Vol. 1— No. 49." 



AND GARDFIXKTl'S JOURNAL 



3S-J 



If Gardeners in cities, live at this rate, they 

 must have strong constitutions! Thp anni- 

 versary, however, conies around but «nce a 

 year; and perhaps at a I oilier times, they 

 line when the work of the day is but half 

 done, as we Farmers do. Eating, at any 

 rate, calls for food; and so, for au lit I 

 know, docs riddling and dancing; but it 

 puzzles ine to si e how these feasts, and balls, 

 form any part of Agriculture? There are 

 mysteries, it would seem, in all matters, and 

 so it in iv be in this, and quite beyond my 

 comprehension ' There was m old school- 

 mate of mine, there, a member, as he told 

 me, who had come a half day's ride to bring 

 a Dearborn 1 lad of the produce of his Gar- 

 ded to the 'exhibition,' worth, at home, 5 

 or 6 dollars, all which would become the 

 property of thr society; and he stood a 

 chance, like the purchaser of a Lottery 

 Ticket, to get a premium of one or two dol- 

 lars. The Ticket for his dinner cost him — 

 let me reckon up — the price of 8 bushels of 

 turnips, potatoes, or na's of 4 bushels of 

 buck" hcai. rye or corn: ol a bushel and 

 8 pecks of wheat, or barley; and as much as 

 the selling price of 1 or 800 pounds of hay. 

 quite a little jag, as we call it. Even if so- 

 ber, he would hardly ride home, that night, 

 and so we may reckon tile expense of one 

 night in town, himself and horse, with at 

 least one day's loss of time, and then foot 

 up the account of profit and loss. With my 

 arithmetic, I cannot discover how he is to 

 make any thma by ihis kind of horticulture .' 

 We Fanners could not, suppose the name 

 changed, if necessary, to an Agricultural 

 exhibition. There would be loss, to fall 

 somewhere, and no great mystery where, 

 surely. As to the piofit. some of which 

 there must be, with so much loss, i suppose 

 that all takes a direction for the public good, 

 and that these suggestions can therefore jive 

 no po-sible offence. N e should all nave some 

 patriotism, and be willing to participate in 

 its burdens, soas to make them fall as equal- 

 ly as possible. With this view, I would most 

 respectfully suggest to mv Cousin Hoitieul^ 

 wrists, to bestow a little thought upon a re- 

 consideration of some features of their plan 

 of operation-. If they do not, 1 would pro- 

 pose it to'the Gardeners. 



In sober seriousness, it appears to me that 

 tils'- plan of operation as*s too much of rm 

 first Cousins, the realsweat-of-the-face-men, 

 foi the gratification, tn say nothing of the 

 benefit, of my second Cousins, the Hi rticul- 

 turists, or evenfoi Horticulture, and the pub- 

 lic good. Thebuiden falls unequally. Gen- 

 tlemen, fond of the display, and the name, 

 may amuse themselves with Horticulture, 

 and set a good example in doing it, but they 

 should be careful to bear a due proportion, 

 according to their means, of all the laboi 

 and the expense. This is not done, now, 

 and the effect is felt, among the real Gar- 

 deners, who keep aloof, or co-operate reluc- 

 tantly. To their good sense, to their patri- 

 otism, the managers of these Societies may 

 well appeal, but it must be in a way mani- 

 festly compatible with fair impartiality and 

 strict justice. The Farmers, would then 

 come in, as co-operatois, with all the mem- 

 bers of the Family, united in a common ef- 

 fort, for the common good They who toil 

 at the oars, must not be leqnired to pay the 

 tolls, lest those who would ride, may have to 

 stay at home, or pull away, themselves. To 

 go pleasantly, we must all be co-operators: 

 operators, each in his way, and co-operators. 



Social efforts, conducted upon such princi- 

 ples, would be plea ing to all parties, pos- 

 sessed of one grain of patriotism, fruitful 

 sources of public benefit, and of immense, 

 power, in giving a high tone of action to the 

 public mind, vv'e should then see, and the 

 whole country would see. that Farming and 

 Gardening are kindred occupations, and Ag- 

 riculture a. id Horticulture of one Family. 

 as are all the actual cultivators of the soil. 

 To make thern an unit, requires only united 

 effort, concert inaction, with no intervening 

 disturbing force, to speak in the language of 

 philosophy. 



I have thus, I think, certainly with feel- 

 ings of ihe most perfect good will to all par- 

 ties, indicated some faults, which require 

 correction; in doing winch, I have also seen 

 much to ommend : and probably anticipate 

 full as much good. from Horticultural Associ- 

 ations, properly conducted, as any reasona- 

 ble man in he Uoited States. If experi- 

 ence confer any claims to respectful atten- 

 tentiqn.thes ountry FARMKRinay pleadsome 

 of this, both as a practical Farmer and Gar- 

 dener, and as an acting member and officer 

 of sundry Agricultural and Horticultural 

 associations. He asks no undue deference, 

 however, for his opinions, but that they may 

 be maturely considered, and rejected, or ap- 

 proved as shall be found best, in the dis- 

 cretion of everv real friend to his country, 

 and of its sources of prosperity and happi- 

 ness Considering every Garden as a suit 

 of miniature of a Farm, and Gardening 

 model Farming, iV would therefore studi- 

 ously encourage Horticulture, both for iis 

 elegant uselnlness, in its productions, and as 

 a School of Agriculture. The Farm, with- 

 out a Garden, particularly where youth are 

 in training for Farming, is like a house with- 

 out apartments, or a Farm without fences. I 

 Horticultural Societies would do well to 

 take all this into consideration, and to direct 

 their attention chiefly to usefulness ami pro- 

 fit, soas to exhbit examples worthy of being 

 followed, as good models, and therefore like- 

 ly to become patterns for others. 



Sept. 14, 1831. ' 



From the LoweU Journal. 

 SILK MANUFACTURE. 



NO. VI. 



Mr. D'Homergue in conclusion of his es- 

 says observes, 'my chief view in the forego- 

 ing pssavs have been to prove, that the pre- 1 

 paration id' raw silk, called leeljng. is au art 

 without a perfect knowledge of which this 

 Country never can expect to be able to man-] 

 ufacturesilk stuffs, and is the great and most 

 important object to be attended to at pre- 1 

 sent; and that this art requires considerable j 

 skill and dexterity, and can only be acquired 

 by experience and piactice under proper in- 

 structors.' 



. Floss Silk, which consists of tow and the 

 coaise fibres of the silk extracted from the 

 cocoons, and of the waste and refuse silk col- 

 lected during the process of reeling put to- 

 gether in amass, then caided and spun on 

 the common wheel. of which are made rib- 

 bons, silk tapes, stockings, gloves, mittens, 

 night caps, vestings, and all kinds of hosiery, 

 may be either sold as raw silk for exporta- 

 tion, or employed in the manufacture of 

 coarse articles of the above description. But 

 if it be intended to give to those articles any 

 degree of fineness, the floss must undergo the 

 same process as other raw silk. It must be 

 wound, cleaned, doubled and twisted in the 



travelie a machine made on the principle of the, 

 throwsting mill, but differently costructed, 

 and of a much smaller size. This branch of 

 domestic industry might very well take the 

 place of the sewing silk of the Connecticut 

 ladies, and find them an agreeable and prof- 

 itable employ mem ; and it would prepare the 

 American weavers fcir making the finer arti- 

 cles, when the manufacture of thrown silk 

 shall have been introduced into this coun 

 try. 



The American nation will, by gradual am 

 sine steps, reach the desirable point to which 

 her whole ambition should he directed; that 

 in which her own native silk, that precious 

 gift which a kind Providence has bestowed 

 upon her with such excellence, and such ex- 

 treme profusion, will fill the land and make 

 America what France now is. — a country 

 that no reverse can put down, and that con- 

 quest and the devastations of hostile armies 

 cannot impoverish. 



We hear of machines for winding silk 

 from cocoons without handling them, which 

 is absolutely impossible. We have h ard of 

 others by means of which silk can he reeled 

 and twisted at the same time, which implies 

 that reeling, winding, cleaning, doubling, and 

 twisting, or in other words, that raw silk and 

 thrown silk may be made by one and the 

 same operation. I have no doubt howevei 

 that the numerous machines employed in the 

 different bi aches of the silk manufacture are 

 destined to receive great and manifold im- 

 provement in the country whose future Whit- 

 ney's will distinguish themselves as they have 

 done in the cotton business ; but every body 

 will understand, that he who will improve 

 upon a machine must first learn howlo use 

 it. 



It is idle to .hints of importing journey 

 men, or women, who are acquainted with the 

 business for such are not to be found It 

 they would be induced to emigrate, we could 

 not derive much advantage from them tench 

 one knowing only that part of the business 

 which the division of labour has allottee 1 to 

 him. Mr J. V.Morse writes from Marseil- 

 les, March 21, 1829. it is difficult, indeed, to 

 find a person who possesses a knowledge of 

 the reeling and the different processes he- 

 fore being made into sewing silk ; for it is 

 done by four or more persons who have 

 each his particular part, and continues thro' 

 life doing nothing else : which keeps him 

 ignorant of every other part. The reeling is 

 done by women, and there are few men who 

 are acquainted with that branch of business. 

 There are very few in France or Italy who 

 are acquainted with all parts of the process, 

 and those few receive such liberal encour- 

 agement at home, that they will not go a 

 broad. 



If any gentleman from this place shall pas- 

 through Philadelphia during the present year, 

 it is desirable that they should call on Mr. 

 D'Homergue, and have a free conversation 

 with him on the subject. V. 



A specimen of sugar made at Camden, ha 

 been left at the office of the Savannah Republi 

 can. The granulati an said to be- very large, 

 and the color a very high brown. It assimulatr 

 a good deal to St. Croix sugar. 



The buttons, on the coat of John Hancock wen 

 of silver, and of American manufacture — the 

 device, a shepherd shearing his sheep — the motto, 

 ■■ ytrngava more bg.onr lives t&a •>. by our death' ' 



