Vol 1—1^0.44. 



A1VO « ARBITER'S JOURNAL. 



341 



DR. CUTBUSH'S ADDRESS. 



This was delivered before the "Domestic. Hor- 

 ticultural Society," at Canandaigua, on the 30tli 

 June last, and is a tea^handsome display of the 

 learning and research of the author, who is pro- 

 ftssorof chemistry at Geneva College. 



The book is in fact a history of the early efforts 

 •f Gardeners and Horticulturists, and very inter- 

 esting, to scientific m n particularly. 



We regret that we did not receive Dr. Cutbush's 

 Address, at an earlier day. Our columns are 

 now so occupied, that we are unable to give more 

 than a few brief extracts: — 



Gardening is certainly one of the most in- 

 nocent pleasures in which wecan be enga- 

 ged for recreation, aftei haying been enga- 

 ged in any pursuit : it tranquilizes the mind, 

 and promotes humane, generous and virtuous 

 sentiments: it makes man happy, and ex- 

 tends that happiness to others. It is not ea- 

 sy to suppress a degree of enthusiasm, when 

 we reflect on the idvantages of gardening 

 with respect to a virtuous education. In the 

 beginning of life, the deepest impressions 

 are made. Those who spend their time 

 within the bounds of populous cities, are. in 

 ■it measure, in ensihle to the elegant 

 beauties which nature presents. Notwith- 

 standing civilization has trenched upon the 

 forest, beauties Mill remain, though wild and 

 savage, to admire. The liriodendron and 

 magnolias of our country waste their per- 

 fumes in the desert; and many shrubs and 

 indigenous flowers, which vie in beauty with 

 those of the torrid zone, plead the protect- 

 ing care of this Society. In half a century 

 more, the axe and the fire will have removed 

 them, and your descendants will in vain look 

 for them : they will be known only by name, 

 unless they visit the botanic gardens of Eu- 

 rope, where taste may have preserved their 

 species. What a held of usefulness still 

 lies open to the enterprising botanist: and 

 what a fund of useful knowledge does this 

 science impart. What a source of pleasure 

 there is in seeking out those productions of 

 nature which grow secluded in the forest, 

 where "many a plant is hoin to blush mi 

 seen," whose medicinal and other virtues 

 were intended for the use of man. Though 

 man fell under the displeasure of his Crea- 

 tor, and vice, and disease assailed him, a kind 

 and merciful Providence did not abandon 

 him, but assigned the means of relief, both 

 for his body and his mind :— where the d is 

 ease is, there may be found the remedy. — 

 Such was the faith of an old writer in the 

 Comn on sage, as to induce him to exclaim — 

 " Cur moriatur homo cuisalviacrescit inhor- 

 to." Ami some of % the most valuable escu- 

 lent plants,which grace the tablesof the opu- 

 lent, were once the inhabitants of forests 

 and swamps. To the botanists we are in- 

 debted for many of the beauties of Flora, 

 which now adorn the rich parterre; attract- 

 ed by their varied attire and native sweet 

 ness. they transferred them from their lone- 

 ly seclusion, and presented them to the gaze 

 of an admiring multitude. Thousands of 

 dollars have been paid in Europe for a single 

 ■bulbous root ; and our swamps and highlands 

 have supplied the botanic gardens of Paler 

 mo, and many other parts of Europe, with 

 choice productions, which vie with the most 

 costly bulbs. Though flowers hold a distin- 

 guished place in our gardens, it is not be- 

 cause we see no beauty in 'esculent vegeta- 

 bles : on the contrary, such is their variety, 

 and often the beauty of their foliage, that 



they are not inferior to the most delicate 

 flowers. If the common pea were an exot- 

 ic, how much would their blossoms be ad- 

 mired, anil those of the bean, for their odor. 

 Even those whose flowers do not attract 

 general attention, are not destitute of beau- 

 ty: witness those of the salsify and the ok- 

 ra, and many other esculents of the kitchen 

 garden. The Indian kale of the West In- 

 dies would vie » ith the amaranthus tri-color ; 

 and the crumpled leaf ol the Scotch kale, in 

 mi view, possesses many attractions. 



Referring to the rapid improvement of the coun- 

 try the Doctor observes at the close of his address • 



It must be highly gratifying to you. Gen- 

 tlemen, who are enabled to take a retrospec- 

 tive view of this portion of our country 

 through a lapse of forty years; and who 

 have marked tlie march of improvement — 

 have witnessed the towns and the vilUges, 

 decorated with spires, which have arisen a- 

 round you, and the advance of architectural 

 ; refinement, from the humble log-house to 

 the splendid mansions which now adorn this 

 village, surrounded by fields, once the abode 

 of wild beasts and uncivilized man, now smi- 

 ling with rich productions and the varied 

 harvest which gilds our plains, All testify 

 the superlative goodness of Providence in 

 directing and supporting the bold pioneers. 

 whose industry .mil perseverance cleared the 

 forest, and prepared the land to yield mill- 

 ions of ears of coin wheie not one grew be- 

 fore and exhibiting in every direction the in- 

 dustry and happiness of the comm nity. — 

 And the proud exhibition, which yon have 

 made this day, of the indigenous and exoti 

 productions of your soil, administering not 

 only to the health, but adding a very impor- 

 tant item to the necessaries and comforts of 

 life, must call forth the unqualified thanks 

 of every member of this highly favored court- 

 try. 



Canyon. m\ friends be insensible to all 

 these blessings, and the happiness you en- 

 joy, without offering, both in public and pri- 

 vate, the aspirations of praise and thanks- 

 giving to that over-ruling Providence, who 

 has blessed the land with such unparalleled 

 increase, and shown so many marks of his 

 love, hy dispensing to you his bounties with 

 such a liberal hand, and "who satisfieth 

 thy mouth with good things?" I trust you 

 are not. I have only to add — may they he 

 perpetual. 



From the Lowell Journal. 

 SILK MANUFACTURE. 



NO. III. 



America is destined to be a rich, silk grow- 

 ine and silk manufacturing country. But 

 her advance towards that desirable state of 

 things must be gradual and systematic. — 

 Every attempt to do that at once, which can 

 only be effected in a course of years, must 

 ultimately fail: while patriotism and enter- 

 I prise will be discouraged by the enormous 

 expense and fruitless labor that will be in- 

 curred. When we take a view of the nu- 

 merous branches of science and art of which 

 the silk business consists, from the planting 

 the mulberry tree to the production of those 

 elegant and delicate stuffs, which daily issue 

 from European looms, it is natural to ask 

 ourselves hy which of those branches is a na- 

 tion to begin ? 



The two great divisions of human labor, 

 agriculture and manufactures, require to be 

 carried on separately, and by different hands. 



A nursery of mulberry trees and silkworms 

 can never be profitably attached to a manu- 

 facturing establishment. To say nothing of 

 the immense expense which this complex 

 business would occasion, it must be evident 

 that the profits of ihe manufacturer should 

 not be dependent on the success of the agri- 

 culturist. The risk would be too great; 



one hard winter e bad crop ol cocoons, 



would reduce to nothing the earnings of the 

 artist; and he could not with safety carry 

 on his business in such a perilous situation. 

 The raising of silk worms, therefore, must 

 be left entirely to the farmer, and the me- 

 chanic must apply himself to those branches, 

 which are within the proper line of his busi- 

 ness. 



Manufactures are of slow growth, and in 

 their beginning, particularly, require great 

 means and powerful support. Recent expe- 

 rience in the case of cotton and wollen man- 

 ufactures has sufficiently proven the truth of 

 this position. I am therefore of opinion, 

 that the produce of the American silk should 

 lie employed as an article of foreign com- 

 merce, before it is manufactured into stuffs 

 in this country. Gieat profits are to be de- 

 rived from this branch of business, and when 

 it shall have arisen to a certain degree of 

 stiength and prosperity, manufactures will 

 follow in its train. 



It was by this slow and gradual course of 

 proceeding that die cotton business has ris 

 en in the United States to the degree of 

 prosperity it has attained. 



For more than twenty years, cotton was 

 prepared and sold as a raw material, without 

 any attempt to convert it into manufactured 

 stuffs. During that period the exportation 

 id" raw cotton produced immense profit to 

 'his country. The business at last was o- 

 veidone, the profit diminished, and domes- 

 tic manufactures were established. 



Thus instructed by experience, and con- 

 vinced by the reason of the thing, I would 

 recommend the same course to be p; rsued 

 with regard to si k. — Nothing should be at- 

 tempted at first beyond preparing it in the 

 form of a raw material. 



Mr. D'Homergne says, 'I have observed 

 with astonishment that although there is not 

 the least encouragement for the farmer and 

 planter to attend to this production, never- 

 theless the mulberry tree is cultivated, and 

 silk worms are raised in all parts of this 

 country, from the north to the south, and 

 from the east to the west. I have examin- 

 ed the cocoons and extracted silk from them, 

 which I have found superior in quantity and 

 quality to any that I have ever seen : there- 

 fore I think this part of the business may be 

 left to itself. The main object is to find em- 

 ployment for the silk produced by the Amer- 

 ican citizens, and to establish in some cen- 

 tral place a regular market for their co- 

 coons. Their industry stimulated by their in- 

 terest will do the rest. Planting the mulber- 

 ry trees, and raising the silk worms, are not 

 mechanical arts, like the other branches of 

 the silk business. Experience and observa- 

 tion will soon make the American farmer 

 perfect in that business. When they find 

 that bad and imperfect cocoons do not seH 

 for so high a price as the good ones, they 

 will inquire into the disparity, remedy the e- 

 vil, anil none but good cocoons will be found. 

 V. 



St. John's Academy, Chapel-street, New-Yor'; 

 was destroyed by fire on the 1st instant. • 



