10 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jl'LY IS ISTJg. 



bottom, — except in some anomalous and reniarka- 

 hlo kinds, like tliat called the Mountain of Snow, 

 v/lioso petals are slighty acuminated, recurved, a 

 little undulate, and the flower leaning- to one s-ide. 

 Stem strong, upriffht, and nearly thirty inches high ; 

 radical foliage, long, broad, undulating, and of deep 

 rich green. The ground color of the bottoms of 

 cups should be clear white, or yellow ; the centre 

 of each petal should contain one or more bold 

 blotches or stripes, intermixed with small portions 

 of the original color, abruptly broken into many ir- 

 regular obtuse points. The colors which are ge- 

 nerally held in greatest estimation, in variegated 

 striped sorts, are black, golden yellow, purple, vio- 

 let, rose, and vermilion, each of which being va- 

 ried in diffi'rent ways; but such as are striped 

 with three different colors, in a distinct and un- 

 mixed manner, with strong regular streaks, and but 

 little or no tinge of the breeder, are considered 

 the most perfect. 



An imcle of Mr Walker, who resides near Wind- 

 sor Castle, is celebrated for his tulips and ranun- 

 culuses, having produced several magnificent va- 

 rieties of the former and many of the latter from 

 the seed. His exhibitions of those universally ad- 

 mired flowers have been so superb, that his garden 

 has been annually visited by the sovereigns, nobi- 

 lity, and that numerous portion of the population of 

 Great Britain who have a taste for ornamental 

 plants. From him the nephew has received many 

 of his superior roots. 



Besides the commendable exertions of Mr Walk- 

 er to present an interesting display of well culti- 

 vated and choice tulips, he has eminently succeed- 

 ed in raising from imported plants and seed, nu- 

 merous new varieties of the Viola granSJlora, — the 

 most admirable of that large family of charming 

 flowers. He has, in fact, made this large and 

 brilliant Pansy, known to New England, by the ex- 

 tensive seminaries which he has established, and 

 the multitude of plants which decorate his ground. 

 He had seven hundred varieties in bloom at the 

 time his tulips were in flower, and the corollas of 

 some of them, were more than two inches in di- 

 ameter. He also cultivates the ranunculus, — one 

 of the most delicate, beautiful, and diflicult of all 

 herbaceous perennial plants, to bring into a full 

 and peri'ect florescence. He has two beds, this 

 season, containing over two thousand tubers, and 

 one hundred and thirty kinds, which, if the weather 

 should not be too hot, will present an exhibition of 

 flowers as rare and interesting as that of his tulips. 



To the above named plants and the Dahlia, Mr 

 Walker has devoted his sole attention, leaving to 

 others the vast field of floriculture, for the selec- 

 tion of their favorite flowers, and the distinction 

 they have attained, or may acquire, from the intel- 

 ligence, skill, and industry bestowed on their cul- 

 tivation, and tliat complete success, which so am- 

 ply rewards the ardent amateur. 



The necessity of a division of attention to the 

 several departments of ornamental and useful plants, 

 is as obvious, as that of labor in the mechanical 

 arts; and the advantages derived therefrom are as 

 -certain, as they are conspicuous and satisfactory. 



Colonel Wilder is unrivalled, in this country, in 

 the number, variety and successful cultivation of 

 the Camellia, the Rhododendron, Azalea, and Rose, 

 having over three hundred kinds of Uu; first, and 

 ■J'lpwards of four hundred of the last najned plants. 



Mr .Manning, of Salem, has the largest variety 

 of pea.'T, he having made that delicious fruit his 

 avoj ite ohject qf culture, while the apple and 



plum have claimed his next regard. Mr William 

 Kenrick is well known for his extensive and well 

 managed nursery of forest, fruit, and ornamental 

 trees, shrubs, and herbaceous flowering plants ; and 

 for several years he has made most honorable ef- 

 forts to introduce the Morus Multicaulis and other 

 valuable species of the mulberry, for affording the 

 best aliment to the silk worm. He has also the 

 merit of establishing the fir^t e.xtensive nursery in 

 New Errgland, and has published a very interest- 

 ing and useful work on fruit trees. He, with Mr 

 Manning, first succeeded in obtaining Mr Van 

 Mon's new kind of pears, and he has a collection 

 of that kind of fruit trees, of great value, from the 

 number of varieties. — (Concluded ntil week.) 



REPORT 

 Submitted to the House of Reprtsentalives of tlie 



United Sinles, on the culture of the Mulberry and 



Sugar-beet, by the Committee on Jlffriculturc. 



The Committee on Agriculture, who were in- 

 structed to inquire whether any, and, if any, what 

 encouragement may be given to promote the cul- 

 ture of the mulberry and the sugar-beet, report: 



That, in order to obtain satisfactory information 

 of the present statfe and condition, as well as of the 

 importance, of the culture of the mulberry and the 

 sugar-beet, they" issued a circular on the subject, 

 shortly after it was committed to them, to which 

 they have received numerous answers, giving much 

 interesting and useful information; some of the 

 most important of which the committee append to 

 this report. The first question which naturally 

 suggests itself is, whether the subject-matter is of 

 such national importance as to merit the serious 

 consideration of Congress ; and in order to satisfy 

 themselves on this point, the committee ascertained 

 from public documents (the Treasury Department 

 not furnishing an official statement, as requested) 

 the amount of silk and sugar imported for the last 

 five years, respectively, which is as follows, viz: 

 Silk. Sugar. 



1832 - .$9,147,812 - .$2,933,688 



1833 - 9,309,547 - 4,752,343 



1834 - (document imperfect) 5,537,829 



1835 - 16,597,983 - 6,806,184 



1836 - 25,033,200 - 12,514,551 

 This statement at once shows tlio immense sum 



which is annually paid by the people of this coun- 

 try to foreign countries for these two articles only; 

 and, also, the very great importance of encourag- 

 ing their culture among ourselves, if that be prac- 

 ticable : for whilst your committee are far from 

 favoring what is termed the Chinese policy, and 

 are equally averse to discussing, formally, at this 

 time, any disputed questions of constitutional law 

 or political economy, they would respectfully in- 

 sist, that when the soil, climate, and otlier circum- 

 stances, will enable the people of this country to 

 produce, by their own labor, on their own soil, any 

 article which is extensively consumed amongst us, 

 it is the duty of the government, as far as may bo 

 deemed constitutional, to facilit'Jte, by all reason- 

 able encouragement, the production of that article. 

 This course has ever been pursued alike by our 

 own nation, rnd by every enlightened nation on the 

 globe. So far was the policy carried at an early 

 day in Great Britain, that even the winding-sheet 

 of the dead was required to be made of wool, by 

 act of parliament; and to this day, notwithstand- 

 ing the theories of her writers, and some of her 

 statesmen, no article that can be extensively pro- 



duced there but is adequately protected by govern- 

 ment. It is true that this may, for a short time, 

 add sometiiing to the price ; but this will be much 

 more than compensated by the introduction of a 

 new article of industry, and its subsequent abun- 

 dance and cheapness ; and no nation can enjoy that 

 desired state of lofty independence whoso policy 

 will not enable its citizens to produce such articles 

 of prime necessity as are compatible with tlicir 

 habits and the soil and climate of the country, and 

 which will render them, as well in peace as in war, 

 secure from the fluctuations of trade and the poli- 

 cy of other nations. A government that is so 

 bound up by constitutional provisions that it can- 

 not act in a great national matter, but must stand 

 the powerless victim of other nations, is such a 

 political anomaly as no people would intentionally 

 select for themselves. The universal sentiment 

 would be, if it be too weak to protect the prime 

 interests of the country, it is too worthless to be 

 preserved. This subject commends itself to the 

 people of this country with peculiar interest at this 

 time, when, as will be seen by the following state- 

 ment, the foreign grain-growers have not only tak- 

 en possession of our market abroad, and thus great- 

 ly reduced our exports of grain, but have actually 

 usurped our market at home, and thus must even- 

 tually compel the grain growing states, for the want 

 of some exchangeable production, either to do 

 without such necessary articles as are the subject 

 of this report, or else to produce them themselves. 

 Bread-stuffs exported from the United States in 

 1832 - - $6,199,863 



18a3 - - 7,009,556 



1834 - - 5,677,341 



]a35 - - 6,111,164 



1836 - - 4,799,151 



Whenever a new enterprise is projected in this 

 country, one argument is used which merits con- 

 sideration, and that is this : that, on account of the 

 cheapness of labor in Europe, the citizens here can 

 never compete with the producers there. This ob- 

 jection is more specious than solid, and derives its 

 importance from the want of a comprehensive view 

 of the subject. That mere mranual labor is cheaper 

 in Europe than in this country, is unquestionable ; 

 but that the specific amount of the result of labor 

 from a specific sum is greater there tlian here, is 

 denied. In Europe the excessive taxes and other 

 burdens imposed upon the producer are so much 

 deducted from the price of labor ; besides, tlie com- 

 parative amount produced by an ignorant people in 

 a state of semi-vassalage, unnerved by their de- 

 gradation, and uninfluenced by the many consider- 

 ations that stimulate tlie citizens of a free country 

 like ours, is vastly in favor of the latter; add to 

 these the fact, that the use of machinery is much 

 more extensive and powerful here than it is in the 

 pauper-ridden governments of the old world: here, 

 every inducement that can be suggested by enter- 

 prise and ambition, and wealth, is held out to en- 

 courage the invention and use of labor-saving and 

 labor-doing machines ; there, every discouragement 

 presents itself: here, every successful invention 

 enriches the country and meets with the kind feel- 

 ings of tlie government and the people ; there, an 

 improvement in machinery, the invention of a horse 

 rake, or the use of the cradle, throws thousands • 

 out of employment, greatly swells the pauper-li.st, 

 and is greeted with mobs and rebellion. These 

 reflections arc amply supported by the history of 

 the cotton manufacture in tliis country. Amongst 

 the many interests which it is the duty of govern- 



