194 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



DECEMBEH as, Ig ;6. 



ineasiiriiig wlicn openeil, near lliirty feet in cir- 

 cnmt'ereneo — the w'inding of wliich required the 

 construction of reels especially for this jiMr|iose : 

 Samples of American Silk, reeled in Wilmington, 

 N. C, in Worcester Connty, Mass., at New Bed- 

 ford by J. Rotch, Esq., and in Nantucket. The 

 three latter speci(ncns vvere decidedly the \)est, 

 and indeed of a quality superior to any others ex- 

 hibited. 



Cocoons. — Specimens of ditVerent kinds — 

 mostly |)roduced in this state ; among which were 

 noticed some which were perfectly white, others 

 varying froin a greenish yellow, to a deep orange 

 color. One lot, very splendid, and of extraordi- 

 nary size, from Rochester, Mass., attracted niucli 

 notice, being probably the largest and best ever 

 exhibited in the United States. 



Cloths. — Samples of silk Cloths intended for 

 handkerchiefs, woven in tlie gluten. These com- 

 prised specimens of the fabrics made in July last, 

 being the Company's first attenq)t, and of those 

 now in course of manufacture. The astonishing 

 improvement made in the course of a few months, 

 was obvious at a glance. White and Nankin col- 

 ored Velveteens, of silk warp, and cotton filling, 

 for Vestings, Pantaloons, &c. very stout, and ilis- 

 playiug all the lustre and liigh finish of goods 

 composed entirely of silk. Here was also a piece 

 of handkerchief goods, sent hither from Spitalfielil, 

 England, as a specimen of the fabrics woven in 

 that place by hand looms, from a certain quality 

 of stock, a lot of wliich was imported at the same 

 time: lying with it was a sanqde of the goods 

 nianufactin-ed in this Mill by power looms, from 

 precisely the same stock. The great ditterence in 

 favor of the latter, excited the admiration of every 

 observer. 



Finished Goods. — These consisted mostly of 

 silk Aprons and Handkerchiefs — the latter of al- 

 most every conceivable pattern, and varying from 

 pure white, with a neat penciled border, to hues 

 of great brilliancy — some conqirisingsix or eight 

 gorgeous colors and dazzling figures intermingled. 

 These articles being on sale were rapidly bought 

 up, most of the visitors feeling desirous to possess 

 a memento of ihc early establishment of this im- 

 portant branch of industry upon our island. We 

 noticed an eager preference for the white sort, 

 which, unluckily, constituted but a small propor- 

 tion of the whole immber. Among the handker- 

 chiefs were two placed in contrast — 'one woven 

 in July, the other in October — showing a won- 

 derful advancement in the art. Also, a beautiful 

 handkerchief, woven by liand loom, the Silk of 

 wliich was raised, reeled, thrown and manufac- 

 tured by Mrs A. Brooks, of Scituate, Mass.; the 

 whole machinery uSed in the several processp?, 

 we understand, having been made io the fanrily of 

 Mr 15. 



The above colored and stamped goods were all 

 printed by the Boston and Lynn Printing and Dy- 

 ing Co., and were manufactured by the Ailuntic 

 Silk Co. The construction and operaiio^ of the 

 manufacturing apparatus, the product ol Mr Gay's 

 inventive ingenuity, excited great interest. The 

 medal awarded by the N. Y. Mechanic's Institute, 

 was also presented for examination : it bears a 

 characteristic device, and the following inscrip- 

 tion : " Awarded to the Atlantic Silk Co. of Nan- 

 tucket, for specimens of Silk and Silk Goods — 

 Sept. 1836," — to which compliment, we doubt 

 not, every w'sher on this occasion will cheerfully 

 render a favorable response. — JVantucket Inq. 



B::et Sugap. Companv. — On Thursday eve- 

 ning a meeting of the Company was holden at the 

 Mansion House, for the purpose of ascertaining 

 the quantity of seed wanted for the ensuing sea- 

 son. 



l\Ir William Clark, Jr., Mr lliram Ferry, and 

 Mr Christopher Wright, were ap()oiuted a Com- 

 mittee to ascertain the quantity wanted in North- 

 ampton. As it is necessary to send Mr Isnard, 

 the Agent of the Company to France, in the course 

 of the present month, for all the send wanted the 

 next season, it is hoped that all the farmers in the 

 valley of the Connecticut, who are expecting to 

 raise the beet with the expectation of having it 

 manufactiu'ed at Northanqiton, will without delay, 

 send to the Post Office at Northampton the amount 

 of seed they will want, and the requisite funds to 

 purchase it. 



The C< nipany will take upon themselves the 

 agency of purchasing the seed without cost vo the 

 farmers, to whom it is to be delivered, at the ac- 

 tual costs and charges, wJiich are supposed to be 

 about twenty-Jive cents per poimd. Great care 

 will be taken by Mr Isnard, who has full expe- 

 rience in the whole business, to select the best 

 kindof beet seed wliich can be procured in France. 



EDWARD CHURCH, Chairman. 

 S. Wells, Jr. Secretary. 



JVorthampton, Dec. 12, 1836. 



any iliscovered in this section of the country, and 

 probably equal, if not superior to the Pittsburg or 

 Brownsville, and in quantity inexliaustable We 

 are informed, that as soon as it was discovered, 

 the gentlemen interested, purchased the whole 

 line or extent of land bordering on tl e Mississippi, 

 and is of opinion that in another season coal can 

 be furnished at Alton and St. Louis for 6 or 8 cts. 

 per UusUn\.—i~ dlton Tel. 



Lathrop Corn. — Mr Hiram Clark of South- 

 ampton, received two ears of Lathro|i corn last 

 spring fipm a friend, which he planted on the 1st 

 day of June. He harvested from them about five 

 bushels, and found not a soft car among the whole ; 

 whereas in two pieces in the immediate vicinity, 

 and on equally early land of the coininon corn, he 

 found but very little ripe. The common corn was 

 planted about three weeks earlier, and he judged 

 that it would have required four weeks more of 

 ordinary Fall weather, to have brought it to the 

 soundness of tlie Lathrop corn. Thus it appears 

 that the latter will ripen from five to seven weeks 

 the earliest. What I have seen has 12 or 14 rows 

 to the ear, and about the size of that commonly 

 called " Tucket." 



Is it not worthy the attention of the fiirmers 

 these cold summers ? • — Hampshire Rep. 



Important discovert. — During the last spring 

 one of our merchants employed an English miner 

 of practical experience, to examine the banks of 

 the Upper Mississippi in pursuit of coal, and we 

 are pleased to learn that his exertions have been 

 crowned with success. After a tedious examina- 

 tion of the shores and banks on both sides of the 

 river from the Rapids down to the mouth of the 

 Missouri, an inexhaustible bank of coal was dis- 

 covered and etrectimlly opened in Calhoun coun- 

 ty, Illinois, ten ni\les above t(ie mouth of the Illi- 

 nois river, at the southernmost point or bend of 

 the Mississippi, iii a direct liite, and about five 

 miles from St. Charles, on the Missouri river ; 26 

 miles from Alton, and but 50 miles from St. Louis 

 by the river. The coal bed extends from one and 

 a quarter to one and a half miles along the banks. 

 Eight shafts have lately been opened, commen- 

 cing with the first apjiearanee of the strata to its 

 extent with the line of the river, all of which were 

 within two to four hundred yards of high water 

 mark, and from sixty to seventy feet above the 

 level of the river. The coal is bituminous, and 

 of the finest quality ; we should think superior to 



Anti-Cattle Choker Our worthy friend. 



Pain Wingate, has left in our office an instrument 

 with the above title. It is what is vulgaris/ called 

 a tarred rojie, and we should call it a very useful 

 and efficient insirnnient. There should be one in 

 every neighborhood, for it is a fact that cattle are 

 liable to get choked, the world over, and being 

 choked, ought tra be relieved by the aid of man. 

 But why is a tarred rope better for this purpose, 

 than a cordwood stick .' For various reasons. It 

 is sufficiently stiff to effect the business, nine times 

 in ten, and at the same time has that kind of elas- 

 \'^f\Vj >vhich will accommorlate itself to a position 

 I 01- jmaage not entirely straiglit. 



In order to make one, take a piece of tarred « 

 rnpe, say an inch in diameter, and six feet long. 

 Untwist it three or four inches at the end and 

 leave a tuft of it loose in order to make a kind of 

 ball or swablike end — .then wind around it a 

 piece of canvasser cloth in order to make the sur- 

 face smooth, and ovtr this roll and wind some 

 s|iun yarn tightly and smoothly. In cold weather 

 this rope should be warmed a little before using, 

 and in warm weather it is well to wet it. When 

 about to use it, the tuft at the end should be tar- 

 red back, and this will make a soft, but sufficient- 

 ly solid ball, to fill the gullet when it is pushed 

 down. — Maine Farmer. 



The Valley Railroad. — It will be seen by 

 the legislative journal, that a grant has been made 

 of .$3000 for the survey of jlie Connecticut River 

 Railroad tlirough Vermont. It is given on con- 

 dition that enough be raised in addition, by the 

 citizens to complete the survey. It is much to be 

 hoped, that no efforts will be spared to raise with- 

 out delay, the necessary sum, and that we may 

 see the survey actually completed early in the en- 

 Suing spring. — Vt. Chronicle. 



The additional sum which will be required be- 

 yond the 83000, cannot be great ; and there is no 

 doubt it will be raised promptly. The amount 

 which would be required of this town is already 

 subscrified. Enough is also pledged on the route 

 to complete a survey from Hartford to the south 

 line of the state. The whole route from Hartford 

 to the Canada line will unquestionably be survey- 

 ed early iii tlie ensuing season. — Vt. Phenix. 



Steuben Productions. — Mr Finla McClure 

 of this town, presented us a few weeks since half 

 a dozen Riita Hagas of his common growth, whose 

 average weight exceeded 11 pounds each ; and 

 day before yesterday, Mr Samuel Legro sent us a 

 head of his common production of Cabbages, 

 which, after being cleanly stripped of tho loose 

 leaves, weighed 11 1-4 pounds, and mea.=ured 34 

 inches in circumference. These mammoth boun- 

 ties of Providence come from the Democratic gar- 

 dens of the backwoods, whence the thirty thou- 

 sand majority of ripe testimonials of sound pat- 

 riotism are sent into the Albany market this sea- 

 son. — Steuben Far. Adv. 



