34 THE MULBERRY TREE. 



A larger number of them may also be planted on 

 an acre of land. They may be planted at about 

 double the distance of hills of Indian corn, and be 

 manured and cultivated in much the same manner. 

 Cultivated in this way, they make a most beautiful 

 appearance and yield a large crop of the very best 

 kind of foliage. We would, however, again recom- 

 mend to the culturist, to continue the cultivation of the 

 White Mulberry. It is a valuable tree for fuel and 

 timber, and should it finally turn out, from any un- 

 foreseen cause, that the Chinese Mulberry cannot be 

 cultivated in this country, he will still be furnished 

 with a supply of food lor the silk worm, by whose la- 

 bor he can produce a profitable crop of silk. 



An experiment is being made at Manchester, a 

 neighboring town, to produce two hundred pounds of 

 silk from an acre of land. Mr. Cheeney, the experi- 

 menter, is confident of success, and from the outlines 

 of his plan, we think it not impossible. A family of 

 worms, of sufficient numbers to make two hundred 

 pounds of silk, will require, not to exceed 20,000 

 pounds of foliage during the season of feeding ; and 

 Mr. C. has already ascertained that a Chinese plant, 

 the second year, will yield a pound and a half of 

 leaves. 



Taking this, then, as the average product of the 

 plants, he 20,000 pounds of food will be gathered 

 from 13,325 plants. This being the fact, the only 

 difficulty in the case, if there be any, is to set that 

 number of plants upon an acre at such distances as 

 will admit of sufficient air and light to cause a rapid 

 growth, and bring forward a perfect foliage. ' The 

 soil may undoubtedly be so highly charged with the 

 food of plants as to give them the requisite nutriment 



