270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEBRUARY 2», IS39. 



A>D HORTICL'LTCRAL UEOISTER. 



Boston, WeSnesoav, Fkbhhab 



» 27, 1839. 



AGRICULTURAL MEETING. 



Tlic fifth agricultural lueeting was holdeii on Tiiura 

 day evening last, and waa as wull attended as anj former 

 one, showing an undiminished inluresl in agricultural in- 

 quiry and improvement Thu Hon. Mr Thaxter of the 

 Council was in the chair. 



The subject previously announced for discussion was 

 Manures, but as a gentleman from the interior, not a 

 member of the Legislature as has been stated, but annere 

 yisiler to the city, was present and would not be present 

 at the succeeding meeting, it was deemed best, with the 

 consent of the meeting to suspend the subject of manures 

 and take up the subject of silk, with which ihe gentle- 

 man rclerred to, Mr Sniitli of Amherst, was perhaps as 

 practically familiar as any farmer in the stale Much in- 

 teresting information was expected from him and the 

 meeting were mt disappointed. In a sensible, intelligent 

 and plain manner he detailed fully his own experience 

 in the artture of silk, gave his views of the probable fu- 

 ture progress, success, and profits of the business; and 

 replied to various inquiries, which several gentlemen saw 

 fit to propose to him. He was followed by the Rev. Mr 

 Field of Chailemont, a member of the honse, who at the 

 request of the chair, obliged the meeting by a detail of 

 his notions and experience. 



Mr Smith began the business of the silk culture in 1831 

 and then purchased one ounce of mulberry seed. He 

 has used seven or eight different varieties of worms and 

 has fed from most of the different kinds of trees. 



He expressed a diffidence in giving his opinion of the 

 different sorts of mulberry ; but it was quite apparent 

 that he thought the niorus multicaulis unsuited to our cli- 

 mate ; and preferred to all others the Canton, the seeds of 

 which he procured from Dr Stebbins of Northampton 

 who obtained tiicm through the missionaries, who had 

 penetrated into the hilly country of Pekin where they 

 procured this seed. This trei^ is easily propagated hy 

 cuttings; its foliage is large and sub-tantial ; and it has 

 suflered very little from the winter. The 'vhite mulberry 

 will make as good silk as any feed wh.-tftcan begiv- 

 en to the worms ; and the only objection £ the small- 

 ness of the leaves and the consequent iucisased labor in 

 collecting them. To the questio\i whether he could col- 

 lect more weight of foliage frein the juorus multicaulis 

 than from other trees, he replied that fcu. could collect 30 

 lbs from the morus multicaulis or the Canton, when he 

 could get only 10 lbs from the white mulberry. He was 

 not familiar with the Broussa which h« deemed only a 

 variety of the white mulberry, of much value though its 

 leaves were comparatively small, and it could be propa- 

 gated only from seed He pronounced the Alpine a highlv 

 valuable tree ; but he stated that it was the result merely 

 of a selection of the best plants for size and beauty of 

 foliage from great numbers raised from the Canton or Asia- 

 tic seed, and that the name of Alpine is wholly an ar- 

 birtary designation of the best plants and not the'designa- 

 tion of any new kind. He considers the morus multi- 

 caulis as furnishing from its very rapid growth in our hit- 

 itude a leaf which contains too much water, and was liu 

 ble to produce disease in the worms. He says his own 

 experience and observation have taught him that the worm 

 requires a diflerence in the nature of its feed according to 

 its age. At its first coming out it needs a very tender 

 leaf; and as it advances it requires a leaf much more 

 substantial ; that in short its appetite and wants corres- 



pond to the progress of vegetation in the tree, the 

 leaves at first being tender and acquiring in their progress 

 to maturity more and more substance. He purchased at 

 one time the multicaulis plants to the amount of 475 dol- 

 lars, but they would not answer his purposes. They 

 could not be left out in the ground in winter and he had 

 lost many of them in the cellar. He prefers to set bis 

 trees in hedge rows or clumps, keeping them low and not 

 suffer them to become standard trees. He thinks the 

 best mode of gathering the leaves of the white mulberry 

 is to cut the tops and tlieu pick off the leaves ; but 

 there is danger of destroying the young worms if too much 

 foliage was laid upon them. He considers it an easy 

 and interesting labor for females and young persons. 



The silk worm has five ages and periods of moulting; 

 after the last moulting the worm requires 4-3ths of his 

 whole feed. When begun to be fed he should be fed 

 with Ihe young leaf Every day's hatching is to be kept 

 by itself, and the worms are not to be fed on the fourth 

 day of their lives. He thinks that there is no injury accru- 

 ingfromgivinghis worms wet leaves They must not be fed 

 with leaves that h.ive been heated, but he deems it ofterr- 

 times of use to give the worms wet leaves and with that 

 view very often sprinkles his leaves with a pailful of wa- 

 ter to 100 lbs of leaves. Too drv a room is injurious to 

 the worm. He does not hesitate to give them wet leaves 

 in all stages of their growth. 



He says that many losses occur from coverinij the 

 worms loo closely when they are young ; and that every 

 day's hatching should be kept by itself 



In speaking of the profits of the business he says that 

 in 1837 he employed young women from Mansfield to 

 whom he paid three dollars per week. They raised and 

 reeled twentythree pounds. The time occupied was nine 

 weeks. The wages paid were fortyeight dollars. The 

 bounty received from the state was thirtytwo dollars. 



One pound of silk may be got from 3000 worms of the 

 yellow kind, if well fed. Of the white cocoons 5000 are 

 required to a pound ; and their work is completed in four 

 weeks.' 



The best time to hatch the worms is determined by the 

 condition of the feed He advises to a hatching once in 

 ten days. The hatching may be kept hack by keeping 

 the eggs in an ice cellar on the ice. Mr Smith has con- 

 fidence that if the eggs can be subjected to the action of 

 frost by any artificial means they may be hatched the same 

 season they are laid. 



The great dangers- to the worms in the silk room are 

 from red ants, and mice, and rats. Against the latter dep- 

 redators the cat is Ihe only security. Against the ants he 

 uses chloride of lime and quick lime spread round the 

 stands. 



Rev. Mr Field of Charlemont has been ten years en- 

 gaged in the culture of silk. He tried the Canton 

 mulberry, but they perished in the winter. Mr Smith 

 says he probably had the seed of 183), which came 

 from a different part of China from that to which he 

 refers 



Mr Field confines himself to the white mulberry, which 

 he believes will prove as vatnable as any for our use and 

 climate. The setting of the plants is a matter of impor- 

 tance. They should be so placed that the ground can be 

 cultivated and manured. If the soil is well cullivated 

 and enriched the leaf of the white mulberry will be vetv 

 much increased in size. He advises to placing them in 

 rows twenty feet apart ; and the planlsfour or five feet 

 apart in the rows. In his experience the labor of one 

 hand five or six weeks will produce and prepare nine or 

 ten lbs. of silk, which will give not much le.ss than one 

 hundred dollars. 



Mr Field has never ventured to give his worms wet 



leaves under the common apprehension that they would 

 be injurious or fatal. 



We liave given this rough and miscellaneous detail of 

 the remarks of these gentlemen who have had several 

 years experience on a subject which is now even' where 

 exciting great and deserved attention. When the mul- 

 berry tree fever has somewhat abated and men have come 

 to their sober senses and the cullivators of silk take the 

 field in place of the jockies and speculators in mulberry 

 trees, bass wood cuttings, sago, &c. &c. we may e.xpcct 

 this great business will advance with all reasonable suc- 

 cess and profit. There will undoubtedly be many dis- 

 appointments; and those farmers, who expect in two or 

 three years to hold their ploughs in silk gloves and those 

 housewives, who are calculating to wipe their dishes with 

 silken towels, will we think find themselves in an error. 

 But we verily l)eli«ve that to a certain extent and in a do. 

 mestic way the business will be highly productive and 

 furnish employment and subsistence to many women, 

 children and aged persons who might otherwise find it 

 not so easy to occupy their time usefully or earn their daily 

 bread. We believe that it is destined to be a great in- 

 terest of the country ; and that the soil, and climate, and 

 habils of New England are adapted to produce the arti- 

 cle in abundance and of a superior quality. The sub- 

 ject of manures was afterwards briefly alluded to : but 

 as the time was far spent, it was agreed to postpone the 

 further discussion to the next meeting, to be holden on 

 Thursday next at the usual time and jilace. 



To an inquiry whether it were advisable to conlinUg 

 these meetings, there was a unaniintus alhrmalion; and 

 a suggestion on the part of some that they should be 

 holden twice instead of once a week. H. C. 



THE WAR BREEZE. 



Farmer U. S. and Farmer J. B., whose farms arc 

 adjoining, have for some time been disputing 

 about the right to a piece of land lying between them ; 

 and as to the place where the line should run. They 

 left it to an umpire to determine the line according to the 

 deeds ; but he, too indolent to examine the clainfs, took 

 his pencil and drew an arbitrarj line on Ihe plan, which 

 satisfied neither party. They have since that time been 

 trying hard by civil negotiation, in the onlv proper way for 

 reasonable men and gentlemen to adjust the controversy. 

 In the mean time it would seem but reasonable that no 

 encroachments should be made on the land by eilher party 

 but that it should remain untouched that the interests of 

 neither party should be prejudiced. But it seems some 

 scoundrel thieves belonging it is said to farmer B. but 

 probably of both parties, certainly however not with the 

 countenance of either, have undertaken to plunder the 

 timber and produce. This kindles the ire of farmer S. 

 He holds a secret council in his family and goes down 

 by force and arms to drive these trespassers from the 

 ground and to take violent possession of the disputed 

 ground, without giving his neighbor B the smallest inti- 

 mation of his designs. He then raises a war cry and 

 rouses his family and all his neighbors by the thunders of 

 his indignation and proceeds in battle array to take pos- 

 session if he can get it, of the piece of land in controver- 

 sy. Now there is no complaint against the good temper or 

 good disposition of farmer B ; and a very .seiious question 

 arises, whether this is really the most likely and the best 

 way to settle this business ? 



In plain English, Maine has declared war against Great 

 Britain ; has summoned her troops into the field, and 

 now with ten thousand men is marching against the 

 British. The British on the other side .ire collecting 

 Iheir forces and perhaps before the ink of this sheet is 

 dry, a collision may have taken place and human blood 

 be shed When this occurs God only knows where it 

 may end. When a fire is kindled in a dry stubble, or a 

 combustible neighborhood, who can say where it shall 

 reach or how it shall be put out. 



A good many serious questions and considerations arise 

 out of this matter. Has Maine a right to declare war 

 and by her own acts involve the whole country in a 

 bloody conflict ? 



Will England submit to have the territory taken from 

 her by force ; and will she be more likely to negotiate at 



