gg To prevent Mice, &c., attacking Fruit Trees—Calf Management—Never run in Debt. 
May 1841, to February 1843, 1052 lbs. reeled 
silk, at a cost of $5,126, and 984 bushels 
cocoons, costing $3,290. 
The above facts will show that the manu¬ 
facture of silk is a promising business in this 
State, and when we consider that most of 
the convicts employed in it had no previous 
experience, that much of the machinery in 
use is bungling and imperfect; besides other 
disadvantages which we could mention ; the 
only wonder is, that it has succeeded at all, 
and we think the agent, Mr. Polhemus, de¬ 
serves much credit for introducing and car¬ 
rying it on so successfully. 
TO PREVENT MICE, GRUBS, AND INSECTS FROM 
HARBORING AROUND THE ROOTS OF FRUIT 
TREES IN WINTER. 
Before the ground is frozeh in the fall, 
scrape away the loose mould from the trunk 
and supply its place with lime and ashes— 
mice and moles will not come to disturb the 
bark and burrow among the roots, when so 
strongly protected with alkalies; and the in¬ 
sects and their larvte will be effectually ex¬ 
terminated by the contact, and the tree and 
its fruits will be saved from their destructive 
ravages the following season. The value of 
this application as a manure for the tree will 
abundantly remunerate the trouble and ex¬ 
pense. _ 
MANAGEMENT OF CAL YES. 
Have as many calf bows made in winter as 
you expect to have calves in the spring; 
hickory is the best wood for these; split it out 
and whittle or shave it down to the size of a 
whip-stock, leave a knob on one end, and 
cut in a notch at the other end. The ave¬ 
rage length before bending, should be from 
18 to 28 inches, according to size and age 
of the calf. The cap to go over the ends of 
the bow has a hole -f of an inch at one end, 
and a hole the same size 2 inches from the 
other end. An inch from this hole towards 
the end, bore a half-inch hole, and cut a mor¬ 
tice of half an inch from one to the other, 
so that when the bow is put into the three- 
quarter inch hole to the neck it springs back 
through to the end of the mortise and re¬ 
mains stationary until removed. 
For ties we would recommend light trace 
chains, with a small ring at one end large 
enough for the bow to pass through, and a fix¬ 
ture at the other end to fasten it to the calf’s 
trough or manger, with a swivel to keep the 
calf from twisting up the chain, which any 
common blacksmith can make and put in. 
These bows will last for many years as we 
can testify from our own experience, and can 
always be had ready whenever there is a new 
calf dropped. The advantages of tying up 
calves in a calf house until weaned, is to 
halter-break and make them perfectly tame 
and docile, so that they never forget it; it 
also accustoms them to eat at an early age. 
Hay, or new mown grass, roots, oats, shorts, 
or indian meal, are usually much cheaper food 
than milk, it can consequently be saved for fami¬ 
ly use by substituting these kinds of feed, and 
the calf be pushed forward with about the 
same rapidity. Water is essential once a 
day, notwithstanding the calf may have milk 
morning and evening. It is important to 
keep the calves out of the scorching sun and 
away from the tormenting flies and wood- 
ticks in summer; and from pelting storms 
and cold at other seasons of the year. By 
keeping them well bedded with straw and 
throwing it out under a cover, such as may 
be made cheaply from loose boards laid upon 
poles in crotches, and mixing muck, sods, or 
road scrapings with it, a good pile of rich 
manure may be made in a few months from 
this source alone. 
FARMERS SHOULD NEVER RUN IN DEBT. 
As a general rule they should not incur 
any debt. The exceptions , they will be ready 
enough to find out themselves, and we leave 
them to their own ingenuity, and content 
ourselves with giving three reasons for the 
rule :— 
1 st. There is a want of economy in the practice. 
No man can afford to sell as cheap for credit 
as cash, for besides the insecurity that attach¬ 
es to all claims, against even the best man, 
the trouble and expense of keeping accounts, 
and collecting debts, are an additional charge 
on the article purchased, which the seller is 
sure to estimate in settling the price of his 
property. 
2 d. It begets habits of extravagance. When 
a person has property under his exclusive 
control, which according to the customary 
usage of the world, is called his, however 
much he may be indebted for it, he is insen¬ 
sibly led to act with it, as if he were under 
no obligation to use any exertion for pro¬ 
viding the means of repayment. 
3d. It is attended with great risk. An hon¬ 
est reasonable debt in the estimation of a 
high-minded, honorable man, is a mortgage 
not only on the property he already possess¬ 
es, but o-n all he ever expects to own, as well 
as his future exertions in life. How incon¬ 
siderate then, for one who already has some¬ 
thing he can call his own, to incur an obli- 
