STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 253 



ounces of eggs and twelve pounds of cocoons, after being perforated by 

 the hatching of the moths. These, at four dollars an ounce for the eggs 

 and seventy-five cents a pound for the cocoons (export prices), would be 

 worth two hundred and foi'ty-nine dollars. At this rate the product of 

 an acre would bring nine hundred and ninety-six dollars. This is an 

 exceptional year — the worst ever known for the business in California. 

 Skilled Chinese labor can be obtained for one dollar per day. The cost 

 of cultivating an acre of two-year-old trees and picking and feeding the 

 same to the worms from four ounces of eggs would not exceed two hun- 

 dred dollars. This would make seven hundred and ninety-six dollars as 

 the clear profit of one acre the second year. The labor being light and 

 pleasant, can be participated in by the different members of a family, 

 and all completed within sixty days, leaving the balance of the year for 

 other pursuits." 



T. B. Flint, of Sacramento, fed the worms from a little less than three 

 ounces of French eggs, picking his leaves from the trees on an acre of 

 land. Some of the trees were four years old; most of them, however, 

 were but two years. He produced two hundred and eighty ounces of 

 eggs and forty-eight pounds of perforated cocoons. He has sold one 

 hundred ounces of his eggs at six dollars per ounce, and is holding the 

 balance for more. Put them at five dollars, the price for which they 

 have been sold this year by me, to go to Europe, and his receipts would 

 be, for eggs, one thousand four hundred dollars ; and for cocoons, thirty- 

 six dollars; total, one thousand four hundred and thirty-six dollars. 

 Deducting expenses of feeding — one hundred and seventy-five dollars — 

 and the clear profits are, from one acre of land, one thousand two hun- 

 dred and sixty-one dollars. I could name many other instances where 

 the successes of this year's operation in this business have been equally 

 encouraging. 



It may be said that these are isolated cases. We will admit it; and 

 will reply that had we all succeeded in the production of eggs as well as 

 the parties above named, and there is no doubt we would have done so 

 but for the artificial causes heretofore mentioned, every egg produced 

 could have been sold to France and Italy for four dollars and fifty cents 

 to five dollars per ounce. In proof of this proposition, besides the offer 

 for my whole product above mentioned, 1 have had a number of parties 

 from Europe, on their way to Japan, call on me for eggs, saying they 

 would prefer the California product, if they could be procured. They 

 all say that as soon as California can supply them thej r will no longer 

 go to Japan, but will send their orders to us. 



All we want, then, to secure this immense and profitable trade, is to 

 produce the eggs and let Europe know her orders can be filled. I 

 received a call from Dr. Tryski, of the Agricultural Department of 

 Austria, a few days since, on his return from Japan, where he had been 

 as a Commissioner on behalf of the Austrian Government, to investigate 

 the silk business. The particular object of the Commission under his 

 charge was to learn the nature of a malady in Japan that threatens to 

 cut off the supply of eggs from that country. He states that of all 

 cocoons set aside for eggs in Japan this year, from thirty to seventy-five 

 per cent, were lost, and that the number of eggs produced was from 

 thirty to seventy-five per cent, less this year than common. As a con- 

 sequence, the eggs commanded from four dollars and fifty cents to five 

 dollars per ounce. Notwithstanding this high price, there had been 

 shipped from that country to Europe, before he left, one million three 



