No. 5. 



AND GARDEN ER 



SJOURNAL. 



jR a hundred of your readers are particularly engaged 

 n the business, justice does not admit of your saying 

 ■Bcli on tbc subject. 



Now, Messrs. Editors, I do not wish to criticise 

 whot you say, nor presume to lay down a rule for you 

 to adopt in conducting your very valuable paper, for I 

 ■ball be saiisfied with it even if you soy nothing on 

 this subject. But, at the same time, if this business 

 be of so much importance to th« nation, it must be 

 important to every individual; and therefore I cannot 

 see any injustice in your saying much on the subject. 

 A great deal must be said before the community will 

 became properly awake to this subject. Every farmer, 

 and every man who has an acre of land should mani- 

 fest some interest in the culture of silk, and should, 

 more or lees, engage in the business. But before this 

 can be done there is much of ignorance to be removed, 

 Bnd prejudice to be overcome. Many people, perhaps 

 the majority, have got an impression that it is all a 

 "speculation," or "humbug," because some individu- 

 als have been engaged in raising and selling morus 

 multicaulis trees at high prices, and made unreoaona- 

 ble profits; therefore the whole silk business has been 

 ridiculed, as a visionary speculation unworthy of con- 

 fidence. Now, gentlemen, I have no morus multi- 

 caulis trees for sale, but wish to purchase, therefore 

 my motives need not be suspected on that ground. — 

 But I am firmly convinced, and the more I consider 

 the subject the stronger is my conviction, that this bu- 

 ainees is soon to become second to none in this coun. 

 try, cotton not excepted. I think so, because I see 

 nothing to prevent it; but much to encourage it. To 

 me it seems impossible that this nation should long 

 consent to pay to foreign countries twenty millions of 

 dollars annually, for silk, when it can be raised at a 

 much cheaper rate at home. The business has been 

 fairly tested and proved, that silk can be raised in the 

 United Slates of a superior quality, and at a cheaper 

 rate than in any of the now greatest silk growing 

 countries. It has farther been proved that persons of 

 a small capital and small farms, can receive a ten fold 

 greater income than by any other process of farming. 

 Now, Messrs. Editors, if this be case, is it not right 

 for you to press the truth upon the minds of your rea- 

 ders 1 If this is a business which interests them all, 

 ought they not to have the subject frequently laid be- 

 fore them ? But I did not design a long article upon 

 the subject. You will please excuse me for conflict- 

 ing with your view of the thing. My excuse is, my 

 ardent attachment to the silk-growing interest. But 

 no more of it. Permit me to express my high esti- 

 mation of your very valuable paper; and as you give 

 all, the wealt as well as the strong, an invitation to be- 

 come its correspondents, I think you may hereafter 

 occasionally receive my mite as a contribution to its 

 pages. Yours, &c., K. 



U Roy, April, 1840. 



Remarlcs. — We fully coincide with K. in relation to 

 the importance of the silk business; but we think he 

 misunderstood, or at least has given rather a distorted 

 view of our remarks on this subject, 'to which he al- 

 ludes. We think that what we then said, and what 

 we have since published, is as much as the warmest 

 friends of the cause could reasonably ask; and as 

 much as justice to the mass of our readers would ad- 

 nit. We shall continue to publish such articles, and 

 Buch only, on the silk culture, as we deem best calcu- 

 lated to awaJicn interest, and remote prejudice on the 

 subject; but until a larger proportion of our readers 

 are engaged in the business, we cannot occupy our 

 pages with the detail of practical silk culture, especial- 

 ly when there are papers exclusively devoted to this 

 subject. — Eds. N. G. Far. 



75 



With strength and counsel joined, think nothing 

 hard. 

 In making innovation* :he utility ehonld be clear. 



For the ISitD Genesee Farmer. 

 The Silk Culture. 



Messrs. Editors — As you seem disposed to pub- 

 lish some articles on the subject of the silk business, I 

 will put in a mile, which you will dispose of as you 

 may think advisable. The articles you have publish- 

 ed in former numbers on the subject, especially Mr. 

 McLean's, are very interesting, but they do not op- 

 ply particularly to the Genesee country, and my ob 

 ject in this communication is to endeavor to arouse the 

 agriculturists in this region to a sense of the fact, that 

 they are not located in a part of the country where it 

 is useless to attempt to innke silk. Yet I must ac- 

 knowledge that the State of New-York is far behind 

 many of her sister States in this businees. But I 

 hope that it shall not be said much longer that the Em- 

 pire Slate is in the back ground in relation to so im- 

 portant a branch of agricultural and manufacturing 

 pursuit. 



1 have for several years past been making silk in a 

 small way, for the purpose of gaining a knowledge of 

 the proper course to pursue, whenever I should think 

 it advisable to enlarge the business. I commenced 

 without any knowledge on the subject, except what I 

 had gained by reading some publications. My wife 

 never saw a silk worm until she raiLiod them, and nev- 

 ereaw a skein of siik reeled until she did it herself; 

 and had no other than the common leel and spinning 

 wheel; yot the first she ever made was pronounced 

 by good judges, of superior quality; and every step 

 we have taken in the business seems to strip it of the 

 great mystery that is thought by many so much to en- 

 velope it, and render it vain to attempt it in this coun- 

 try. The raising of worms is as simple as raising chick- 

 ens, and the entire management of them, and reeling 

 the silk, is no more a mystery than the management 

 of sheep and spinning their wool. Yet a great portion 

 of our people remain ignorant in this particular, so 

 much so, that I am often asked, "How do you keep 

 your worms through the winter ? — how can you spin 

 the silk, &c. 1" and there still may be some who read 

 your paper, very ignorant on this subject, but who are 

 well informed on almost every thing else. To such 

 I would say, Wake up ! — be not so drowsy over a sub- 

 ject of such vast importance. 1 would here just re- 

 mark that worms are not kept through the winter, 

 but hatched from eggs when the proper time arrives 

 for feeding them; and as to the spinning of silk we 

 have nothing to do — the worms do that part of the 

 business — it is post the art of man to do it. The 

 worms must spin it or we have no silk; and they not 

 only spin but wind it into balls; and our first business 

 with it, is to reel it from the balls; and here is no myste- 

 ry. What woman would not suppose you thought 

 her a novice indeed if you were to tell her she could not 

 reel a boll of yarn ^ 



I will not occupy more room on this topic. I would 

 gladly impart to any one that will take the trouble to 

 call on me, any knowledge I possess in relation to the 

 management of worms or silk; aud also to the propo- 

 gation of the mulberry, in which I have had some ex- 

 perience. Perhaps some will now begin to think that 

 I am in the multicaulis speculation, and Iwish to sell a 

 few trees. Not so. I have no more tlinn I want for 

 my own use. The multicaulis speculation, although 

 some may have lost money in it, will prove a very 

 great benefit to the country, filling it with a very val- 

 uable tree to much greater cx.ent than would have been 

 done, had they not for a time commanded a very high 

 price. 



And now in conclusion, I would say to every form- 

 er in the Genesee country, do not let the present sea- 

 son pass without each one having a few mulberry trees 

 planted. Improve the present depressed price of the 

 multicaulis for making a beginning. You probably 



never will procure them cheaper. The white Italian 

 mulberry is not to be despised. This is the tree that 

 I have used for feeding worms, but shall hereafter uso 

 multicaulis in connection. Let every farmer, I say, 

 set a few trees, obtain a few eggs, and make a little be- 

 ginning. Make your own sewing silk, if nothing 

 more. If you have children ten years old, they can 

 gather the leaves and feed the worms. Every farmer 

 might moke $50 to ,fl50 worth of silk, and hardly 

 know that he had been to any expense. The inquiry 

 may be made, "Where shall we find market for silk if 

 we make it V Never fear on that subject. Let the 

 farmer make the silk, and a market will soon be found 

 near at hand. If it were known that ihere was silk 

 enough raised in the county of Monroe to establish a 

 factory, we should not be long without; and you need 

 not be troubled about your silk rotting on your hands, 

 if we should not have such a market for a year or two. 

 As I have said, make your own sewing silk, even if it 

 is for your common coarse work; it is cheaper than 

 you can make from flax, and if you have an overplus 

 which you cannot dispose of to advantage, weave it 

 into cloth either all silk, or mixed with cotton or wool. 

 There is no more difHculty in weaving silk than col- 

 on. It will readily be perceived, that if farmers make 

 a beginning in this way, they would be prepared 

 when a market opens to take advantage of supplying 

 it immdiately, while those that have not so done will 

 be left in the back ground, and will have to lament 

 when they see their neighbors selling their bundrcda 

 and perhaps thousands of dollars worth of silk yearly, 

 that they had not been as wise. But after all perhaps 

 the inquiry maybe made whether there is any assu- 

 rance that there will be any profit in making silk for 

 market; and in answer I would say, that actual exper- 

 iments made by many individuals the lost season, 

 have shewn, even at the lowest estimates, that the 

 amount of clear profit per acre far exceeds that of any 

 other crop. 



If I should perceive that our farmers are making 

 any movement preparatory to making silk, I may 

 give a few hints in relation to the management of the 

 worms, &c. in a future number. 



A. GOODELL- 



Perrinton, March 30, 1840. 



Market for Cocoons. 



Messrs. Editors — Can you tell me whether there 

 will be any market for cocoons in Rochester or its vi- 

 cinity next summer ? I am one o( thnt fortunate closa 

 who happen to have a good stock of monis multicau- 

 lis trees on hand, and as there does not appear to be 

 quite as many buyers as sellers this season, I have con- 

 cluded to plant mine, and amuse myself by feeding 

 silk worms, provided I can dispose of the cocoons 

 when produced. I know nothing about the business 

 of reeling, twisting, &c., and do not want to under- 

 take it. 



It appears to me that if some person who has some 

 knowledge of, and taste for the business, would pro- 

 cure one or two approved reels, and buy our cocoons, 

 and reel and sell the silk, it might be made a very 

 profitable business. If notice of a demand was given 

 this spring, there would be an abundant supply ot co- 

 coons next fall; and much would thereby be done to 

 encourage the commencement of silk culture in this 



vicinity. MONROE. 



Greeu-Hoi:se~Iuquiiy. 



Messrs. Editors — Will you, through your useful 

 paper, give your readers a plan for building, and the 

 necessary information for managing, a Green-House 

 on a small and economical plan ? If you do, you will 

 much oblige at least one SUBSCRIBER. 



GrenviUe, O., March 13., 1840. 



We have not time at present, but will do it soon. — 

 Ed3. 



