478 [Senate 



the spring, too early for the mulberry; she gave them currant and lettuce 

 leaves, and afterwards the mulberry ; they fed seven or eight weeks, 

 and viTound well. 



President. I remarked yesterday that we once hatched eggs in 

 abundance. Now our experiment in the cellar was to avoid frost, 

 supposing it might destroy worm's eggs as well as hen's. 



Mr. Pierce. I use Gill's cradle, and think much of it. I leave 

 out the bottom of the trough ; think it a great improvement ; some 

 of the worms at first fall through, but can be picked up without inju- 

 ry ; I did not use a pail full of water this season, and succeeded pretty 

 well — better than last year. 



Mr. Church. Did you ever rock them ? And what per cent did 

 you lose ? 



Mr. Pierce. Probably not five per cent, and only by accident — 

 stepped on, &c. I have not found any benefit from rocking. 



Mr. Barhour. So far as I know there has not been a single failure 

 this season in the new school. We have old school and new, in silk, 

 as in politics, theology, philosophy, and every thing else. The new 

 school give the pure air of heaven. No failures — some mishaps. Mr. 

 J. Bolton made 800 pounds good fair quality of cocoons. I spent a 

 night with him eight weeks ago. About six persons, within six or 

 eight miles of me, have made three, four, seven and eight bushels. I 

 sold eggs to a lady, who raised eight bushels of beautiful cocoons ; 

 she spoiled them by home reeling. A few weeks since I went to Vir- 

 ginia, and I visited Loudon, Prince William and Fairfax counties. It 

 is well known that a tide of emigration has been flowing from the 

 river counties of this State. For ten or fifteen years, German fami- 

 lies from Pennsylvania have gone into Loudon county, and taken up 

 farms. They have resuscitated those worn out lands ; shallow til- 

 lage had led to their abandonment. Now, after deep plowing, with 

 a good crop of clover turned in, they yield well. I found Gen. Van 

 Ness, of Washington, preparing twenty acres of trees (mulberry) five 



miles from Washington, where he intends reeling. Mr. M , of 



Alexandria, has raised forty or fifty bushels of cocoons this year; good 

 quality. I met several persons from different parts of Virginia, and 

 west, who raise silk. Before I left home I had a letter from Mr. 

 Gardener, of Lexington, Ky. Cocoons are produced there, but they 

 have no market, and choose to sell cocoons and not reel them. They 

 think they can grow a bushel of cocoons as easily as a bushel of corn, 

 in open feeding, and think the labor and expense is thus reduced at 

 least one half. All that is necessary is accurate and reliable information. 



President. I will make a single remark with diffidence, not know- 

 ing that it is correct. The morus multicaulis, in low, warm land, is 

 altogether a different thing from what it is in high situations. The 

 leaves are large on the one, and small on the other. Another remark : 

 If we let another tree, of similar character, grow as fast as the multi- 

 caulis will, in a favorable situation, it will be winter killed. This is 

 the cause of the winter killing of trees. Now^ the theory is, that the 

 sap is thawed and put in motion by late warm weather ; and the coH 

 weather bursts the finer vessels of the circulation. Take an example. 



