The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1826-05-11
THE YracticaA Warmer.

The Practical EarMer.
The National Gazette of the 25th Sept.
1925, contains several communications read
at the late stated meeting of the Philadelphia
Society for promoting Agrculture--wc give
the folowing:-
A letter from Abraham Sharples,, of the
Pennsylvania Sitting Mills, Delaware coun-
", to Roberts Vaux, dated October 10, 1925,
on the spontaneous combustion OF hay, In the
NOW Of "a barn belonging to VIM. Painter, OF
Delaware country. The grass was cut III
the forenoon from the 9th to the Goth OF June,
and was hauded in fon the afternoons OF
the days it was cut. On the 9th Sept. black
smoke was observed to issue from the NOV,
the diner sions of which were 40 feeG by Is
or 90, aid so feet deep; the quantity OF hay
estimated at 80 tons. Upon cutting down 8
feet, the men came to the FIRE, which was
followed down to within three feet of the
bottom of the NOV. The column on fire
was about ten feet in diameter, and the hay
within this space was completely charred.
In the centre of the column, there was
quantity of ashes.
"The question is asked, will the sap of the
grass so heat it as to take fire in a close
mow?" One particular is deficient In the
account, which is the species of grass from
which the hay in question is made.-From
the specimen, however of the charred hay
exhibited to the Society, it appears that the
crops consisted chiefly of red clover, (the
most juicy grass we cutivate) with small
mixture of timothy and green grass. There
can be no hesitation therefore in answering
the query.
The sap remaining in the grass, after the
partial curing adopted, and the immense
mass in one NOV, are sufficient TO account
for the generation and extrication of caloric,
to the extent of combustion.-Mr Painter is
rot of this opinion. and thinks that the hay,
before being housed, must have been wet
If so, it would seem that the fact could be
easily ascertaned: but it is not necessary to
suppose that anv rain had fallen upon the
hay. White and red clover, when made in
to hav, have taken fire, and flame actually
produced both in stacks and barns, even
when more fully cured and after having
been longer put up, tnan that OF Mr.. Pam
ter's. Refcrence is here aade to particular
cases communicated 70 iae writer. l,e
plan he constantly adopted to prevent the
occurrence was to mix wheat straw as even
" as possible with the hay, when slowing
away Isl e,her barn or stack, and to sprnk e
sal. over every layer. In this way, also, the
quantity OF sustcnance " as increased, tor the
straw absorded the succulence frcm tho pa :
TALLY cured hay, (Which consisted OF red clo-
yer and o chard grass) and the cattle il tie
barayard in winter, would sometimes leave
the hav and cat the straw. In the Philadel-
phia Agricultural Almanac for the year 1913.
this subject is discussed, and it is believed,
In a sat.sf4ctor; manner.
A communication from DR. Mease, en- the
manufacture of sewing silk in the town
(township) of Mansfield Windham county,
Conn. the result of a late visit thereto. This
business has long engaged the attention of
che farmers in Mansfield. The making
there of 20olbs sewing silk in the year 1889,
is recorded among the articles of ntelli-
gence in the Columbian Magazine of Phia-
delpha for January, 1870; and in the late
Mr. 7. Coxe's interesting and able Digest
of the Arts and Manufactures ofthe United
States, from the reports Of the Marshals EN-
ployed in taking the census of the year 1910,
the value Of the sewing silk and raw silk in
Windham county, was estimated at S27 ,373,
that of N. London and Tolland counties was
S1128. 1t would be within bounds to say,
that at present, from the continued and in
creased attention to this culture, the value
OF the silk produced is double that of the
year 1920. Two kinds of silk worms are
bred, one of which "a superior sort) produce
two crops annually. Theproft of the bust
ness, which is chiefly attended to by females,
is greater than that Of regular agriculture
The excellence OF the silk ensures a ready
sale of it to the storekecpers, who at IA liber-
al price take it in barter for Their goods, and
find no difficulty in dsposing OF it in the
sea ports of New England, and in the city
of New-York. 1t is dyed o. tAe snot, of the
most beautiful and substal.tiaI colors, by q
regular artist. From the waste SILK, anc
that from the seed-cocoons, neat and sub
stantia clothing and stockings are made.