410 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



jriiT 8, 1835. 



TO FARMERS, 



If there is any one temporal interest that is of 

 more importance, and entitled to more reward, 

 than another, I think I hazard little in saying that 

 it is the afjricultural interest. 



Throiigii the medinin of agriculture, we re- 

 ceive more real blessings, than through commerce 

 or the arts ; agriculture is the only source of na- 

 tional wealth or comfort that cau be depended on 

 with safety : wuliout the co-operation of agricul- 

 ture, commerce and tlie arts would die ; and even 

 virtue, which is so necessary to the support and 

 prosperity of a nation, would lose a powerful sup- , 

 port; therefore agriculture is entitled to, and 

 claims the support, and protection of the commu- 

 nity, and any thing which has a tendency to blight 

 the prospect of the fanner should be speedily re- 

 moved. 



Look for a moment at a well regulated farm, 

 or a fanning community, and contentment, hap- 

 piness and good order will be seen to exist ; the 

 fields will be covered with verdure, and healthy 

 flocks and herds will cover the hills; fences and 

 buildings will be found in good condition ; in short 

 everytldng will bear the appearance of lasting 

 prosperity : and above all the inhabitants will be 

 governed by the principles of religion and virtue. 

 Now turn your eyes to the farm or neighbor- 

 hood of the slothful ; all seem discontented and un- 

 happy ; instead of good order, will be found confu- 

 sion ; instead of food for man and beast will be found 

 weeds and briers: unruly and sickly cattle will be 

 found in consequence of poor fences, and inatten- 

 tion in many respects ; every thing will wear the 

 appearance of adversity and misery : the minds of 

 children will take a wrong direction, and in time 

 juany evils will creep into that community. 



Why this difference between two neighbor- 

 hoods enjoying the same advantages of climate, 

 location and soil ? Ninety-nine times in u hundred 

 the difference is owing to intemperance and the 

 evils which follow in its train ; the use of stimu- 

 lating drinks has ruined more f\irmers than all the 

 hail storms and whirlwinds since the creation. 

 You may as wdl look for verdant fields on the 

 desert of Sahara or the ice bound shores of Lap- 

 land, as to look for prosperity under the blighting 

 influence of artificial stimulants in common use 

 among farmers. 



I can well remember when it was as common 

 as anything, to hear one farmer accost his neigh- 

 bor with, " where do you buy your rum for har- 

 vest this year?" "have yon laid in your store of 

 rum for haying?" and for the store keeper to ac- 

 cost the farmer with, "I have just got in a quan- 

 tity of rum, and should like to sell you what you 

 may want for harvest :" hut now such things are 

 becoming more rare ; farmers are beginning to 

 find that it is for their interest to exclude artificial 

 stimulants from their premises as unprofitable and 

 hurtful ; the aspect seems quite changed ; the des- 

 olate place is putting on the appearance of cheer- 

 fulness, and the wilderness is blossonnng as the 

 rose. 



May the period soon arrive when intemperance, 

 this scourge of nations shall he banished from 

 land, and when farmers will not sell their products 

 to be converted into strong drink of any kind. — 

 Vermont State Journal. 



which greatly lessens their value, it is necessary 

 to kill the moths. This is generally done by bak- ] 

 in" in an oven or by steam, but the best mode, is 

 to lay the cocoons on linen or cotton sheets, but not 

 too close, or one upon the other, and expose thein 

 thus to the heat of the sun in ojicn air, when it is 

 perfectly dry, during four days, from 11 A.M. to 

 4 P. M. taking great care in handling them not to 

 crush or flatten them, which is of the highest im- 

 portance. In that time there is no doubt that the 

 moths will be killed. ^ 



The processes of steaming and baking are not al- 

 ways safe, because they may be overdone and the 

 silk greatly injured. I have seen instances of it in 

 this country. Yet, if the weather should prove ob- 

 stinately damp or rainy, those processes must be 

 recurred to; but not in dry sunshiny weather, 

 when they can be avoided. 



The last thing to be spoken of is the packing 

 of the cocoons to send to market. They must be 

 put in boxes with great care, not pressed too close 

 lest they should be flattened, and close enough 

 that they should not suffer in like manner by 

 striking hard ur.on each other in consequence of 

 the motion of carriages or stages. The boxes be- 

 ing dry and well conditioned may be transported by 

 steamijoats ; if transported by sea, they should 

 not remain longer than fifteen days on salt water, 

 lest they should become mouldy. On river water, 

 and particularly by steamboats, there is not the 

 same danger. The boxes in every case should be 

 covered with a tarpaulin of good oil cloth, that 

 they may in no case suffer from dampness or rain. 

 The price of cocoons in this country cannot 

 yet be settled, but it will be the interest of the silk 

 cuhuristto sell them in the beginning as cheap as 

 possible, to encourage the silk manufacturers, 

 which alone can procure them regular purchasers, 

 and without which their produce must litt on their 

 hands. 



Perforated cocoons, from which the moth has 

 escaped, those which are spotted, and the imper- 

 fect ones, counnand no price, and are generally 

 given away by the silk culturists. There are but 

 few of them, because, those who raise the silk 

 worms being experienced in the business, pro- 

 duce hardly any but good cocoons. When these 

 are sold, the bad ones are thrown into the bargain. 



Oakland Whig. 



COCOONS INTENDKD FOR SALE. 



In order to prevent the cocoons from being 

 perforated by the moths escaping from them, 



ROT IN SHEEP. 



About the year 1808, some land, part of which 

 had been under water, mUCli of which was a bog, 

 and part of v/liich Was nearly dry, was drained, 

 levelled and irrigated. Although it was drained, 

 and was so far dry that horses could at all times 

 walk upon it, yet it produced coarse herbage, 

 rushes, and even some flags. In this state it re- 

 mained for at least fifteen years, and during the 

 whole of the time it was constantly fed ou by 

 ewes and lambs in the spring, and no instance 

 was ever known of any of these sheep ever show- 

 ing the slightest symptom of the rot. 



As, however, the herbage was not good, and 

 it was supposed that, by obtaining a better out- 

 fall, and a more effectual mode of drainage, the 

 meadow ntight be much improved, it was broken 

 up in 1829, drained more perfectly, better levelled, 

 and was again laid down to grass after a turnip- 

 fallow. The land then appeared to be perfectly 

 drained. The turnips were excellent, and the 

 grass which was sown in 1831 was beautiful. 



It was mown that autumn, after having been ir- 

 rigated, and produced abundantly. It carried 

 great flocks of sheep the ensuing spring, and pro- 

 duced a very great crop of grass early in the 

 summer; but afterviards, in that year, the land 

 appeared starved, and the grass did not conle a 

 second time to the fccythe. In the spring of 

 1833, the meadow yielded a good pasture to the 

 sheep, but except in those parts which were dry 

 and steep, it produced little for the scythe. Rushes 

 made their appearance, and as it was probable that 

 the land was not sufficiently drained, more drains 

 were maile, which produced a great deal of 

 water. Then, for the first time, smpicions were 

 raised that the sheep fed on the land were tainted 

 by the rot, and it has been ascertained that, since 

 Christmas, 1833, sheep fed u])on it have taken the 

 rot in five days. In the spring of 1834, more 

 drains were made in it. The consequence of 

 which has been a great iinprovement in the qual- 

 ity and quantity of the herbage, but as far as the 

 rot is concerned, it has been equally fatal to every 

 sheep put upon it. It is necessary to add, that 

 although the whole of this meadow is now so 

 well drained, that af\er a fortnight's irrigation it 

 will become so dry in a week as to admit of 

 horses galloping over it without scarcely leaving 

 the print of their shoe, yet as some parts of it are 

 much lower, and consequently nearer the watei 

 by some feet than others, it might be supposed 

 that they would be more likely to produce the rol 

 than those i)arts which are higher. But this if ■ 

 not the case. It has been ascertained that thej 

 are all equally infectious. Other meadows it 

 this neighborhood, irrigated partly by the samt 

 stream, have equally rotted the sheep, though per- 

 fectly well drained. As those other meadow; i 

 are entirely new, it cannot be said of them tha 

 there was a time when, though less well drained 

 they did not rot the sheep. They do not aflfec 

 the question, what can be the reason why land 

 which when less well drained was fed by shee] 

 with impunity, rots them no*v, when it is mucl 

 better drained ? 



It cannot be attributed wholly to the seasons 

 because other water meadows in the same county 

 but on a difterent stream, did not rot the sheep ii 

 the spring, or even in the autumn of 1833. It i 

 true that in the spring of 1834, some few out o 

 very many have been supposed to take the rot 

 and that in the autumn of 1834*, even on thes 

 meadows, scarce one has escaped the infectior 

 But where they have taken it, some parts of th 

 land have not been effectually drained. 



These occurrences naturally excited attention 

 and recourse to every known means supposed t 

 be capable of preventing this infection was resor 

 ed to. It has been said that sheep folded on fa^ 

 lows, and not allowed' to go on to their pasture 

 till the dew was ofl'the ground, have escaped th 

 rot; when others, which vyere allowed to lemai 

 constantly on them, have taken it : that di7 foo 

 .riven to them on dry ground during the nigh 

 and that salt and oil-cake have acted as preservi 

 tives. The evidence of the good eflects of a 

 these antidotes has been such as it was nnposs 

 ble to doubt. But each and every one of thet 

 has been tried here with the greatest attentio; 

 and it is painful to add, that they have all fade 



* In the autumn of 1833, 200 ewes were fed on the; 

 meadowB, and when killed, were all found to be qui 

 sound. 



