INTRODUCTION. J 5 



the most happy results: the frequent feeding of the worms, and 

 their perfect uniformity, ought to commence at their hatching, and be 

 maintained with care during the continuance of their feeding. I now 

 consider these two customs, as acquired in the serigene industry, 

 (silk culture,) as an indispensable means of success. I have taken 

 the idea from a short memoir of P. d'Entrecolles, published by P. 

 Duhalde. Struck with this unexpected result, and seeing that the 

 abridged work of the learned missionary left many things to desire, I 

 have thought it necessary to have recourse to the Chinese Authors 

 themselves, to obtain more precise and complete information of the 

 silk worms and mulberry trees. I thought I ought to make the re- 

 quest of the Minister of Commerce and Agriculture to have two 

 chapters of a great Chinese work translated, which treats this double 

 question in a new and profound manner.* 



The Minister of Commerce felt all the importance of a publi- 

 cation destined to improve one of our richest branches of industry, 

 and in order to prove his solicitude, he is eager to have the transla- 

 tion of the Chinese book printed at the expense of Government, for 

 distribution ; afterwards to the cultivators of silk, and the agricultu- 

 rists, who will find there the elements of new experience and useful 

 improvements. 



To be assured whether the methods contained in this Treatise are 

 improved since its publication, which goes back nearly a century, M. 

 Martin (of the North) conceived the happy idea of sending a copy of 

 the manuscript Translation to M. Louis Hebert, one of my scholars, 

 whom Government sent a year ago upon the coasts of China, with 

 the special design of studying the methods of those countries, and of 

 bringing back any precious varieties of mulberry trees and silk 

 worms, which may be unknown to us. 



This translation has been confided to Mr. Stanislas Julien, member 

 of the Institute, and professor of the Chinese language and literature, 



* The translation of the Treatise on the raising of Silk Worms, has been made 

 in virtue of a decision of M. Passey, the 23d of August, 1836 : This is M. Martin, 

 (of the North,) actual Minister of Commerce and Agriculture, who has charged M. 

 St. Julien to translate the Treatise on the Cultivation of Mulberry Trees. 



(C. B.) 



