20 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JVliY as. 1838. 



REPORT 

 Snhmilled to the Ilov.se of Rtprestntalives of the 

 United Slate.i, on the r.ulliire of the Muiberrj and 

 Suf;ar-beil, li>j the Committee on .'Jgriculture. 



(Concluded.) 

 Mr Minor, of Pennsylvania, li,-.d the honor of 

 first tirinsintf tliis subjei-t before the liouse of re- 

 presentatives, by a resolution of December '.JO, 

 lf25 ; by "liich the cooimittee on a agriculture «cre 

 instructed to inq\iire whether the cultivation of the 

 mulberPi- tree and the breeding of silk-woFms, for 

 tlie purpose of producing silk, be a subject worthy 

 oT legislative attention ; and if they so thought, to 

 obtain, as far as practicable, ail requi.<!ite and prp- 

 per information on tfie subject. On the 3d of May, 

 1620, Mr Van Rensselaer, chairman of the com- 

 mittee, Uiade an intercst.in|r and able report on the 

 Bubject, concludina; witJi a resolution authorizing 

 the secretary of the treasury lo have jirepired a 

 manual on the growth and manufacture of silk ; 

 which resolution was adopted. And in February, 

 1828, the secretary transmitted to the house of re- 

 presentatives a Manual or Treatise (of rising two 

 hundred pajres) on the frrowth and manufacture of 

 silk ; wliich had been ])rei)ared, inider his direc- 

 tion, witH great fare and labor. Six thousand ex- 

 tra copies of this valuable and highly useful do- 

 cument were ordered to be publi.shed for distribu- 

 tion. 'About tlie sanie time that Mr Rush reported 

 his manual to the house of representatives, Mr 

 James Mease transmitted to the speaker a treatise, 

 of about a hundred pages, on the rearing of silk- 

 worms, by Count Von Ilazzi, of Munich, who, hav- 

 ing seen tlie resolution on the subject of the man- 

 ual, prepared and sent the Treatise to the house ; 

 by whom it was ordered to be printed and distri- 

 buted. These two ei?snys contain much impor- 

 tant practical information, and are well worthy a re- 

 publication. In May, 1830, ISlr Spencer, chairman 

 of the committee on agrionlt.\irc, to whom the sub- 

 ject had been referred, mafle a report embracing 

 two interesting letters from Pdter S. Duponceau, 

 Esq., of Philadelphia, and " Essays on American 

 Silk, by Messrs Peter S. Duponceau and John 

 D'Homergue ;" of which six thousand copies were 

 ordered to be printed for distribution. These do- 

 cuments are of an interesting character, and exhi- 

 bit at once the valuable iiifoniiation of their authors, 

 their patriotism and public spirit. Tliis report pro- 

 posed to grant to Jlr D'Homergue the siun of 

 .*40,0C0 for the establishment of a normal school of 

 filature at Philadelphia, and the gratuitous instruc- 

 tion of sixty young men for two years in tlie various 

 branches of reeling, manufacturing, and dying silk ; 

 and, during the lime, Mr D'Homergue was to em- 

 brace every suitable opportunity to travel through 

 the different States, and to give gratuitous instruc- 

 tion to firmers and others desirous of embarking in 

 the silk business. This bill, though favorably re- 

 ceived l)y Congres.5, was not acted on at that ses- 

 sion, owing to the lateness of its being reported ; 

 and as a large [lortion of the next session was oc- 

 cupied with the trial of Judge Peck, tliis, with 

 juany other important measures, was lett unfinished. 

 In the mean time, however, Mr Duponceau, whose 

 patriotic zeal on this subject is worthy of all praise, 

 had established, at liis own expense, in tlie city of 

 Philadelphia, a filature of ten reels, and twenty 

 women, under the direction of Mr D'Homergue; 

 and, amouL'st the first fruits of his labor, had two 

 flags of the United States made of American silk ; 

 the one of which was presented to the Legislature 

 of Pennsylvania, and the other to the House of Rep- 



resentatives, by whom it was received with great 

 enthusiasm, and ordered to Tie displayed in their 

 Hall, over the portrait of Lafayette. To prevent 

 Mr D'Homergue from returning to France, Mr 

 Spencer handed to Mr Duponceau a very fluttering 

 certiiicatc, signed by eighty-nine members of Con- 

 gress, approving of Mr D'Homergue's plan, and ex- 

 pressing llieir decided opinion that the bill would 

 have met tlie ajiprobation of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives had time permitted its being called op. 

 In January, 1833, Mr Root, from the Committee on 

 .\griculture, reported the same bill and re|)ort 

 which had been presented by Judge Spencer at the 

 former Congress. On the 2'ii of May this bill was 

 taken up, and discussed in Committee of the Whole, 

 ami reported to the House, when tlie discussion 

 was renewed the next day with increased wannth ; 

 and, as Blr Duponceau supposes in his very inter- 

 esting '•Hi.iton/ of the .SV/t Bit!," owing to the tariff" 

 excilcijiciit of the time, and some other cau.ses, the 

 bill was defeated by a small majority. Thus per- 

 ished the first important measure proposed by the 

 nation to promote the production of silk in this coun- 

 try ; a measure which the committee believe, with 

 the 'lights then in existence, was wise, prudent, and 

 important, but which the subsequent ingenuity and 

 experience of our countrymen now render uuneces- 

 sory ; believing, as they do, that the recent improve- 

 jMonts in reeling will do more in a few w'eeks than 

 the establishment of many normal schools upon the 

 old plan would do in many years. At the second 

 session of tJie twenty-third Congress the subject 

 was again referred to the Committee on Agricul- 

 ture ; and in February, 1835, Mr Bockee made a 

 report, concluding with a res:'lution adverse to any 

 protection or action, on constitutional grounds : and 

 at the last Congress the subject was referred to the 

 Committee on Manufactures ; from which, in Feb- 

 ruary, 1837, Mr Adams, the chairman, made a re- 

 port, embracing a very interesting and valuable let- 

 ter from Mr Judson, late a member of that com- 

 mittee. The statistical information, and present 

 condition of the silk business in the different States, 

 having been prepared with much labor, and being 

 more extensive than your committee have been able 

 to procure, they will annex the same, with other 

 documents, to this report; observing, that within 

 the last year the cultivation of the mulberry has 

 been much more extended tlnn ia several preceding 

 years, and the people and the Legislatures of sev- 

 eral of the States have taken up the subject with 

 increased spirit and vigor. 



From all the information which the committee 

 have been able to obtain, they are induced to be- 

 lieve tliat no country in the world is better adapted 

 to the production of silk, or tiie sugar-beet, tlian 

 most parts of the United States, whether we con- 

 sider tiie soil, the climate, or the hibits of the peo- 

 ple. The mulberry will grow on high, stony, san- 

 dy, and comparatively barren land : and although 

 the poverty of the soil may decrease the quantity 

 of the foliage, it will improve the quality, and add 

 fineness and beauty to the silk ; whilst the climate 

 is so varied, that although no part is too far north 

 to destroy the mulberry or prevent tlio production 

 of a single crop of silk- worms in a season, yet, in 

 the southern parts of the Union from eight to ten 

 crops may be raised. The worn-out tobacco lands 

 of Virginia and North t^arolina, and the impover- 

 ished ^ils of other old States, may be advanta- 

 geously appropriated to the culture of the mulberry, 

 and, as is confidently stated by gentlemen well 

 qualilied to judge, will yield a much larger annual 



profit than is now usually derived from the best 

 soils. Tlfp estimated profit per acre, both as to 

 silk and beer-sugar, appears so various that your 

 committee will leave the different individuals to 

 speak for themselves in the documents annexed to 

 this report ; and they will also leave, with the same 

 reference, the variety and mode of culture. The 

 •Mocks niu'ttcduiis has, for some years, been con- 

 sidered the most valuable variety of mulberry ; 

 though the Briuisa, recently introduced into this 

 country from Turkey, is highly spoken of as of a 

 superior quality. The large white six-week worm 

 seems to be generally admitted to be preferable 

 for the production of silk ; and the white Sile.sian 

 beet for sugar. 



If, then, thene are so many inducements for th'j 

 production of these two important articles ; if the 

 market is large and yearly increasing, our soil .Tiid 

 climate adapted to the culture, and the prospect of 

 public benefit and private gain be good ; why, it 

 will be asked, may we not become a great silk- 

 growing and sugar-making people ? We can, and 

 the committee believe in no distant time will, so 

 become. It only requires that public attention 

 should be called and kept to the subject ; that our 

 agriculturists be satisfied of a fair prospect of suc- 

 cess ; and that the Government should lend its aid 

 to ensure the speedy and permanent success of the 

 measure. The committee havq considered the 

 means by which Government might afford adequate 

 encouragement to the production of silk «nd beet- 

 sugar. One important means would be, for tlie 

 House of Representatives to collect and dissemi- 

 nate valuable information on the subject ; tliis tlie 

 committee have endeavored to perform. Another;, 

 plan has been suggested : for the Government io 

 offer bounties for the production. But this mode 

 might be subject to constitutional objections, and 

 seems more proper to be adopted by the State 

 Legislatures ; and the business is not sufficiently 

 advanced to authorize encouragement by imposts 

 on silk or sugar imjiorted, The committee have, 

 therefore, as the best means of encouragement . 

 suggested to them, unanimously agreed to propose 

 the following resolution : 



jReso!vcd by the Senate and House of Represen- 

 tatives of the United States in Congress assembled. 

 That the President of tlio I'nited States be, and 

 he is hereby, authorized gratuitously to lease, for the 

 cultivation of the mulberry or sugar-beet, for the 

 term of ton years, any lot or land belonging to the 

 United States, and not included in the unlocated 

 or public lands. 



Frimi llii? HorliciillurnI licgistet. 



FLOWERS, FRUITS, AND TREES. 



BY H. .\. S. OEARnORN. 



(C'oiiclud<-d.) 



Mr Pond, of Cambridgeport, has become eminent 

 for rearing large numbers of Plum trees of the 

 most choice varieties, and also for his superior 

 mode of raising asparagus. 



The Messrs Win.ship of Brighton, have a vast 

 nursery, a large green-house and forcing-house, in 

 which arc collected a greater number and variety 

 of useful and ornamental trees and plants, than are 

 to be found in any other like establishment north 

 of Long Isl.ind. Tlieir iuiportations of European 

 forest trees, and exotic shrubs, and herbaceous 

 (lowers, have been extensive, and contributed in an 

 eminent degree, to extend a taste for rural embel- 

 lishment in the eastern section of the Union. Their 



