4Si 



FARMERS' REGISTER— SILKWORM. 



The table is taken from the v.'ork by Boiiafous, 

 of Piedmont, on Silk Worms, Lyons, 1824. The 

 measures and weig"hts are French. The French 

 foot is divided into 12 inches, and the inch into 12 

 lines. It is nine lines more than the American 

 foot, or one foot 78-lOOlhs, Ameiican. Six Frencli 

 feet are six feet four inches American ; twelve 

 French feet are twelve feet nine inches American, 

 fractions omittted ; 93.89 French feet make 100 

 feet American. Those who intend to regulate tiie 

 spaces by the rules of Bonafous, may easily do so 

 by noting the dimensions of each hurdle or feed- 

 ing frame. It cannot be too often repeated, that 

 the constant rule to be attended to, is to give the 

 worms ample space, and never to permit their be- 

 ing crowded. The spaces as set down in the ta- 

 ble, when reduced to American measure, are as 

 follow, fractions omitted : 



Feet. Inches, Feet. 



9 6 10 



19 21 



46 52 



109 124 



239 272 



The quantities of leaves marked for the several 

 days and ages, are those which have been found 

 sufficient. The knowledge of the precise propor- 

 tions may be useful, if a great cjuantity of worms 

 is reared, Avhen leaves are bought, or when per- 

 sons are hired to collect them, by enabling the 

 proprietor to make his contracts for the daily sup- 

 plies; and by preventing the unnecessary waste of 

 leaves, and surfeiting the worms, when he owns 

 the trees. It should always be kept in mind that, 

 besides these reasons, a superabundance of food 

 gi'eatly increases the trouble of the attendants, from 

 the unnecessary litter it produces. The propor- 

 tions prescribed by Bonafous, when reduced to 

 American weights, are as Ibllow, omitting frac- 

 tions : 



lbs. lbs. oz. 



7 7 12 



21 23 4 



69 76 9 



210 229 8 



1281 1400 



ON THK CULTURE OF THE WHITE MU LBERRY 

 TREE. 



The proper soils (or this tree are dry, sandy or 

 stony; the more stony the better, provided the 

 roots can penetrate them. Tlie situation should 

 be high : low, rich, and moist land, never produce 

 nourishing leaves, however vigorously the trees 

 may groAV. They are always found to be too 

 watery. The same remai-k may be made upon 

 the leaves of young seedling plants, which v/ill 

 not produce good or abundance of silk, and are 

 only pro]ier when the worms are young ; say 

 in their two first ages. It may be useful to 

 have a parcel of these growing in a warm situation, 

 that they may come forward before large trees, 

 and serve for early food. 



Mulberry trees may be propagated by — 1st, 

 seed; 2d, grafting; 3d, budding; 4tii, layers ; 5th, 

 cuttings; 6th, suckers. 



The ripe fruit may be sown in drills, in ground 

 previously prepared; or the seeds ma}' be washed 

 out of the pulp, and mixed with an equal quantity of 

 sand or fine mould, and then sown. They should be 



covered about a quarter of an inch deep. The seeds 

 will soon vegetate if the ground be rich, and will 

 live through the winter, unless the cold should be 

 unusually severe. A quantity of plants from seeds 

 thus treated, lived through the cold winter of 

 1825-G, in Philadelphia. In very cold weather, 

 the young plants may be covered with straw, or 

 long manure. The following spring, thin (he 

 plants so that they may stand one (bot apart at 

 least. Seeds intended to be sown in (he springs 

 or to be kept, should be washed out, as they are 

 apt to heat, or to mould, if permitted to remain in 

 the fruit. Land destined for spring sowing should 

 be dug or ploughed in the preceding autunm, left 

 rough all winter, and be harrowed or raked tine, as 

 soon as the season will permit, and the seed sown in 

 drills. The young plants must be watered in dry 

 weather, and weeds carefully kept down. Weeds 

 will not only stint the growth of the plants, but 

 cause disease in them, which may affect the future 

 vigor and health of the tree. In the second year 

 transplant them to two feet distance from one 

 another, to give room for cleansing and dressing 

 the land. When transplanting, cut off some of 

 the roots, especially those that are ragged or de- 

 caj'ed, and the tap root, to force out lateral roots ; 

 and also the tops, at six or seven inches from the 

 ground. When the plants in the nursery have 

 sprung, strip o(f the side buds, and leave none but 

 such as are necessary to form the head of the tree. 

 The buds which are left should be opposite to one 

 another. If the plants in the nursery do no) shoot 

 well (he first year, in the month of March (iillow- 

 ing cut them over, about seven inches from the 

 ground, and (hey will grow briskly. They should 

 be watered with diluted barn-yard water. 



When the plants ha^e grown to the size of one 

 inch in diameter, plant them out in fields or 

 places where they are to remain, and make the 

 hole six feet square : trim the roots, and press the 

 earth on the roots as the holes are filled. During 

 the first year of planting out, leave all the buds 

 which the young trees have pushed out on the (op, 

 till the following spring, when none are to be left, 

 but three or four branches to form the head of the 

 tree. The buds on those branches should be on 

 the outside of them, that the shoots may describe 

 a circle round the stem, and that the interior of 

 the tree may be ke{)t open : and as the buds come 

 out, rub ofi' all those on the bodies of the trees. 

 For several years after, every spring, open the 

 heads of the Irees when too thick of wood, and 

 cut off any branch which crosses or takes the lead 

 of the rest, leaving two buds on the outside of 

 every trimmed branch. Count Verri, of Italy, 

 an experienced cultivator of the mulberry tree, 

 recommends to leave only one bud at the end ot 

 every branch, preferring (hose which are ou(side, 

 and opposite to each other; and when three buds 

 appear (ogedier, (o leave (he middle one, which is 

 always most vigorous, and to detach the two on 

 each side of it. If the superior buds do not push well, 

 the two next lower on€s must be left. Every far- 

 mer knows the very great importance of dressing 

 ground round young trees twice in the course of a 

 year, and of securing them to stakes, to insure ark 

 upright straight growth, and to prevent their be- 

 ing siiakcn l)y winds, or levelled by storms. The 

 trees may be" planted at (he usual distance of apple 

 trees, 'i'he intervals may be cultivated in cab- 

 bages, turnipsj or mangel wurtzel. The atteu- 



