vi P R E FA C E. 



been a pra6lical art, yet books are ftill 

 written upon that fubje(5l, which has with- 

 out doubt this good confequence, that' it 

 engages many in that bufinefs who would 

 otherways never have thought of it, be- 

 caufe they had no rule to let out by. 



The few things which have been pub- 

 liflied, in Englijh, on the culture of filk, 

 have not explained even the prefent prac- 

 tice in fuch a manner, as to extricate per- 

 fons from the difficulties they vv^ould meet 

 in their firft tryals j much lefs have they 

 attempted to lay any foundation for future 

 improvements : they were too concife to 

 take in the various incidents that migbt 

 diflurb a young pra6litioner, and, in many 

 difficult parts, fo obfcure that they feem 

 to be only verbal tranllations, without any 

 knowledge of the fubjedl. As an infbance 

 of this, let any one read the defcription 

 igiveu of the reel in a quarto, dedicated, I 

 think, to the Lords Commiffioners of Trade, 

 in which there is either a total neglecl, or 

 a total ignorance of its moil eilential move- 

 ments. I need not mention the many ma- 

 terial eircuniflances which are omitted in 

 the hatching, feeding, and obtaining the 

 bre;d of Silkworms. 



In 



