THE CULTIVATOR. 
21 
I think I have seen large trees of the maclura.* I have generally 
bought these trees, but never recollect to have lost one single tree 
by winter. Yet when I had read your account, and towards the last 
of December and some time after winter had set in, recollecting I 
had a nursery of a few thousand of these trees on some low sloping 
land, which I bought last spring, and then only a year old, 1 caused 
horse manure to be spread over the roots, leaving the tops quite ex¬ 
posed as before. 
We know from experience, that even in our climate, the pear, the 
cherry, the plum, and the quince, while young and of but a single 
summer’s growth, are tender trees, and require protection during the 
first winter on a naked and defenceless soil. We know that these 
trees during the first winter are liable to be thrown out by frost and 
destroyed, unless we afford them protection; but in the second win¬ 
ter, if they grow well, we have rarely witnessed any injury from the 
cold of winter. I am inclined to believe that the climate of the val¬ 
ley of your great river, is exposed to a degree of extreme cold dur¬ 
ing winters, which is unknown in the same latitudes on high hills a 
little remote, or on the lands near the sea. The same remarks may 
apply to the valley of the Connecticut, from the position of the river 
throughout its whole extent, from Canada to the sea. 
The Osage Orange is a beautiful tree, its leaves bear striking re¬ 
semblance to those of the orange tree, and the wood, like that of 
the orange, is armed with long sharp spines. At Philadelphia, it is 
asserted, that it makes the finest, the strongest, and most beautiful 
hedge in the world; being set out in a single row at the distance of 
twelve or fifteen inches asunder. As to the timber, my authorities 
are the Hon. Mr. Sevier, member of congress from Arkansas, and 
Mr. Flint, who wrote the account of the western states, who assert 
that the wood is remarkably tough, strong and elastic, .and is pre¬ 
ferred by the Indians to all other wood for bows, and hence the name 
of bow wood. The timber admits a fine polish, and is useful as such 
for the cabinet maker. For timber, they assert, that it is one of 
the strongest and most durable in the world, and is preferred in the 
construction of steam-boats even to live oak. 
Observing the remarkably hard texture of the three thorned aca¬ 
cia, I had suggested that this wood promised to become a most va¬ 
luable timber tree, like some others of the same tribe ; but this sug¬ 
gestion was contradicted in some of our eastern journals, where, it 
was asserted, that the timber was worthless. But Mr. Flint has as¬ 
sured us in his work on the western countries, that the three thorn¬ 
ed acacia is one of the strongest and best of all the varieties of tim¬ 
ber, and is much used in the construction of steam-boats on the 
western waters.f 
It is truly said by artificers in wood, that for many purposes, a 
pound of wood is stronger than a pound of iron. In regard to 
strength, the oak, the shagbark, and the ash, are among the most 
valuable known with us in our climate, and are applied to an infinite 
variety of uses. The ash, though less durable than the oak, is light, 
strong, elastic, and works very smooth, and is therefore very superior 
to oak for a variety of uses ; for the shafts and springs of riding 
carriages particularly. There may be, however, some kinds of wood 
even superior to the ash for all these purposes. I have observed, 
for this last purpose, that the lance wood is lately sometimes used, a 
tree which grows in the West Indies, and is far superior, stronger, 
more fine and elastic, inasmuch as the shafts and springs of chaises 
formed from this material, require but half the volume or thickness 
as ash. Iron and steel could not, for these purposes, supply its 
place. I know that the wood of tropical countries is more solid and 
compact generally than ours, but I hope some new kinds may be 
found in our own extensive country, even far superior to any well 
known variety of our own native timber, and adapted to our climate. 
I have sanguine hopes that the sugar beet culture will succeed 
and flourish with us, as it now does in France. Silk and the sugar 
beet, I learn from the best authority in France, are the all engross¬ 
ing objects of culture at this time and in that country. There, even 
the cake of the beet, which remains after pressure, is stated to be 
worth more for cattle than the roots in their original state,}: be¬ 
ing more condensed and less watery. It is evident that great and 
most decisive improvements have been made in France, which have 
* In the last ten years, the maclura, in our nursery, has been killed, nearly 
to the ground, in at, least eight winters. 
t The wood of the three-thorned acacia is hard, and, ,like the hickory, when 
kept dry, is liable to injured by an insect, whose ravages are termed powder- 
post. In the ground, or in water, it is very durable.— Con. 
; Pound for pound.— Con. 
Vol. IV.— No. I. 
turned the scale entirely, since count Chaptal and Iznard were con- 
cerned in its manufacture. For there, even in that country, its ma¬ 
nufacture could not be sustained, with all the encouragement which 
a protective system and high prices could afford; but then, ac« 
cording to Mr. Iznard, only two pounds of sugar was produced from 
100 pounds of beet root; but now six or seven, or eight pounds, is 
produced; and in Silesia, it is stated, ten pounds are produced from 
100 pounds of roots, which quite alters the case. Sugar, as a food, 
is one of the most nutritious, wholesome and economical of all the 
necessaries of life, inasmuch as the whole tribe of fruits, even the 
refuse of our orchards, however acid and austere, may be converted 
at once into the most palatable and wholesome supplies of food for 
man, by the addition of sugar: also, the most insipid and tasteless 
articles which we consume as our food and our drink. Its antiscep¬ 
tic qualities are well known in the preservation of meats. 
I have great expectations in regard to silk and its culture among 
us. Look but at the improvements already made in its manufacture. 
At Nantucket I have seen the looms which will weave, in a finished 
style, pongees at the rate of two and a half inches in a minute ; and 
those who know the best there, are the most sanguine. We have 
now to carry these same improvements into every branch. It is 
vain to prescribe bounds and to tell where improvements are to stop. 
They must pervade every department, from the commencement of 
the culture, till the perfect fabric is completed; and every invention 
must be sought after to abridge labor, and to overcome its high price 
in our country. I am confident that success will crown our endea¬ 
vors, beyond any reasonable doubt, as in all things else. 
Let me here just state how, by the ingenuity of our citizens and 
their enterprise, we have overcome all obstacles in regard to cotton. 
Even, it is stated at this day, that the spindles of the throwing ma- 
chines for silk in Piedmont, and where the invention first began, 
perform but three or four hundred revolutions in a minute, while in 
England they perform from 1,800 to 3,000 in the same time. But 
the spindles of our machines for cotton in America, which are on 
the same principle, are now made to revolve about 5,000 times in a 
minute. 
Twenty years ago the Waltham manufacturing company put out 
all their cotton yarn to weave in private families, and the cost of 
weaving No. 14 yarn into cloth 37j inches wide, was from eight to 
twelve cents a yards, which is equal to the average price which the 
same goods have sold for the last five years. Now, by improve¬ 
ment in the power loams, the same cloth is wove for 5-8 of a cent a 
yard; and a girl will tend two looms, but occasionally three, and 
each loom will weave of the same quality of cloth, from forty to for¬ 
ty-five yards in a day of twelve hours. The improvements in spin¬ 
ning are even as great at this day at these factories ; a girl tends 
258 spindles, which will spin 1,300,000 yards of No. 14 yarn, in a 
day of twelve hours, [equal to about 700 miles,] which is equal to 
1,548 hanks, or 110 pounds. To do this on hand mathines twenty 
years ago, in twelve hours, would have required upwards of 500 
girls. My authority for these statements is first rate, Dr. Hobbs, 
the agent of the above company. 
Agriculture, commerce and manufactures must all flourish toge¬ 
ther. Our usury laws have conspired to crush our agriculture, and 
to build up manufactures and commerce at its expense. Our usury 
laws have put almost an entire stop to all loans, to any but the citi¬ 
zen on real estate in the country, for any agriculture improvement. 
This important fact I have fully ascertained from the most intelli¬ 
gent sources in the city. It has combined to discourage and drive 
far away our farmers. Their lands will not avail. Many capitalists 
would loan to the farmer on real estates at fair rates, were the law 
repealed. Now, the whole benefit of evading the law is enjoyed by 
our cities, who have the more ample room and space, inasmuch as 
the country is excluded. 
Yery respectfully your friend and humble servant, 
WILLIAM KENRICK. 
LINCOLNSHIRE SHEEP. 
Carmel, Feb. 6th, 1837. 
To Jesse Btjel, Esq. —Believing that you take a deep interest in 
the introduction and dissemination of improved stock, &c. &c., I 
would remark in relation to my Lincoln or Lincolnshire Sheep, of 
which I gave you some account in my former communication. I 
feel very confident that this kind of sheep are much superior to any 
other sheep I have ever seen, and will prove a great acquisition to 
all the mutton producing distficts of our country. They show a 
B 
