VOli, Xni. N0.45. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



355 



sheared, they were taken and immersed in this de- 

 coction, a hoard being placed across the tub in 

 the meantime for the purpose of draining them 

 on, thereby saving tlie liquor, whicli would other- 

 wise he soon exhausted. In this operation the 

 head of the sheep is to be exempt from immersion, 

 and to be properly done three persons are necessa- 

 ry, one to manage the head and the others the feet. 

 The lambs should undergo the saliie process, the 

 decoction being previously diluted with water, and 

 a little moi'e care should be taken in draining 

 them. A second operation will be necessary in 

 about ten days after the first — this is indispensable 

 to effect the object intended. The intervening 

 time between the first and second immersion is 

 necessary for the eggs of the old ones to hatch, 

 and this young colony once destroyed, the cure is 

 complete. It may be well to remark, in relation 

 to this process, that its effect in the destruction of 

 " the scab," was equally as salutai-y and decisive hi 

 the case of tlie ticks. ' If the foreg-oing remarks 

 are deemed worthy of a place in the columns of 

 the Farmer, insert them and oblige 



A Pennsylvania Farmer. 

 Wood Lawn, 3d. mo. 12, 1835. 



[From the Practical Farmer.] 

 FOOD FOR SILK WOa.WS. 



The first object claiming attention in attempting 

 to manufacture silk, is to provide food for the in- 

 sect artizan, to whom we are indebted for the raw 

 material. We shall not expatiate on the numerous 

 articles on which it is possible to feed silk worm.s, 

 but at present confine our remarks to that which 

 all allow to be the best and most profitable, provi- 

 ded it can be obtained. This, beyond question is 

 the foliage of the Chinese Mulberry, (Morus Mul- 

 ticaulis) which without doubt is emphatically the 

 silk worm's staff of life. But there is a doubt in 

 the minds of many whether this precious tree will 

 withstand our winters : some of which appear to 

 have been manufactured at the northern extremi- 

 ty of the north pole, and transported on the post- 

 horses of old Boreas into the territory Of the 

 United States for the special accommodation of its 

 inhabitants. 



We think it safest not to relinquish the culture 

 of the White mulberry for the present ; but let us 

 examine the claims of the Chinese mulberry to 

 the hardihood which alone can entitle that alien 

 to become naturalized and a permanent settler in 

 tliese United States. 



In some remarks " On the culture of Silk and the 

 Morus Multkaulis orneio Chinese mulberry" writ- 

 ten by William Kenrick, Esq., of Newton, Mass. 

 and published in the JVew England Farmer, vol. 

 xii. page 393, it is observed " This Mulberry 

 braves the most rigorous winters of France, not 

 having suffered in the least even during the severe 

 winter of 1829-30. I have taken particular pains 

 to ascertain how they have fared in the extieme 

 north of that country, and have very lately been 

 informed by letter from M. Eyries, a gentleman 

 from Havre, that they have supported well, during 

 ten years the most rigorous winters of the north 

 of France. He has cultivated them to a consid- 

 erable extent from their first introduction to that 

 country." * » * 



» Very late in the Spring of 1833, more than a 

 hundred young trees of the Morus Multicaulis 

 were set out on the place of S. V. Wilder, Esq. 

 in Bolton, Worcester county. The soil springy. 



the exposition cold and sloping to the north ; Mr 

 Jose])h Breck, a distinguished botanist of Lancas- 

 ter, the town adjoining, having especial charge of 

 these plants, has lately very critically examined 

 them. Thus unfavorably situated, and unprotect- 

 ed, they have borne the last winter [1833-34,] 

 without injury, except only the very tips of the 

 twigs. Mr Breck is persuaded that they are even 

 hardier than the common White nndberry, since 

 some hundred of the latter which stood very near 

 were killed half way down to the ground by this 

 same winter." 



An able writer with the signature R. who 

 dates Hingham, Mass. published two articles on 

 the Chinese mulbeny, pages 211, 226, of the 

 twelfth volume of the JVew England Farmer. This 

 writer is of opinion, and cites facts to maintain his 

 belief that the Chinese mulberry is more hardy 

 tlian many of our orchard, or even forest trees, 

 tub may be killed when young, if planted in a 

 rich and moist soil. This writer observes " Au- 

 thors agree that the proper soils for the nndberry 

 tree are dry, sandy, or stony ; that low, rich and 

 moist lands, never produce nourishing leaves, how- 

 ever vigorous the tree may grow. From all that 

 I have seen I should not hesitate to plant the Chi- 

 nese mulberry, and should consider it preferable 

 to any other species, if planted on suitable land, 

 and not forced to rapid growth. If doubt on this 

 subject remained, one half of the mulberry or- 

 chard might be planted with the Chinese and the 

 other with some other species, or in rows alter- 

 nately. No measures of good calculation and 

 care should be spared to secure success to a 

 branch of industry that now has the prospect of 

 reward in the course of a few years, of even its 

 millions of dollars, adding to the wealth and vir- 

 tue of the conmiunity, and to our common coun- 

 try's prosperity." 



FENCE POSTS. 



Mr Editor — I have been desirous, for some 

 time of addressing, through the medium of your 

 paper my farming brethren oh an important subject, 

 viz. the means of rendering fenee posts more dura- 

 ble, but I have not found suitable leisure till this 

 day, which is by far the most tempestuous known 

 in this region for the last thirty years. In my 

 remarks I shall confine myself to my own expe- 

 rience. During winter when getting up my wood 

 I make a practice of selecting my hemlock logs 

 from ten to fourteen inches in diameter, clear from 

 shakes and pretty straight. These beingcarefully 

 peeled, I take them to a neigboring sawmill, and 

 have them sawed .is follows : first through the 

 centre, and then turned on the side and sawed 

 through twice so as to form six posts from one log. 

 These I stick up under cover during one smmner 

 at least, so as to have them thoroughly seasoned. 

 Then some time during the winter, I heat a larpe 

 kettle of tar and thoroughly smear with it about 

 three feet of the largest end of the post, and then 

 stick them up again ready for use. The tar ought 

 to e.\tend a little above the surface of the ground 

 so as to prevent the moisture as much as possible 

 from pcnctratiiig'into the post. Thff' reason of 

 preparing them so long before they are wanted for 

 use, is to allow the tar to become hard by expo- 

 sure to the air. When posts are prepared in this 

 way, I am confident from my own experience 

 they last more than twice as long as when set up 

 in the usual way. 



Some farmers of my acquaintance set their 

 posts green and with the bark on. In this case 

 decay commences immediately, the bark acting as 

 a sponge to absorb and retain moisture and in the 

 course of four or five years every high wind knocks 

 down a number of posts which fall so heavily and 

 witli so much force as to break or to split the 

 boards, and thus do material damage ; and then by 

 not having a supply of posts on hand they are 

 obliged to take their teams (which are wanted 

 for other purposes) into the woods for a new set 

 of this miserable apology for fence posts. Taking 

 all things into consideration (and this farmers 

 ought to do) I think about one half of the expense 

 of supporting a post and board fence is saved by 

 this method. — JVational Eagle. 



The Osier Willow is worthy a [ilace on every 

 farm, because it takes up but little ground, re- 

 quiix's very little care, and furnishes the best ma- 

 terials for baskets, which are indispensable to the 

 farmer. This, like all the willows, is readily 

 propagated by cuttings. Where it has taken good 

 root, its shoots in good ground, grow from four to 

 eight feet hi a season. These shoots should be 

 taken off every winter, unless very large willows 

 are wanted, and the number is thereby aimually 

 increased. The art of fal>ricating baskets from 

 them is easily acquired, and may be practised ia 

 evenings and stormy days in the winter without 

 cost. For ordinary baskets the osier is used with 

 the bark on ; but for neat house baskets they are 

 peeled. The best way to divest them of the bark, 

 is to cut, sort and tie the osiers in small bundles 

 say early in March, and place the bundles in a 

 pool of stagnant water : and at the season the 

 leaf buds are bursting, the bark will readily strip 

 off. 



The osiers may then be laid up to be used 

 when leisure will permit. A well made osier 

 basket is worth 3 or 4 made of splits. We have 

 them which have been in wear for years, and are 

 yet good. To give them firmness and durability 

 a good rim and ribs, of oak, hickory or other 

 substantial wood, are ujcessary. — Cultivator. 



Transplanting Evergreens. — In reply to the 

 inquiry, " What is the best season for transplant- 

 ing evei'greens .'" we state the last of May, in this 

 latitude, or when in any place, the new spring's 

 growth begins to shoot. If they can be taken up 

 and removed with a ball of earth about their 

 roots, they ma}' be transplanted at almost any 

 season. But this can seldom be done, unless the 

 ])lants are grown in a nursery ; for here they are 

 generally furnished with a large number of 

 fibrous roots to which the earth adheres, which 

 forest trees seldom possess. Evergreens require 

 a constant supply of food to sustain their foliage. 

 If they are removed wlien in a quiescent state of 

 growth, the mouths or roots are necessarily di- 

 minished, and the plant is apt to die before the 

 requisite supply is obtained. But if removed 

 after the sap is in circulation, fewer roots will 

 furnish a supply, and new roots become sooner 

 formed. To prevent evaporation, from which the 

 greatest danger arises, the ground about newly 

 transplanted evergreens should be well mulched 

 with coarse wet litter from the barn yard, and a 

 pail of water may be occasionally thrown upon 

 it when the weather is dry. — lb. 



