256 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



SILK CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 



By L. PREYOST, of San Josf. 



I. N. HoAG, Esq., 



Secretary State Board of Agriculture : 



Dear Sir : — In accordance with your request, I herewith inclose 3'ou 

 for publication a brief statement of some of the principal facts coming 

 under my observation concerning silk culture in California. The limited 

 space in your annual report to which I feel I am only entitled, because 

 of the gi'cat number of industries upon which you must treat, will not 

 allow of the elaborate statements of interesting facts which I have col- 

 lected during several years practical experiment in the culture of the 

 silkworm; but I ma}', perhaps, hej'ein, although in a desultory manner, 

 give statements of fact which shall serve to direct public attention to an 

 industry which is destined to occupy a large place among the agricul- 

 tural enterprises of the Pacific States. 



Arriving in California in eighteen hundred and forty-nine, my atten- 

 tion Avas attracted at n!i earl}^ day to the very favorable phenomena of 

 climate for the silk culture; but as there were neither silkworm eggs, 

 nor mulberi'y leaves on which to feed the worm, obtainable, some years 

 ela])sed before I had the requisite food. In eighteen hundred and tifty- 

 three or four. I obtained from Henry Hentsch, Esq.. of San Francisco, a 

 small quantity of mulberr}' seed, which he had obtained fi-om France 

 expressly for me, and these seeds in a few j'ears having produced trees 

 of sufficient size, I then applied to the same gentleman to have him pro- 

 cure me some silkworm eggs. These Mr. Hentsch procured for me 

 from China; but the eygs were bad, oi* spoiled on the voyage, none of 

 them incubating. By the kindness of the same gentleman, another lot 

 was obtained fi-om China, whicli also ])roved on trial to be worthless. 

 Somewhat discouraired at these failures to obtain ciji-us which would 

 hatch, I desti'oyed a large portion of niy mulberrv trees, having other 

 use for the ground. In a further conversation with Mi'. Hentsch, he 

 suggested that he would pi-ocure some eirgs fi-om France. On the 

 receipt of these. I had the satisfaction of finding that they came in good 

 order, and, on trial, hatched satisfactorily. At this time a Mr Miller, a 

 competent silk grower, ha'ppened to be with me, and assisted in the hatch- 

 ing and feeding the first lot of worms. These produced very superior 

 cocoons. Samples of these I forwarded to some of the largest silk grow- 

 ing establishments in France, wliich after examination wei'e ]ii"onounced 

 of very sui)erior quality. This was in eighteen hundred and sixty. 



