500 ^ [Senate 



tempt ; it is therefore only necessary to add, that it disappointed 

 both the feeder and myself. The other was reserved for myself, and 

 the result more than met my expectations, being wholly unacquainted 

 with the business. A full remuneration for the labor and other out- 

 lays were not among my most sanguine thoughts, of course I am not 

 greatly disappointed — still I may, I think, truly say, that had the 

 other feeding succeeded as well as that under my own care, although 

 no profit would have been realized, an encouraging return would have 

 been made. Three ounces of eggs were hatched, and the worms car- 

 ried through, feeding principally without loss, except at the time of 

 winding, when the weather was extremely cold and unfavorable : 

 notwithstanding, I had two hundred pounds of good cocoons from 

 three ounces hatched. It is deemed unnecessary to trouble the con- 

 vention with detail, and I will therefore only subjoin the result of my 

 observation and experience from this feeding, and what has been done, 

 and is now doing in other countries not so well situated probably as 

 our own. I have therefore come to the conclusion, that with the in- 

 telligence and means practiced there, silk may be made an advanta- 

 geous crop even in Massachusetts. The culture of silk in France was 

 established by the bounty of government, and is now a source of great 

 national, as well as individual wealth. Nothing is hazarded in saying, 

 if it is established here, it must be done by the united effort of gov- 

 ernment and individuals. Since the discontinuance of the bounty, 

 thousands of mulberry trees have been dug up in this and neighbor- 

 ing towns; and without prompt action on the part of the Legislature, 

 thousands now are destined to the same fate. 



(The above, as will be seen, was addressed to the N. E. Silk Con- 

 vention. The letter of this gentleman to the National Convention, is 

 of great length, and as a part of it is a recapitulation of the above, it 

 has been omitted. A. C, V. E.) 



It was my design to feed three broods of worms in succession, so 

 as to have the last brood wind up by the middle of August. In ac- 

 cordance with this plan, I took three ounces of eggs from the cellar, 

 when the temperature was 54° Fahrenheit, placed them in a room 

 where it was 60° on the 13th of May; on the 17th, removed them to 

 a room where the temperature was regulated by artificial heat, and 

 ranged from 62° to 73*^ until the 27th, when the hatching commenc- 

 ed— 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st, all hatched or nearly so. While the 

 temperature was at 70° or over, the young worms were active, but 

 became somewhat torpid when it was 64° — ranged from 65° to 70° 

 until the 3d of June, when the whole were placed in the cocoonery. 

 On the 4th, temperature down to 46°, worms quite torpid, supposed 

 it all over with them, but revived on the 5th when it was 70°, and 

 went through perfect moulting, perfectly healthy — continued so 

 through the 2d, 3d, and 4th, — changed them after each moulting ex- 

 cepting those put into the cradles, which were placed there immedi- 

 ately after the third moulting, and were not again changed. Some 

 hundreds of the worms fell into the troughs of the cradles when first 

 put into them : supposing them to be lost, no notice was taken of 

 them till the third day, when it was deemed necessary to wash them 



