496 [Senate 



genuine Canton and Asiatic are the earliest in foliage, and the least 

 injured by severe winters. Although an early crop of worms may 

 be, and probably is the best, yet there may be a necessity of later 

 feeding, where the foliage is cut off by early frosts. In such cases, 

 or when worms are prematurely hatched, the use of dry leaves pre- 

 served, pulverized,' moistened, and given them, will answer the pur- 

 pose of green foliage. {Prohatum est.) At any time, should sud- 

 den cold or damp weather occur, the worms would bear a little artifi- 

 cial heat without any injury. 



Our soil and climate are admirably adapted to the production of 

 silk of superior quality, which sells for $5 per pound, while the for- 

 eign article may be had for $4 or $4.50, and sometimes less. To 

 promote and aid the culture of silk, some legislative bounty is requi- 

 site to encourage beginners in the new and untried business of silk cul- 

 ture. A bounty, together with the ingenuity, skill and perseverance 

 of Americans, would enable us to compete with the cheap labor and 

 cheap living of any nation. Three thousand worms have been con- 

 sidered the average number requisite to produce a pound of silk ; but 

 2,000 to 2,400 of the pea-nut variety, well fed, have done the same ; 

 yet of the Chinese variety the cocoons are so small, (not one-quarter as 

 large as ours, and withal thin and soft,) that some 10,000 or 12,000 

 may be required to produce a pound of silk, as has been seen and 

 tried in the Sandwich Islands. Mr. Titcomb, a silk grower in one of 

 the islands, crossed the Chinese with the American, and foi^nd that 

 the cocoons were yet so small as to require from 5,000 to 6,000 to pro- 

 duce one pound of silk ; while of the American, 3,000 would do the 

 same thing. It is the opinion of gentlemen of high standing that 

 America may and will become a silk growing country. One gentle- 

 man, who presides over one of our oldest and most eminent literary 

 institutions, under date of June, 1844, writes me : " If this earnest 

 waking up to a scientific and practical consideration of the subject, 

 - (silk culture) is not soon crowned with signal success, it will not be for 

 want of enterprise or skill in our countrymen, but merely from the 

 high price of labor here compared with the scanty wages given in 

 other silk growing countries ; even this consideration, though it might 

 retard for a while the complete success of this department of produc- 

 tive industry, will not prevent its ultimate triumph." Another gentle- 

 man, under date of August, 1844, writes from the far west : " That 

 the soil and climate of the west and southwestern States are admira- 

 bly suited to the growth of mulberry, and rearing silk- worms, and 

 that eventually, the two great staples of the western and southwestern 

 States will be silk and wool." Some silk growers are sanguine in the 

 opinion that the whole mulberry patch (except the roots) may be an- 

 nually used up for valuable purposes ; it has been done by other na- 

 tions, and if. we cannot do it we forget our character for enterprise. 

 I allude to the use of the after foliage of the mulberry, and the bark 

 of the annual sprouts ; the former for making paper, and the bark for 

 manufacturing fabrics ; both have been made in France, and Mons. 

 De Lapiere obtained a gold medal for the production ; paper has been 



