The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-20
farm aud 6ardem.
conducted by DR.. THOMAS POLLARD, State
Commissioner of Agriculture
Silk from the Census Focus.
(Continued.)

culture has recently taken up this mat
ter with much interest, and has been in
conference with the Philadelphia Silk
School. Mrs. Lucas paper, read before the
New Jersey State Board, and the exhibit
of cocoons from Philadelphia, suggested
the idea of raising silk at the Expert
ment Stations. The Experiment Station,
1T may be said here, is the practical way
in which our next-door neighbor carries
out her farming ideas and tests them,
under the supervision of experts New
Jersey makes wine already and weaves
silk. She might as well raise silk, too,
it is thought.
But why, asks the rejecting and
otherwise thoughtful reader, need the
,cocoons be sent abroad to be sold, and
this golden fleece sheared by French
hands? Why can they not be kept at
home, seeing that the silk manufacturer
can, or at least could, take all that can
be raised for years to come? That is the
point which is now occupying the minds
of Ser1cuhuriStS-seriously occupying
them; Cocoons and eggs and all that,
they know. They know that the null
berry will grow wherever the apple tree
does, and that the Usage orange does
about as well as the mulberry. They
know that the season begins on the
eleventh of May and lasts six weeks, and
that it is possible by skilfully retarding
some of the eggs, to make two seasons in
the year What they have not vet
reached is the perfection of Keeling, al
though they are experimenting upon it.
The hand-reeling of Italy and France is
an old story. Silk has been reeled by
hand here, and is still, and if the farmers
daughter puts her reeling at the same
price as her knitting or crochet, to fill
up the unemployed time, and not for an
occupation to live by, hand-reeling would
pay to that extent For an extended
business the great failures are needed,
where American cocoons can be reeled
at home, by machinery, the only thing
that can come into competition with the
cheap day labor of the Italians, French,
and Japanese hand:reelers. A young
American engineer is at this time in
France, experimenting on the reeling of
silk by electricity, which is the motive
power destined to tighten labor as well
as streets. This is the one missing link
that is needed to complete the chain be-
tween Horstmanns fringes and ribbons
and the New Jersey silk dress goods and
handkerchiefs, the Connecticut sewing
silks, ETC., and the cocoon racks in Amer
lean farm-houses. The Philadelphia
School, that has done so much in gather
ing up these threads of detail and in
sending out its cocoons and instruction
over the country, is a real credit to the
city and the State.
Cultivation of Sorghum.
We extract the following from cir
oular issued by G. S. Bell, manufacturer
of Sorghum Machinery, Hillsboro, Ohio,
on the cultivation and management OF
Sorghum:
"The proper time of planting is the
same as for corn. The seed may be
tested before planting by placing in a
cloth and burying it in the earth-near
the stove to keep warm. The land
should be prepared as for corn; 81 feet
each way if marked in check-rows. The
amount of seed required is about two
pounds per acre. Plant shallow-say
one-half inch covering, or even less, and
on common level. Plant about ter
seeds, and at the second hoeing thin Out
to five or six stalks. If planted more
thickly the yield will not be as large Of
the quality as good. Keep free from
weeds. AS soon as the row can be fol
lowed the soil should be stirred abou
the hills. If large field, special car,
should be taken that the shoots be no
swamped with weeds, or serious injury
will be done. From the first appearance,
OF the shoots until they are about thre
feet high is the time to make the crop
1t should be cultivated same as corn
The crop may then be safely left t,
make itself. The suckers should be KEEP
down, as they sap the strength of tn
cane
The cane should be cut when the geec
is ripe; usually this will be about tn
first Of September. 1t is better to worl
up the cane as soon as possible after cut
ting 1t is best to strip the cane on tn
hill, IT wanted for immediate use. an,
cut without delay after stripping; for
left to stand after it is stripped the can
will lose itssaccharine properties Wber
a severe frost is threatened the Gro
should be cut without stripping and laid
with leaves on, in windrows. Anotbe
plan is to lay down, say three hills, sid
by side, cover these crosswise with tbre
hills, and so on, until they make a pil
say q feet high. This raises the butt
highest las the pile nears cornrletior tb