IS6 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



produced excellent reeled silk ; and wlien it becomes possible to 

 establish a market for dried cocoons in Europe and Asia, the Italians 

 will doubtless enter as largely into the business as their means will 

 permit. These worthy people had been accustomed to silk culture in 

 Italy, and were more than surprised at the ease with which the silk- 

 worm can be reared here compared with the difficulties at home. A 

 lady, resident in Sydney, who takes a great interest in the estab- 

 lishment of sericulture in this Colony, recently obtained some reeled 

 silk from New Italy and forwarded it to the well-known silk manu- 

 facturer. Prat Salle, Villeurbonne Rhone, near Lyons. In order that 

 the best opinion respecting this silk might be given, the services 

 of an expert were obtained. The report sent was to this effect : — 

 ''This silk loses a little less than our own silk in its manufacture, not 

 quite such a good quality as the best French silk, but it is a little less 

 nervous, and it would be intermediate between the silk of the Cevennes 

 and the silk of Japan. What you sent me was too little to judge 

 what we could give per kilo. For the silk reeled which you sent me 

 the price, net, would perhaps be 38 francs per kilo. I hope your 

 efforts will be successful in the splendid enterprise of the production 

 of silk. The silk carried well and was clean and regular." 



One of the settlers at New Italy succeeded, after wonderful per- 

 severance, in erecting a small silk hand-loom with its various appli- 

 ances, and has manufactured small pieces of silk fabric from the 

 cocoons raised at the settlement, which is the first, as far as is known, 

 that has been manufactured in Australia. 



Some two years ago an association was formed in Sydney under 

 the energetic management of Mrs. Sanger Evans, termed the Women's 

 Silk Growing Association, having for its objects the growing of the 

 mulberry, the production of silk, and the raising of fruits and vege- 

 tables, to be managed and worked as far as possible by women. 

 Some land was purchased at Wyee, near the railway line from Sydney 

 to Newcastle, and about 1,000 mulberries were planted recently. 

 Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to determine the success or other- 

 wise of this philanthropic association. 



In consequence of an exhaustive report on Sericulture in New 

 South Wales, published by direction of the Minister for Mines and 

 Agriculture, a considerable impetus was given to the industry, not 

 only in this Colony, but in the adjoining colonies as well, and much 

 attention is at the present time beiug devoted to the subject. 

 Thousands of mulberry plants have been raised at the State Nursery, 

 Gosford, and distributed to applicants free of charge by the Govern- 

 ment, who also secured the services of Mr. Charles Brady. An 

 agreement was made with that gentleman by which he engaged to 

 instruct certain persons in his system of successional rearings. Under 

 this system it is possible to rear successive crops of the annual silk- 

 worm throughout the year, if desired, or as long as food may be 

 available. In some portions of this Colony some varieties of mulberry 

 bear leaf throughout the year, and in other parts leaf may be relied 

 upon for nine or ten months of the year. The benefits likely to be 

 gained fi-om carrying out Mr. Brady^s system must be obvious when 

 it is known that in the chief silk-producing countries in the world 

 only one crop of the annual silkworm is reared during the year. It 



