VOL. Xv. NO. II 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



m 



Extract from Gen. Tatlmailge's Corrtspondence. 

 CU1.T1VATION OP SILK, &,c. IN PRANCE. 



Paris, April 9, 1836. 



" I have had ths pleasure to attend, hy invita- 

 tion, at two meetings of the National Institute of 

 France. It is a nohle assemblage of scientific 

 men, and a source of coniinual lienetit to the 

 pnhlii; weal. A small sum, alioiit 200 dollars, is 

 allowed by the government to eacli member for 

 his attendance at the weel^ly meetings, and for 

 which the Institute returns rnswers to the gov- 

 ernment when required, upon '|uestionsconnectetl 

 with the arts and sciences, including agiiculture, 

 manufactures and the kindred branches. I have 

 also attended a meeting of the Agricultural Soci- 

 ety, and was present at the awarding of the pre- 

 miums for the services of the last year, and found 

 it not only interesting, but a fund of useful infor- 

 mation. I send you their Programme of their 

 jiroceedings, as also of the subjects and prizes 

 ofiered for the next year. This paper will afford 

 usefid suggestions to the American Institute. 



The public institutions of France are oi)en and 

 accessible to strangers, and are a matter of just 

 pride to the nation. The specimens in mechanics 



are curious and useful. There is a Swede here, 

 now a denizen of France, who claims to have 

 made an essential improvement upon the steam 

 engine. His proposition is to dispense wilh the 

 steam boiler, fire and its attendant fixtures, and to 

 adapt to a common high pressure engine, the use 

 of ammoniiical gas as :,ii efficient power. It is 

 alleged that this gas can be prepared in reservoirs, 

 so as to come in place of fuel, at a cheaper rate, 

 with an exemption of all datijer of explosion, 

 and a great saving of the Sjiate for the engine and 

 its fixtures. It is insisted there will be a saving 

 of at least one half in expense, as well as in space. 

 He has shown me bis model. He has obtained a 

 patent for England, and also for France, and he 

 intends to sail in a f.'W weeks lor New York, with 

 a view to obtain a like patent in our country. 



Many questions of interest under our patent 

 law.s have been propounded to ine here, and, 

 among other things, it is noticed that while Fn- 

 gland and France open their patent privileges to 

 all the world, America limits hers to her citizens, 

 or to resident aliens intending to become citizens. 



I have visited the anatomical museums and 

 meilical establishments, and attended operations 

 at the hospitals. Very many opportunilies are 

 offered to medical students ; and when we cast a 

 look, in comparison, to New York, who will not 

 breathe a sigh, that bad organization and personal 

 feuds, shoul.l have so long prevented a like grow- 

 ing institution in our city, where I insist there is 

 equal talrnt and more enterprise. We have heard 

 so nuich pro and con in relation to Monsieur Se- 

 viale's new process of Lithotomy, t lat I have 

 made his acquaintance and witnes.seil his opera- 

 tions on both male and female patients. The 

 stone was successively broken and extracted, and 

 the patients arose and walked away almost unin- 

 jured. The operation is not often very severe or 

 painful. 1 have full confidence in his imi)roved 

 plan, and his instruments, if they are not aluised 

 in ctmceited or unskilful hands. I was gratified 

 to find among the spectators two or three medical 

 young men from our country. 



I send you a report of M. Bodin on the agricul- 

 ture of France. These papers demonstrate the 

 great interest felt in France in the improvement 



6f its agriculture ; and it appears to he increasing 

 in its general prosperity. It is often said, that the 

 husband with his vineyard, and the wi'c with the 

 silkv orms, are at present the best sources of na- 

 tional wealth. Much pains are taken to improve 

 the culture of si:k ; it has hitherto been carried 

 on almost entirely in Italy and principally in 

 France, Iiy private and individual imlustry, and 

 supposed to be unskilfully and imperfectly con- 

 ducted. The government have established three 

 model farms, for the purpose of various experi- 

 ments in agriiMi'ture, and especially in si k. I 

 have been in the interi(>r to visit one of those 

 farms, and was permitted to examine its details. 

 A separate house is prepared for feeding the silk 

 worm.s, which is heated by a furnace, its heat 

 regulated by a thermometer, and its venti'alion 

 attended to with care and system M. Beauvai-*, 

 its director, states, that 1 oz. of eggs will produce 

 in India 20 lbs. of silk ; in Italy, 5 to 6 lbs. do. ; 

 in France, 5 lbs. That this great difference of 

 product ari,ses from care and skill and treatment. 

 I'hat he has last year, in his experiments, increas- 

 ed the product up to thirteen pounds, and is con- 

 fident of a greater mcrease this yeai. He thinks 

 a dry and cool climate is be.st, and that the room 

 shiudd be made equal in temperature by heat ami 

 ventilation. I have observed with care his model 

 fixtures as to the frames, heat and ventilation. — 

 1 lie worms are here fed by leaves', put on a net 

 suilei! to the frames, and which is to be laid over 

 them : the worms .soon ascend to the new leaves, 

 and can then be removed on the net and the 

 frame cleaned. When the leaves of dilferenl 

 kinds of niiilherry are mixed together, the worms 

 will select and gather on the Chinese mulberry, 

 and yet it is not a settled point here in what con- 

 sists the snperi<irity of the Chinese over the other 

 kinds of iniilherry. 'I he model [dantation of 

 trees is plantfil in rows of 12 feet apart. The 

 trees arc SIX feet apart, in tlje row.s, anil aie rut 

 down so as to have four or six s, routs from near 

 the ground, and these in after years are cutoff so 

 as to be kept dwarfed for use in picking the 

 leaves. It is believed an acre or two, thus allot- 

 ted to trees, and near the house, will give such 

 facilities and product, as to make the liest result, 

 and so it appears to me. The Chinese mulberry 

 will sprout from ciittii gs about six inches long, 

 and set in a row four inches distant. I have vis- 

 ited one garden where 50,000 are just set out ill 

 Ibis manner, and where 20,000 weie thus raised 

 last year, and have lieeii sold, and, as is said, to 

 the American market. Tlie French farmers 

 have no aptitude to change, and comparatively 

 few Chinese mulberries are set out in France. If 

 the nurserymen are to he credited, they liavesold, 

 this last year, one hundred trees for America for 

 ten trans laiited here. From my own observa- 

 tion I believe it to be the case. 



M. Ue.iuvais has tried, with profit a looni heat- 

 ed to 18 and 20 degrees (Reaumur) and says 28 

 and 30 is used in India. M. Beauvaisand several 

 other growers of silk, whom I had seen in the 

 counlry, have since visited me at my rooms in 

 this ciiy, and have communicated freely with me. 

 T ere is often discrepancy in their statements and 

 opinions, and their allegaiinns will only serve as 

 clues to enquiry ; but I trust the safe common 

 sense and keen observation of our jieople wi.l 

 soon understand, as a science, the growing of silk 

 much belter than Europeans who, after the expe- 

 rience qf ages, act more from usage and habit 



than skill and experience. I have entire confi- 

 dence in the full success of our people in the cul- 

 ture of silk. -Most of the gentlemen I have al- 

 luded to, have agreed in the opinion that a warm 

 climate is not so good as a regulated room; and 

 one of the gentlemen, of experience, says he con- 

 stantly uses plates with chlorine in the room to 

 purify the atinosjhere, and without injury to the 

 worms. Some doubt establishments for f.-eiling 

 the worms, and prefer private industry in family 

 rooms. All agree that a damp climate is injuri- 

 ous, and therefore say that silk does not prosper 

 near the ocean, where the damp westerly winds 

 prevail ; — and they express an opinion that our 

 warm and dry siinim r climate is admirably fitted 

 for the business of silk in families as weh as in 

 Establishments. France is found to produce not 

 more than one half the silk she manufactures ; it 

 is purchaseil from Italy and the Archipelago — 

 Her thirtythree millions of inhabitants cannot 

 afford S| ace sutiicient for the mulberry trees to 

 supply her own wants. Our country is exempt 

 from this difficulty. Various books or manuals 

 of instruction in the culture of si.k, have lieen 

 published here for the use of families. I have 

 collected them, and shall endeavor to bring them 

 with me for the libary of the Institute. 1 must 

 omit further details till an opportunity fur person- 

 al explanation. 



PicKLF.D Bea.ns — Prfskbving Seed Bfaivs. — 

 The Germans who are good economists in house- 

 hold matters, have a plan of pickling green beans 

 !^o as to preserve them for winter use. 



This may lie done by taking the beans in the 

 pods l>efore large enough to shell— string them — 

 cut them into suiuUde pieces, and pack them 

 down with salt. A board or something heavy 

 should be put upon them to press them down and 

 keep thaiii below the pickle. 



Beans large enough to shell may also be jiacked 

 (hiwu in the same manner. In the winter or at 

 anytime afterwards they may be taken out — 

 soaked in (resh water, and then cooked as you 

 would common green beans. 



There is one thing in preserving beans for seed 

 that should be attended to more generally than it 



is viz: save the eailiest. Among those beans 



which run <ir climb, there are many found at the 

 bottom of the stalk which get quite ripe long be- 

 fore those at the top of the pole. These should 

 be saved for seed. It is a.stoiiishing what a dif- 

 ference a little care in this respect will make iu 

 iheci urse of a few years in the lipening of the 

 crop. — Yankee Farmer. 



To Prepare Orchard Grass Seed for 

 Sowi.NG. — The best seed is liable to fail, and this 

 is the only difficulty, of any consequence experi- 

 enced in the cultivation of this desirable and pro- 

 ductive grass. 



It is recommended to prepare the seed for sow- 

 ing, so that it wi 1 come up, and grow as well as 

 anv other Grass Seed, to iiKUSteH the seed before 

 sowing by spreading it, not very thin on a floor, 

 and with a watering pot sprinkle the seed pretty 

 well ilien mix all well together with a rake; if it 

 does' not aiipear damp enough next day add more 

 waier, the seed being light it will absorb a good 

 deal, and immediately before sowing, spread as 

 much P aster of Paris as will bring it to a good 

 stale. — Yankee Farmer. 



