The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-22
YHE FARM AND HOME.
A HALF-HCUR WITH AGRICUL-
TURAL EXCHANGES,
Something About tho Silk Worm Mulberry
Breaking COlt-Mulching in Winter
Raising Onions-Farm and
Stock Notes.
The Silk-Worm Mulberry.


give proper guarantee that they will
cultivate them for the purpose speci-
fed. The association started right at
first, by deciding on the use of the
Morus alba, the white mulberry, as the
proper one for the purpose, and they
have adhered to the sending out of
this one alone, despite the we'll
meant but mistaken advice Of some
persons to use the multicaulis, or
some other one differing from the
alba. 1t is said that the silk from
worms fed on the leaves of the multi
caulis is finer than that from those fed
on the alba. While this may be so, it is
well known to those familiar with the
subject that multicaulis-fed worms do
not long continue healthy. This was
why the industry came to an end
many years ago, when the craze
known to Philadelphians as the "mul-
ticaulis fever" ragged. Though there
were many who went into the business
from excitement alone, believing that
it offered u large field for great profits,
there was nothing then to prevent its
paying fair profit, excepting that the
wrong kind of mulberry was used.
There was something in the multicau-
lis which did not agree with the
worms. They sickened and died, and
this it was which brought the business
to an end. The explanation given for
the lack of fitness of the plant was,
that as it was but variety and not a
true species, it could not be raised
from seeds, but had to be increased by
cuttings and layers. The excessive
propagation the demand called for so
weakened the plants that they became
slckly, and thus caused lack of health
in the worms; and no doubt this was
the cause of failure. The mulberry
now used is raised from seeds, which
1nsures healthy tree to start with.
The stripping of the leaves to feed the
worms, OF course Injuries the trees to
some extent. The wisest way is to
set out enough trees, that one set can
be left entirely alone every other year.
Even then the trees in use should only
he partially stripped, as, if wholly
defoliated, it is almost death to them.
Usage orange leaves can be fed to the
silk-worm, but are not to be recon-
NEEDED, as they produce coarse silk.
AS said above, the common white
mulberry, Morus alba, has been found
the best OF all trees that have been
tried.
Onions.
lake one year with another the
onion crop is about as profitable a.
crop as the small farmer or the
market gardener can grow. The
market gardener, however, would not
grow them in the Same way nor sell
them in the some condition that the
small farmer would. He would raise
small onion sets and these he would
pull and dry and early the next spring
ne would set them out in rows. He
would commence pulling these for
market and sell them in bunches Just
as soon as they began to form small
bulbs and would probably have them
all sold before they were ripe. Onions
grown and sold in this form have
been known to bring from $500 to
$1,000 for the product of an acre. But
then there is large charge for labor
to balance against this income
Small farmers, even at consider
able distance from market, can grow
ripe onions, with profit, if all the con-
ditions and the management are cor
rect. One Of the fundamental condi-
tions is, good rich SOIL If it be rich
1t does not make a great deal of differ
ence what its classification is. We
have seen splendid crops, yielding 400
to 800 bushels to the acre produced on
quite light sandy loan. and we have
seen them equally large grown on a
deep swamp muck. The two indis-
pensable requisites are fertility and
tineness. 1t is not requisite that it
should be mellow to great depth,
but the upper three inches should be
OF very fine filth.
Breaking Colt.