132 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 4 



of the tree ; such a gallant sight to behold, it ravished 

 the Spectators, and their Mistris joy was crowned with 

 excess of happiness herein and hereby, apparently find- 

 ing the incomparable felicity this would prove to her 

 dearly beloved Virginia, (for so you must give her 

 leave to call it,) for she concluded, and so must all you, 

 that this being thus effected in England, how much 

 more with assured confidence will the wormes live, feed, 

 and spin in Virginia ? she upon serious and due con- 

 sideration of this thing, gave God hearty and humble 

 thanks." All of which means that, although it was 

 customary then, as now, to feed worms on picked 

 leaves, the worms will nevertheless live and thrive, 

 under congenial conditions, upon the tree itself ! 



A book of such prophetic tendencies must, of 

 course, end in poetry. The first georgic, written by 

 John Ferrar, is dedicated to "the most Noble, Virginian 

 natural Silk -Worm her wonderful, various, plentiful 

 food ; The infinite, speedy, great wealth she will pro- 

 duce to her protectors ; (in 45. days the time of her 

 feeding) with small labour, cost, or skill, (learnt in an 

 houres space by any child.) The singular aptness of 

 that rare Superlative Climate, in Breeding them on so 

 many several kinds of Trees in her Woods where they 

 live, Feed and Spin, their mighty large, strange, 

 double -bottoms [cocoons] of Silk : To the admiration 

 of this our Old World ; but to the exaltation and glory 

 of incomparable Virginia, in the New." 



******* 



"Many a man the causes faine would heare, 

 How these rare Worms came first or still come there. 

 Insects produced are by heat and moisture 

 Who in strange shapes and formes do oft appeare. 



