CROPS. 489 



and transformations which it has to pass through in the various 

 objects of art of which it constitutes a part. Indeed, it would 

 be difficult to name any single article which plays a more 

 important part in an industrial, economical, and commercial 

 view. 



The earliest production of silk is attributed to the Chinese, 

 but the particular date of its origin is lost in the obscurity of 

 remote history. There are many other worms which, in the 

 curious transformations through which they pass, involve them 

 selves, preparatory to their emerging into a new form of being, 

 in a cocoon formed of the finest tissue. But it is the silk-worm, 

 or, as it is sometimes called, the mulberry-worm, alone which 

 furnishes a material of sufficient firmness to be converted into 

 cloth. 



The production of silk in France is now carried to a great 

 extent. Four years ago it was estimated at 1.200,000 kilo 

 grams, or about 2,640,000 pounds of raw silk per annum. The 

 last year it was reported to have doubled itself, but, if this 

 should be an exaggerated statement, the production may yet be 

 set down as having vastly increased ; and, in a peaceful condition 

 of the country, is likely still more to extend itself. It affords the 

 means of living to many persons, who must otherwise be with 

 out resource. In many parts of this culture, the hands of chil 

 dren avail as much as those of men and women, and thus the 

 industry of whole families is set in motion. 



The silk-culture has generally been considered as limited to a 

 hot climate, and some have maintained that it belonged exclu 

 sively to countries in which the vine could be successfully culti 

 vated. The silk made in temperate climates, and even in the 

 mountainous parts of hot countries, where the temperature is 

 moderate, is esteemed better than that produced in very hot 

 countries. It is difficult to prescribe the exact limits of this 

 production. The mulberry will grow in very liigh latitudes: 

 but in such cases, it is liable to be killed by the severe frosts of 

 winter, and it is indispensable that the season should be long 

 enough, after the first defoliation, for the mulberry-tree to renew 

 and perfect its leaves. The worms require a mild and temperate 

 climate ; for though they have been grown or reared in rooms 

 where the temperature is, properly speaking, artificial, yet the 

 expense and trouble attending such arrangements are a serious 



