STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. _ 125 



The committee are glad to learn that a market for silkworm eggs has 

 been opened up in Europe, which will probably require all the eggs that 

 can be produced in this State for years to come, at remunerative prices. 

 The demand for the eggs in Europe is owing to the well known fact that 

 the silk worms cannot be reproduced from eggs grown there, on account 

 of the disease peculiar to those countries. Of late years tbey have had 

 to look to Japan for a supply of eggs, which can as well be produced 

 here, and those of a superior quality. While your committee would 

 not ignore any one of the exhibitors in this* department, they felt called 

 upon to make the foregoing statements for the encouragement of those 

 who are now small growers, and others who may be contemplating 

 going into the silk industry, but who are still in doubt of the final 

 results. We find L. Provost still at the post of honor, making a fine 

 exhibition of the silk business in all its departments, up to the manu- 

 facture. All other exhibitors, in honor to the pioneer, having withdrawn 

 their claims to the premium offered by your society, we award said 

 premium of fifty dollars to him. 



In this connection the committee remark: William Holdman has 

 secured a patent for the production of silk from the bark of the mul- 

 berry tree, and an agent has arrived in California to form a company 

 for the establishment of a factory to work on the new plan. The 

 yearling branches are cut in the late winter or early spring, before the 

 sap has commenced to rise, and are steamed for half an hour, to loosen 

 the bark, which is then detached, and steeped for several days in a solu- 

 tion of potash. This dissolves and disintegrates the nonfibrons portion 

 of the material, and the bark is washed to cleanse the fibre, which is next 

 boiled in potash ley, washed in warm and in cold water, boiled in a solu- 

 tion of alum, one pound in six gallons of water, dried, and finally 

 combed for spinning. This is the whole process as patented, and it is 

 cheap and simple. We have seen a sample of silk represented to have 

 been made b}' this method, and it has a fine fibre, five inches long, of 

 regular thickness and of £Ood color and lustre. We were informed that 

 very little silk has been made in this wa}*, probably not an ounce in all, 

 and we are unable to present any statement of the amount of silk that 

 can be made from a ton of mulberry twigs, or of the cost of production. 



All of which is respectfully submitted, 



W. R. CLUNESS, 

 A. B. NIXON, 

 J. S. HARBISON, 

 COL. WARREN, 



Committee. 



