26<3 fi silk rearing in Scotland,. jiprily%i. 



SILK REARING IN SCOTLAND. 

 In answer to the queries of many respectable correspon- 

 dents concerning the rearing of silk, worms in Scotland, I 

 beg leave to inform them, that this important object has 

 never been lost sight of by me, but has been merely post- 

 poned, till I could give them some useful information, not 

 merely extracted from books, which are, in general, not to 

 be implicitly relied on in cases of this sort. 1 (hould con- 

 sider it as a crime of great magnitude, if, under the idea of 

 benefiting persons who have little to lose, I (liould heedlefs- 

 ly induce them to engage in hopelefs experiments, in which^, 

 be.'.ides the lofs of time, considerable expence might per- 

 haps be incurred. For these reasons, however anxious I 

 aiay be to promote the general introduction of this busi- 

 ncfs, I fliall ever proceed with caution, so as to avoid exci- 

 ting hopes that may lead to premature exertions. 



The great bar that stands in the way of the general in- 

 troduction of that manufacture into this, country in a fliort 

 time, is the difficulty of procuring mulberry leaves in abun- 

 dance. The voracious silk worms devour an inconc.-iivable 

 quantity of food, in proportion to their size. And though 

 mulberry plants can be reared in great abundance from 

 seeds, and though these plants will thrive very well in this 

 country, yet that is a Ihrub of such slow growth, that it must 

 be a good many years before a great many leaves could be got 

 from young plants. Without relaxing in the culture of 

 the mulberry, therefore, which, if once establiihed, would 

 continue to thrive for ever, ;I have been anxious to dis- 

 t over some metliod by which we might sooner get for- 

 ward. 



In the course o£ these intjuiries I have found out two 

 ainds of mulbjuries, not as yet known ia- Europe, which ag- 



