :i enough to imswer-very well, 

 and it is dry, na are all climates where the prevailing 

 winds are land winds. Silk requires tlie s.inie ilijnate 

 as corn. The (jood corn cliinale is lavorable to both tlie 

 tr«e and the worm. Our climate is better than any oth- 

 er, exrepiing that of China, and is as good as that, being 

 very much like it. Dr. Parker, a missionary, and a na- 

 tive of the East who is travellin;; in fl>i,'i country with 

 the Doctor, say that our climate is the same— ihat the 

 trees now are getting to be the same, andcullivalion the 

 same ; that is, wo now head down the treeS'Ss they do. 

 Some now cut up the bushes or twigs and gather the 

 leaves in that way. The trees need not be taken up in 

 the fall, I'Ul in spring they must be headed down — (cut 

 near the ground, if we understood the matter. — Ed.^ 



We have fed in closed rooms, but it may be better to 

 feed in open sheds, as they do in China. This practice 

 has not yet been adopted here. We have taken all our 

 ideas from Europe, rather than from China; though we 

 probnb'y ought to learn from the latter country, whose 

 climate is liko ours. 



Efforts were made to grow silk in this oonnlry more 

 thon a century ago. Mr liarbour rc»d some interesting 

 extracls from the silk journal of President Styles, show- 

 ing that the subject here received attention as long ago 

 as 1727, and that then the climate was favorable. But 

 the colonials had oLstnles which do not now oblruct 

 our course. U was and is the poliey of England to 

 make her colonies produce raw material, while she 

 would do the manufacturing at home. Attempts were 

 made to transport cocoons, but thiy mildewed, and al- 

 ways will, on the passage. There was in the colonies 

 but little manufacturing enterprise— but now our coun- 

 try is full of it. 



ffail. — Is our soil suitable? There is wanted alight, 

 dry soil ; sandy, gravelly or a light loam, Such is bet- 

 ter than heavy soil, and gives better »ilk. A proper me- 

 dium is desirable. The trees should grow well, but not 

 rank. A soil that will give 35 bushels of corn lo the 

 acre, is rich enough. Has had acres of trees, mostly 

 multicaulis, staniling out in winlcrs past, aml.hns not 

 lo.it any. Sometimes the twigs arc killed, but this is of 

 no consequcnco, as he cuts the trees down in the spring. 

 Habits. — Are the habits of our country favorable? — 

 This pursuit may be more intellectual than most branch- 

 es of farming, but it is not more diOJculi than others. 

 Wo have onterpriso and industry enough. Compara- 

 tively littlj has been done in the manufacture — but we 

 are improving in thai. If there bo difficulties, the man- 

 ufacturing spiiit of the ago will surimunl them. More 

 practical knowledge is needed, but ihis can soon bo 

 gained. 



.tfur/it(.— We import silk annually t(j the amount of 



30 millions. This is the largtsl item of imports. Why 

 m.ed it bj so ? The demamls of the home market will 

 be extended. There can be no frar of glutting the mar- 

 ket in one generation. But suppose you have supplied 

 the home market. The United States may take the lead 

 of the world in supplying Uio markets of the world 

 Our climate is as good as any — our skill and industry 

 are greater than those of any other country, where the 

 climate favors the busini ss. In other inanufactures 

 England competes with us; but in this she cannot: her 

 climate is too moist. 



High Price of Labor. — Labor is worth not what it 

 costs, but what \l produces. We have drivfn India cot- 

 ton out of the market. He was born in the back part 

 of Vermont, and remembers when he had his first cotton 

 shirt to wear to meeting, and it cost 42 cents per yard. 

 And yet, nolwithsl Hiding the low price of labor ill In- 

 dia, no one here now would make up India cottons if 

 given to him. And what has caused the change ? The 

 ingenuity and skill of rjur manufacturers have been such 

 ■as lo more than counterbalance the low wages of India. 

 ^Inother Staple. — We need another staple — anolJier 

 ! branch of industry. We want something with which to 

 meet our foreign exchanges. Cotton has seen its be.st 

 days. Rice, tobacco, meat and grain do not meet our 

 wants in full. Silk can answer the purpose. For the 

 last ^0 years our iinporlations amount lo 247 millions 

 above our exports. If I buy 247 dollars worth more 

 than I sell from my farm in a year, 1 run in debt or 

 draw upon reserved oapital. So of the nation. It may 

 sometimes be wise to lun inlo debt. Our debt to foreign 

 nations is about 2o0 rMillions. The amount of our silk 

 importations in *J0 years has been about 250 millions. 

 The inference then is this : we have gone into ilcbt for 

 our silk goods. No wonder that we have hard times. 

 No more doubt exists that we can grow silk successfully, 

 than that we can grow corn, potatoes, &c. There is no 

 more difficulty in fcediiiji Ifie worms than in feeding 

 chickens. 



Mr Field, of Chnrlamont, staled that moat persona 

 who have attended to the subject, will agree with the 

 statements of Mr Barbour. The business is in its in- 

 fancy. It is liablu'to some interruptions — bad seasons 

 for this, as for other things, will come. This promises 

 as well as any other business in which we have had no 

 more experience. Want of skill in the care of the 

 worm is probably the greatest difficulty. We have not 

 yet satisfactorily learned the best modes of administering 

 the food. He thinks a tight room, so constructed as to 

 admit of good ventilation, is belter than open sheds. 

 Does not hold up the idea that farmers should neglect 

 other crops for this, but that they should have this as 

 a source of employment for females. It is well suited 

 to them, excepting the collecting of the leaves, and to 

 this they may attend in some cases. 



G( n Hulnian, of Itolton, thinks that the agriculture 

 of Massachusetts requiies a new staple. Rail roads 

 will bring down the prices of our agricultural produce. 

 Wo must compete Willi N«w York and the West Our 

 agricultural iiuercsts will suffer, unless wo get some 

 t\ew article. What shall we take hold of? Silk may be 

 resorted to— and, said Gon. 11., I expect lo get my liv- 

 ing frcmi that branch of farming. Ho has experience — 

 and ihc greatest difficulty— ihal of gelling foliage enough 



has been overcome by the process of cropping the 



trees. Foliage can bo produced at so low a rate as to 

 make this a first rate business lit has reeled, thn last 

 season, 50 lbs. ; lins 20 or 30 more to reel. Ho intends 

 lo prosecute it for a livelihood in connection with other 

 fanning opcratiims;— thinks he has made it profitable. 



Air Dodge, of Hamilton, thinks matters in relation to 

 ihia subject look brighter than two years ago, and is 



glad of it. But he should be sorry to tbink this the onl 

 bright spot in thu rirmer's prospects. If we need 

 new si i|jle, will not farmers choose to lake one abov 

 which we have nut so much lo Jearn ? He doub^ 

 whether iliey will touch it, unfil it can be proved to b 

 prufitaL^le. 'I'fie rail roads nmy cause our farmers to su 

 fer in relation to some articles ; but in hay, also in win 

 tdr apples, wfiicli are soon to be called for for forein 

 markets, we can do well. There seems to be no wan 

 of eniploynient for females — and should they engage i 

 the silk business, the men almost will have to bee 

 dairyiromcn. Can the worms be kept back from hatch 

 ing until iho leaves are grown to feed them upon ? 



Gen. Holinan, Mr Field and Mr Barbour all statei 

 that experience proved that they can. 



There was much subsequent conversation, which Wf It' 

 have no sjace for rejiorting. 



Subject for discussion at the next meeting — Sht^ || 

 Husoondrij. 



THE WEATHER— AGAIN 



The inildnrss of the winter is so remarkable as to d*< 

 erve particular record. Last week, we described 



il: 



month of January. On Thursday and Friday of laai I*? 

 week, (Feb. 3 and 4,) we liad very warm rains. Nearljl '1^ 

 all the frosl was out of the ground on Saturday morninfl * 

 We are told that soma farmers and gardeners in the 

 cinity have loday been plowing. This afternoon wi 

 noticed that the buds on the elms that urnamcni ihi 

 sidewalks of Boston neck, have swollen very perccpti |k^ 

 biy. Lilac buds by our window in Roibiiry, are begiitt 

 ning to burst. 



Saturday, P. M., Feb. 5, 1842. 



WHAT WINS FAME? 

 Ghahles Dickens Jiaa power iowrile, just as common 

 and poor people talk. Because he has done this inll 

 he is honored with more attention and fume than wuuld 

 be given to almost any other person who could come tc 

 our city from the old world. This looks well; — w( 

 would have wieaihs of fame placed upon the brow o 

 him who sympathizes with tfie poor and oppressed, anb 

 who makes millions of readers sympathize with liil 

 while they turn over his pages, true to life — far rathi 

 had we that such genius should be honored wilh the 

 laurel garland, than Ihat it should encircle the heads «l 

 those who have been successful in the field of battle, or 

 who wear the titles of nobility or royally. 



' 





Correction. — In giving last week an account of some 

 fino hogs (Bylield and Mackay crosi) raised by Col. 

 Daniel Adams, we called litest Newbury his place uf re- 

 sidence. He resides in Newbury, and his adilr. - ,f 

 Aewburyport. 



irrTke will of the late Mr Benjamin Bussey, ofRrq 



bury, was presented for Probate on Tuesday lasl. 

 has left an immense estate. After providing li:uKUon 

 ly for his imniediale descendanls, he has given one ht 

 of his property for the establishment of an aoricullurll 

 school on the place where he lived in Ruxbury : on* 

 quarter to the Law school, and one quarter to the TIhO- 

 logical school cnnnecled wilh Harvard Univer.-i'. — 

 Bos;. Times of Monday. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



KXHinirlO.N OF FRDITS. 



Saturday, Feb. 5, 1S42., 

 Isabella Grapes, in a fiiio statu of preservation — froA 

 J. L. L. F. Warren, Brighton. 



For the CommittB, B. V. FRENCH 



4 



