AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



n jiiue for jiny toUuwiiig crop; ji tills ihp ground 6o 

 pleicly ibni no ncedaot'niiy kind will grow with 

 The amount of vegetation taken from the soil 

 t make it an exhausting crop of course, but the 

 ntity of manure previonaly put on to the ground 

 reduce the crop, will keep it in a productive slate 

 the next. I hclievc I hove noticed all your cnqui- 

 , but I fear not much to your benefit, at least 1 

 iild hove been glad to have done it more to my 

 1 satisfaction. 



Lrtter II— From IleuiT Clay. 



IVashiiifrtmi, ilh Murrh, 164"?. 

 'KAn Sir — My engagements of a public nature 



are sucli that I cannot answer one letter in 20 

 I receive, and I must reply very briefly to yours 



the mode of cultivating Hemp. I once wrote 

 ssay on the sulijcct, of which I regret that I have 

 opy to send you. It was published in some agri- 

 iiral periodical published at Cincinnati, 

 he host soil for Hemp is a rich vegetable mould, 

 I a clay substratum, either fresh, or which has 



long fn p.i5tnrc. Any stable or ordinary manure 

 lod, if it be necessary to use any, which depends 

 1 the degree of the fertility of the soil. Hemp 

 iU3ta very lit Ic, and I have known it cultivated 

 uccossive years in the same field without any 

 nution of the crop. 



he ground should be prepared exactly as you 

 Id make the best preparation for wheat. A bush- 

 id a pi'ck of seed, or, if th-^ Iciid is uncommonly 



a bushel and half, to the acre, should be sowed, 

 d cast, from the first to the 23th of May. All 

 plants, male and fema'e, are gathered, by pulling 

 uiting close to the ground by a cutting knife re- 

 blinga reap hook, but shorter. The plants in- 

 led to prodiice aaed are sowed by themsolves in 

 3, and cultivated with the plough and hoe, so as 

 eep them clean, 



he Crop Hemp is pulled or cut (for there is not 

 h difference between the two njethods, although 

 jfer cuttmgj about the 5();h or 25th of August ; 

 the proper time is indicated by the Hemp leaves 

 ing a little yellosv, and the farina escaping when 

 stalks are agitated. When cut or pulled, the 

 ts are suffered to remain on the ground a few days 

 I they are cured, and if a rain falla on them so 

 h the better, as it will render the separation of 

 leaves from the stalk easier. After being ciired, 

 hemp is tied up with a hemp stalk in small bun- 

 , convenient to handle, and shocked in the field. 



best farnierej in a week or two afterwards, stack 

 1 on the field, throwing the tops inside and the 

 5 outside. 



ate in November or in December the stacks are 

 en, and the Hemp spread dbWn on the field, or 

 hesod, to ret. The lengthof time it should remain 



nds upon v/hether the oeasonis wet or dry, but it 



not he lees than seven t^r eight weeks, and may 

 inger. It is spread as you would spread flax reg- 

 !y, and avoiding its being tangled. You cannot 

 e whether it is sufficiently rette.l Or not but by 

 !ig up a handful and ascertaining if the lint v^'ill 

 rale easily. When sufficiently thus retted it is 

 n up, and ogiiir. nhpcked, and broken out, in the 

 ths, of Febrrirj", Jiarcli, April, &c., as conve- 

 t, by a large hand brake. I task my hands 80 

 per day, and allow them a cent per lb. for every 

 iJ beyond that. I have known, in some instan- 



as much as 250 pounds per day broken out. As 



handful is broken out, the shoes, that is the little 

 icles of the stalk which adhere lo the lint, ore 

 fu'.Iy beaten off, so as to make it clean, and the 

 p is laid away, and at night tied up in a bale or 

 9, ond carried to the Hemp house. All attempts 

 ibaiiiute horse, water or Blsatn power to the bond 



brake, and there have been many, have hitherto 

 fadtd. 



The above method is what wo coll dew retting. I 

 have never tried water retting. That is effected by 

 immersing the hemp stalks in bundles, in water, and 

 keeping them under with weights. September is the 

 best period, and standing better than running water. 

 The length of time may be a few days or more, ac- 

 cording to the temperature of the water. You judge, 

 OB in the other mode, when it is sufficiently retted. 



The Hemp intended to produce seed is suffi-ied to 

 remain in the ground until the first light frost, is then 

 cut, and after a few days the seed arc threshed out. 



I regret that I hove not time to enlarge on this sub- 

 ject. I am respectfully 



Your ob'tserv't, 



II. CLAY. 



Mr Hr.Nnv Colman. 



^^' CORUESPONDENCE. 



Extract of a letter from C. N. E.^inent, Albany, of 



the 21st February. 



" I forwarded, a few days since, a communicotion 

 for your paper, detailing some experiments which we 

 have tried, to make^oo(Z butter in the winter, which 

 I hope may be of some consequence to the dairy- 

 women and interesting to your readers. We are so 

 thoroughly convinced of the utility of the process, 

 not only in the quality but in the quantity of the but- 

 ter, that we have procured a supply of water pans for 

 our use, with hot water in winter and cold water in 

 summer. We claim nothing new or original in the 

 matter ; but if we can induce the farmers to try it, 

 we shall think we have done some good to tlie cause. 

 I am certain those who try it will thnnk me for the in- 

 formation. If 1 can add an unit to the sum of human 

 subsistence and comfort, I shall consider myself well 

 paid for my trouble, (nol pleasure) inc.'jmmunicating 

 i!. I will not make any rash promisee, but you may 

 he troubled with some more results of experiments 

 which I hav>5 made, or shall make herea'fter, if my 

 life is spared." 



We most certainly hope and desire that our friend 

 Bement'a life may be spared, for agriculture has not 

 in the country li niore ardent friend to its improve- 

 ment. His zeal, while it ia associated with great 

 exactness of observation, must essentially contribute 

 to this good object. We cannot wish, in the terms of 

 the Spanish proverb, that he may live a thousand years, 

 for that would be much longer than many of his 

 l"ricnds would like to remain without seeing him ; but 

 may he live till all his-agiicultural experiments are 

 completed, and as much longer as he himself desires. 



Extract of a letter from John Caldwell, ot Salisbury 

 Mills, Orange Co., N. Y , dated February 28ih, 

 1842 — ^On the subject of the Manufacture of Silk. 

 Mr. Caldwell is an intelligent and attached friend 

 10 the agricultural interests of thecoi;ntry ; is Presi- 

 dent of the Orange Co. Agricultural Society of thai 

 county ; and delivered a very sensible speech at their 

 annual meeting, which wo should bo glad to transfer 

 to our columns in full, if Onr limits allowed of it. 

 We have little hopes of the Government's ex- 

 tending its protection to the industry of the country 

 in a form in which we think the interests of the 

 country demand. At present, it might be well 

 enough to leave the introduction of foreign raw silk 

 free ; but we think it should not long remoin so, but 

 the production of raw silk should be cncournged by a 

 duty, which should amount almost to a prohibition. 

 We believe that the production oCraVr silk is of much 

 more importance to the ogricultural interest than the 

 manufacture of silk ; and that under a juJitious law 

 of import, the manufacture would soon grow up, and 

 as rapidly as could be dtsircd, when the raw material 



59 



came to be produced as abnudantly among iia as in 

 three years from this time it might be. Under the 

 operation of a liberal bounty, Massochusetis has with- 

 in a year iiicrci.8cd her production of cocoons from 

 less ihan throe thousand lbs. o year, to more than 27,. 

 000 lbs ; and this,as is ascerlaiiird, without the boun- 

 ty, at anct profitof more than twodollars per lb. on the 

 silk. These are most encouraging (nets, especially 

 to ihe small formers and those who feel the wont of 

 profitable employment in their own families, ond feel 

 how closely connected with domestic comfort and 

 good morals is the encouragement of what ia called 

 household industry. 



The silk culture is a subject in which we take the 

 deepest interest, and we beg our friends in all paita of 

 the country, to let us hear from them whenever tl.cy 

 have facts to communicate. 



" As no doubt you take an interest in the raising of 

 silk and its manulocture, 1 beg to inform you that Mr. 

 Gcoi'ge W. Murray has established on extensive fac- 

 tory, propelled by water power, at Paleison, in Now 

 Jersey, for the purpose of manufacturing from the 

 raw material, sewing silk ; which heenl'icrhe moy 

 extend to that of weaving. It has been about one 

 year in operation, and its success ia equal lo his most 

 sanguine expectations. His dyeing cstoblipcmenl is 

 in very superior style, and turns out sewing silk of 

 beautiful and standing colors, put up in half or quar- 

 ter pound packets. In the present state of preparation 

 he can only send out 50 pounds on a week's notice, 

 put up as may be requited, being dally called on to 

 supply the mannlaclurers who make fringe, coach lace, 

 &c. This is a kind of silk totally different from sew- 

 ings. He offers to purchase America;i silk, or lo 

 manufacture it into sewings for the proprietor at '.wo 

 dollars per pound for blacks, blues, drabs onj hght 

 dyes, — for the higher colours, such as scarlets, crim- 

 sons, purple and plumb colors, three to thiee ;.nd a 

 half dollars per pound. His works will turn out 

 shortly, independent of the coach makers' enpply, 200 

 pounds per week ; and a few days since, he received 

 from Connecticut a quantity of American law silk to 

 be manufactured into sewings, and to bo put up ia 

 skeins and on spools. Silk for weaving is made into 

 tram and organzine, but it is not possible to succeed 

 in that branch in this country, so long as there is any 

 duty on raw silk; whereas this material ia charged 

 with the some duty as the foreign silksof all dcscnp- 

 tions, putting, by this policy, the foreign manufacturer 

 on an equal footing, and all the advantages of cheap 

 labor, with the domestic manufacturer. It is to be 

 hoped, however, that this condition of things will be 

 modified under the contemplated regulation of the 

 taiilT. For sometime to come, the entire produce if 

 the raw material in the United States wou'd not pro- 

 duce of r.aw silk, a thoHsondih part of the demand. 

 As it may be on object lo the growers in your parts to 

 get this information through your valuable publica- 

 tion, you can if you think proper, make it public. In 

 this county we hope to have many specimens of the 

 industry of our people exhibited ot our next fair in 

 this branch, and I trust in all oihers that may and 

 must contribute 10 our welfare, we s^oll not be found 

 wanting. I did hope that atnur Albany meeting there 

 would have been some expression of our feelings fa- 

 vorable to a protective tariff, and was very much dia- 

 appointed at the apathy on that sutjcct. 



Do not impute to me interested motives in writing 

 as I do about a proieciive tariff, further than t' e inter- 

 est every citizen should feel for the we'd being of hia 

 country. I am not, nor do I expect to be, concerned 

 in any manufacture whatever." 



Nothing is high because it is high in rank ; ond 

 nothing is low boeauso it is low in life. — Dickens 

 Speech at Hartford. 



