VOL. XV. NO. 49. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



387 



half of seed more, raised by five of my imiiieiliiUo 

 nei?lil)ors; nil of which will bo planted on in the 

 S|irinj? in hedije rows. I calculate there will be 

 over one hundred acres planted. The six that 

 are now making expoririients are all rich, and can 

 bring into the field one hnndrcd and fifty hands 

 of their own, and as much land as is necessary : 

 and our whole energy will be turned to it." 



In Indiana, large quantities of seed have been 

 sown, and a spirit of inquiry has been awakened, 

 ])articularly among the Quakers at Richmond. A 

 gentleman of that place says : " There has noth- 

 ing but the Italian been grown as yet, of which 

 there is, to my knowledge, only about thirty thou- 

 sand trees, which aie all seedlings. There will 

 be some of the real Chinese, and also some of the 

 multicmdis cultivat(!d, though to a limited extent. 

 The business cannot flouri-h with us till our trees 

 have grown, though our woods abound with the 

 black iiiulbjrry." There is a large nursery of 

 both kinds at Ma^'ison, ;\nd thu slate iVil'i gradual 

 ly be furnished with trees. 



In Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Tennessee, 

 small beginnings have been made, and the con- 

 geniality of the soil and climate cannot, ultimate- 

 ly, fail of making them great silk-growing slates. 

 In looking at the vast amount of silk annually 

 imported and consumed in this country, and the 

 facilities it furnishes for its production, the con- 

 viction irresistibly forces itself upon the mind, 

 that our national interest, independence and res- 

 pectability, loudly call for such legislative aid and 

 encouragemeni as stimulate to activity and perse- 

 verance, the efforts which are making to intro 

 duce its culture as a common branch of rural 

 economy. Hitherto, the work has been carried 

 forward by individual exertions ; and this is un- 

 questionably the true method, so far as individual 

 interest is concerned. But the nation has a great 

 interest involved in it; and it is its duty lo foster 

 it in such a manner as will afford it protection and 

 encouragement. The public and individuals hav- 

 ing a common interest in the object, may, by an 

 energetic co-operation in effort, secure its benefits 

 to both. 



The efforts which have been made by individ- 

 uals, and the success which has thus far attended 

 them, seem to point out l!ie course which should 

 be a.iopted by (^ingress. Enough has been done 

 alre>-.dy to enlighten the public, so far as its prac- 

 ticability and profit are concerned ; and nothing 

 more is wanting to induce thousands of the enter- 

 prisingand industrious to engage in it, but a thoi- 

 oug!i kuowlbdge of its detail.s. Could a general 

 diffusion of practical knowledge on the subject of 

 cultivating the tree and rearing the worm, be ef- 

 fected, I have no doubt the United States would 

 finally become one of the greatest silk-growing 

 countries in the world, it is for the committee 

 to reconnnend the measures which ought to be 

 taken by Congress, to promote this great object ; 

 and in their hands I leave it, with one suggestion : 

 if a small and cheap manual on the subject could 

 be extensively circulated at the public expense, 1 

 have no doubt it would be well received, and, at 

 the same time, be the best method to accomplish 

 the great object in view. 



I am sir, very respectfully. 



Your obetlient servant, 



ANDREW T. JUDSON. 



Hon. J. Q. Adams, 



Chairmnn Committee on Manufactures. 



L.ir.lE ON POTATOES. 



We do not recollect lo have seen any account of 

 Lime used in the cultivation of potatoes in the 

 mode which wo are infm-med by an acquaintance 

 has come within his observation and experi"uce 

 and with the most hai)py results. We ho])e many 

 of our agriculliiial friends will test the utility of 

 Ijuie in this mode the present season, and com- 

 m'unicate to us the result for publication. Our 

 friend says : 



" I learned on inquiry of a quiet, experiment- 

 ing aid scientific man, that he raise<l Potatoes of 

 the best quality by simply dropping into the hole 

 with the potatoes when he planted them, about 

 halfa pint of slacked Lime, and never knew the 

 crop to be bad in quality or small in quantity. I 

 trie<l Lime after his fashion, and had not a few 

 horse-laughs from old fashioned potato planters 

 for so doing. Well, " let them laugh that lose, 

 they who win will laugh." I did win : for -where 

 for many years before 1 had raised Potatoes tif the 

 very worst quality, in the oUl way of manuring, — 

 with the lime dressing, alone, I raised Potatoes of 

 the very best kind. My Chenangoes were uni- 

 formly dry, sweet, and abundant. The results 

 were the same the two past seasons, both on a light 

 sandy loam and on a stift'c!ayey ground." 



Lime, put into the hill manured with Rock 

 Weed, will, it is believed, counteract the bad ef- 

 fects resulting from this kind, of manure. — 'I'ry it, 

 farmers — believe me, this " experiment ".wdl not 

 rob your pockets,— try it. — One ^ood potato is 

 worth lioo bad ones, for man or beast. — Portland 

 Farmer. 



In the last number of the Farmer we gave a 

 brief article on the use of ' Lime on Potatoes.' 

 We have obtained fiom the friend who gave us 

 the information contained in that article some fiu-- 

 ther information, which we lay before our read- 

 ers, with the wish that many will test the utility 

 of Lime in the mode there S|ioken of. He now 

 says, — 



" Besides using Lime with Potatoes, I have 

 used it with various garden vegetables, such as 

 onions, beets, carrots, peas, beans, squaslies, &c. 

 with which, 1 am satisfied, they yield abundantly. 

 In my hills for squashes I put dirt collected under 

 my sink-spout, they grew (the year before last) 

 remarkable well, and I gathered many, some of 

 which weighed upwards of thirty pounds, and 

 were of a ilelicious flavor. 



" About three years since, I rode in the stage 

 from Portland to Fryeburg, in company with an 

 intelligent young farmer belonging to the latter 

 place in the month of June. He had an eye for 

 everything that we passed in the line of his pro- 

 h,-ssion,and was free in his remarks. In the 

 course of conversation, 1 observeil that Lime was 

 considerably used and with great advantage in 

 some parts of our country on tilled land, and ask- 

 ed him if he had ever used it. He answered that 

 he had only once, the year before, used it ; that 

 he hail taken up his barn floor and had collected 

 a considerable quantity of manure, which had in 

 it many red worms ; lliat he mixed lime with the 

 manure, thinking to destroy the worms; the corn 

 dressed with ibis mixture was far superior to any 

 other on his farm, sti ikingiy so ; and that he should 

 give it further trial, confident that he should- be 

 rewarded for doing it. 



" I have known some farmers use it as a top 

 dressing for their gvasa land, but without any vis- 



ible advantage. My old friend (alluded to in your 

 last) says, so far as his experience has taught, you 

 might as well strew lime over Casco Bay, as strew 

 it on your ground as a top dressing. It must be 



buried in the soil, to be of any advantage to it 



lb. 



Farming. — The storms by which the commer- 

 cial world is convulsed, are calculated to recon- 

 cile thousands to their lainis, who had grown im- 

 patient at the contrast pr sented between their 

 certain means of comfortable independence, and 

 the ap[iarent riches suddenly resulting from lucky 

 speculations. Sun never shone on a class of men 

 possessing more fully all the earthly means of so- 

 cial happiness and solid prosperity, than the Ag- 

 riculturists of this republic ; and the ' gifts of God 

 are lavished vainly' indeed upon the farmer who 

 barters the blessings within his reach for imagi- 

 nary happiness with the possession of wealth ac- 

 quire^! !iy the tlni;?.".!ul ^aniM::ig spec-.". ..Ions, 

 whose pernicious influence have temporarily | ar- 

 alyzed the business of the country. — Mechanic if 

 Farmer. 



Morocco Leather. — The following is the 

 method of preparing the morocco leather at Mog- 

 adore. Wash the skin in fresh water, take away 

 all the fleshy particles, mix togvither two pounds 

 of alum, two pints of buttermilk, two or three 

 handfuls of barley meal, and s| read the mixture 

 on the inside of the skin ; fold it and press it well, 

 and then leave it for two days. On the third day 

 wash it in sea water, and hang it up ; thenspreiiU 

 upon it tuo pounds id' roc he alum, powdered, and 

 leave it for two or three days ; then rlry it in the 

 sun ; sprinkle one or two pints of fresh water on 

 it, fold it, and let it imbibe the water for 2 hours, 

 then spread it on a table and rub it with pumice 

 or rough stone, to make it soft and pliant. — Eng- 

 lish paper. «. 



Dandelion Beer. — Some economical house- 

 wile at Concord, Ms., according to the Yeoman, 

 and t-lte editor has been permitted to drink there- 

 of and vouches for its excellence, has discovered 

 that a i>leasant table beer may be made of the wa- 

 ter in which dandelions have been boiled, by ad- 

 ding to each gallon a tea-cup full of yeast, and a 

 pint of molasses. As dandelions are abundant 

 and cheap, and their medicinal qualities well 

 known, the experiment may be worth trying. — 

 Boiton Trans. 



Beet Sdgar Company — The last intelligence 

 from Mr Isnard, the company's agent, now in 

 France, left him unwell, lie is not expected to 

 return till about the first of July, which is so late 

 a period that he will not be able to superintend 

 the necessary preparations to manufacture sugar 

 in season for ojjeration this year. It is to be re- 

 gretted, but circumstances beyond the control of 

 the comiiany, compel them to delay. — Korthamp. 

 Gazelle. 



Fever and Ague A strong decoction of white 



ash bark, drank plentifully, on the first symptoms 

 of fever and ague, will generally have the tftect 

 of arresting the disease. We have for two sea- 

 sons tried it with decided success, and liave wit- 

 nessed its beneficial effects on others. The rem- 

 edy may not be infallible, but it is worth trying. — 

 Jamaica Farmer. 



