STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 19 



this time on silk culture became famous in Greece and neighboring 

 countries. Venice ruled the silk trade from India, Pha?nicia, and 

 Persia. The Arabs brought silk culture to Sjjain duriug tlu* eighth 

 century. In 1180 it was introduced intt» Sicily, Florence. Bologne, 

 and Milan. In the fifteenth and sixteenth century Venice ruled the 

 silk trade. 



Tlie first inulljerry-trees were ))lanted in France, in 1268, A.I).. 

 and in 1845 we find silk manui'actoi'ies in Marseilles and Mont- 

 pellier; and through the aid of Louis XI silk culture became an 

 established fact. In 1(367 France ruled in silk industries. Through 

 the fearful night of Bartholomew and the flight of the Huguenots 

 silk culture spread all over the Furopean continent. By digging 

 deeper in history we may find that even one or more of these heroes 

 gave the very first impulse to silk culture in America. 



Silk culture seems to have l)een first introduced into Germany 

 about the tenth century. In 1580, Breslau had over forty manufac- 

 tories for raw silk. Frederick the Great became the leader of silk 

 culture, and had it taught in the public schools. Every school- 

 house had a mulberry orchard. I remember when a boy that our 

 teachers taught us silk culture. But the vSeven-year war, the Napo- 

 leonic war, destroyed this great industry in Germany. 



In 1874, according to statistics: 



Cliina produced 7.360,000 lbs. raw silk. 



Italy „ 5,720,000 



France 1,402,000 



.Japan „ 1,100,000 



Calcutta „ .s.jO.OOO 



Persia and nei.c;lil)orins: States ])roduced 800,000 „ 



European Turkey produced 738.000 „ „ 



Spain „ 280,000 



Asiatic Turkey „ 340 000 



Greece , 20,000 



In all 18,678,000 ll)s. raw silk. 



Now we come to the United States. Before my time here, an 

 attempt was made to introduce silk culture. If we had had proper 

 teachers, if the inflow of gold from (California, the o])ening of the 

 Western Territories, now States, had not aroused our i)e()}>le to such 

 profitable results, silk culture would have been a fact here. So it 

 went to sleep like Rip Van Winkle, and awoke again through the 

 emigration of the hunted Mennonites, and the many noble (Quaker 

 women of Phihidelphia, the founders of Silkville, and the talents of 

 men like Prof. Crozier, Thiessen and others. We find that attempts 

 have l)een made all over the country, even at Normal, by noble 

 women to grow silk. 



I prophecy that in the future America will he the leading silk- 

 producing country. So far, we have liad to rely mostly upon the 

 osage orange leaves as food for the silk-worm; a very inferior food 

 and very troublesome to gather. And now conies in the help and 



