VOJL,. X V. NO. 35. 



AND GARDENEB'S JO URN AL 



195 



From the Northampton Courier, 

 ELEGANT CHiarESB PAINTINGS 



A geinlemaii who lips long bRfii engaged in tlie 

 Canton trade, often visited that city, and had op- 

 portunities to become acquainted with the man- 

 ners and habits of Cliinese, has lately visited 

 Northainpton to become acquainted with the state 

 of tlie sillv cidture h-re, from wliose scrutinising 

 observations made in China, much vahi,d)!e in- 

 formation has been obtained. 'V'he same gentle- 

 man loaned the snhscriber a volume of splendid 

 Chinese Paintings, which conliniis our iiraclice 

 and culture of the Cliinese mulberry as correct and 

 j)ro(.er. These paintings re|)resent the men, wo- 

 men and children in their national costume, at 

 work — commencing with gathering the muiber- 

 ry seed, cleaning the same, and then pre|jaring 

 ihe ground, — sowing the seed, transplanting the 

 young seedlings, gathering the foliage, feeding- the 

 worms, heading or cntting down the plants to 2 

 or 4 inches above the ground, as wc do, and ev- 

 ery process of their management, to making up 

 of the silk into skeins, as we imparl il, and the 

 further process of winding the silk upon spools. 



There are 2S plales, diustrating the dirtVrent 

 processes. The out door men laborers are dress 

 ed in plain loose frocks and trowsers, descending 

 to the knees; some of the men with bare feet and 

 legs ; others witli sandals and wooden shoes, ada|i- 

 ted to their respective work of getting the plants 

 in forwardness for feeding the worms. The wo- 

 men, boys and girls are employed in gathering 

 leaves, feeding the worms, reeling the silk, &:.c. 

 Some of the ladies have elegant loose dresses, ot 

 various brilliant colors, ornamented with wideem- 

 broidei-y around the neck and sleeves. The up- 

 per dress is loose, of gay color.s, the sleeves large, 

 and extend a little above the elbow ; and nil the 

 females are dressed m pantaliites of various col- 

 ors, each in contact Witts the upper dress — the 

 countenance fair, delicate and intelligent, eyes 

 <lowncast ; most of the females have small feet 

 and gay sandals; the hair neatly dressed, orna- 

 mented, and all wear bracelets ahore the wrists. 

 As the original plates can be seen only by a few, 

 it may be desirable to hear some description of 

 eacii prim, for the gratification of those who take 

 some interest in the culture of silk. 



The plates make it evident, that although the 

 Chinese sow the mulberry seed Iroaii cast as wo 

 do small grain, yet they do not let it long grow 

 in that state, nor do lliey cut it otf (as we do 

 grass) fur feetliiig worms, but they transplant it 

 into settings or hills, like our Indian corn, and 

 that it does not grow more than three or fotirleel 

 in height, and is cut riown every year to keep it 

 in a shrubby state. Experience has convinced us 

 that this procedure of taking off the tops to 2 to 

 4 or even 6 inches above the root, every autumn, 

 and covering the stump with earth, is the best 

 way to secure the Chinese mulberry against the 

 severity of winter, and is also a sure method to 

 multiply the number of trees, and increase the 

 quantity of foliage. 



Some people iiave thought that the Chinese 

 mulberry seed grew on trees of some height, like 

 white mulberry (and on this account have been 

 desirous of procuring large trees ;) so far as we 

 have had experience! this is not the fact with the 

 Canton mulberry, although it may be true of Ma- 

 nilla and other varieties. 



The firstplate represents the seed growing very 

 near the gronn-'. ni-.- fho r-,"-^.. m,.i>.o-.-v r... 



the seed of which I imported and sowed in 1834. 

 In 1835, one of the seedling trees being laid down, 

 the layer sprouts produced full size mulberries, 

 too late, however, for ripening. The same root 

 this year, 1836, grew branches which were ajrain 

 laid down, and the layer sprouts, when 4 or 5 in- 

 ches high, again had mulberries, formed, which 

 ri.icned iu'season for sowing, from which seed I 

 have two small trees carefully preserved, to' ascer- 

 tain its character. After the seed had been gath- 

 ered, the same layer sprouts again, with others, 

 had phim|. mulberries formed, but were destroyed 

 by birds or fowls. Both crops were formed only 

 a little above the root or foot of the layer tree, and 

 some of them rested on the ground. I have nei- 

 ther seen or heard of any other of the Canton 

 plants producing seed ; but what has already oc- 

 curred here, in the formation and product of the 

 seed, together with the representation and the 

 gathering of the seed and the description of the 

 Tf af in the Chinese paintings, •■onfirms the opinion 

 that the Canton Mulhtrnj, so called here, is the 

 same as used in China for fee.liug worms. Ex- 

 periments have been made this year, in feeding 

 worms with Black, White, iManida, and the (Can- 

 ton Multicaulis, and the worms evidently prefer- 

 red the Canton to either of the others. If any 

 one is possessed of the evidence that the Manilla 

 .Multicaulis is ever used in China for feedmg 

 worms, he is requested to make it known. The 

 first notice we have of it is, that it was cultivated 

 at Manilla as a tree of orimmen;. After being in- 

 troduced into Fiance, it was found tliat the silk 

 worm would feed upon the .Manilla, as they had 

 done upon the white or black mulberry, in Eu- 

 rope or America. Last year a Manilla multicau- 

 lis of 6 or 7 feet in height produced a few seed, 

 which grew several feet from the ground. The 

 seed was planted and two or three of iliem vege- 

 tiited and were pieserved through the winter, and 

 set out in the spring of 1836, and grew about 

 2 1-2 feet. 'Ihe leaves were in shape and size very 

 difl'erent from the original tree, and the leaves not 

 more than one quarter as largo as the leaves of 

 the parent stock, ft may be noted, that a number 

 of old white mnlboiM-y trees which have annually 

 borne seed twenty or thirty years, grew within 

 about forty rods of the Mantilla multicaulis ; the 

 Multicaulis was exposed last winter on the south- 

 erly side of a building, and this year the dead tops 

 bave been taken off, but has not ])roduced any 

 seed or even borne a blossom. 



D. STEBBINS. 



Had not this antidote an instantaneous effect, the 

 animal would have died in a few moments from 

 the convulsions which followed the circulation of 

 the poison. 



An ounce of spirits of wine was injected into 

 the same vein of another dog, when the vapor was 

 instantly perceived in the animal's breath. Here 

 no convulsions ensued, nor was an antidote ad- 

 ministered, but he soon died. A dissection ex- 

 hibited the strong smell of the vapor throughout 

 the system, and the state of the solids was like 

 that seen in persons who have died of hydropho- 

 bia. 



On the injection of five grains of phosphorus 

 with two drachms of olive oil, the breath of the 

 animal in the dark exhibited clouds of phospho- 

 rescent fire, and the animal breathed forth dense 

 columns of flame! — .V. Y. Star. 



The New Englamd Christian Academy, or 

 Beverly Manual Labor School, held its quarterly 

 examination, and ended the second term on Fri- 

 day last. We were present at this examination, 

 and highly gratified in witnessing its management, 

 progress "and appearance.. Forty scholars were 

 present, a number having recently left, with a view 

 to teach school, and others for the purpose of at- 

 tending school nearer home, during the winter 

 season. 



The scholars were examined in reading, wri- 

 ting, arithmetic, English grammar, English com- 

 position and geography ; and several, in Latin 

 and Greek. We noticed, ami were particularly 

 pleased with one native Spaniard, a youth, ap- I 

 parently eighteen, who read and s|)oke, both in 

 Spanish and English, with great fluency, em- 

 phasis and iiropriety, and whose performances ad- 

 ded brilliancy to the exhibition throughout. 



Kreosote. — Of this article, which has been — 

 like almost every other newly discovered sub- 

 stance, possessing a powerful, active principle — 

 strongly recommended as an " infalable cure" for 

 the tooth ache, a cotcmporary remarks : — " We 

 would caution our readers not to tamper with this 

 dangerous extract. Unless used with the greatest 

 care, disastrous consequences will follow. We 

 know a lady whose face was partly paralyzed by 

 using it. She nearly lost her voice. It is highly 

 antiseptick,and is, when dropped upon the tongue 

 ahsor'ied almost immediately by the system. It 

 is generally used with four hundred parts of wa- 

 ter." — Transcript. 



Mat .not Hydrophobia be cured .' — The ra- 

 pid circulation of substances when injected into 

 the veins, suggests to us the possibility of curing 

 the most dreadful of all diseases the hydrophobia, 

 and the late mekuicholy instances of its effects at 

 Hartfonl, have "induced us to give jiiace to some 

 new experiments recently performed by professor 

 Leidman, of Germany. An half ounce of cam- 

 phorated spirits of wine, wa« thrown, by means 

 of an injection tmbe, into an incision in the femo- 

 ral vein of a dog's thigh. In sixteen seconis the 

 smell of camphor was strongly smelt in the breath 

 of the animal, and rapidly increased. The res- 

 piration of the dog was hurried, the breath deep 

 and vehement, and this was followed by violent 

 convulsions. To destroy the poisonous eflects of 

 the caniiihor, an ounce of cold vinegar was injec 

 ted into the same vein, when the convulsions ceas 



New BSE OF Ammonia.— Potatoes immersed 

 for four or five days in aminoniated water, con- 

 taining an ounce of the common liquid ammonia 

 to a pTut of water, they will, on removal be found 

 to have their vegetative principle greatly checked, 

 or altogether destroyed, so that they may he jire- 

 served throughout the year. 'I'he application docs 

 not injure the flavor of the potatoes, but rather 

 iiriproves the inferior kinds, rendering them more 

 mealy. They should be spread to dry in an airy 

 situation after being immersed. The expense of 

 this |)reparation is trifiing. — Silk Cul. 



A GOOD Custom. — A custom prevaileil in Ger- 

 many not many years since, by which no farmer 

 was aih.wed to marry till he bad planted, an, I was 

 father of a stated number of walnut trees. This 

 • -.t ;« said, was invariably observed. 



