538 



FARMERS' REGISTER—SILK CtlLTURE IN FRANCE. 



Obliged to return to our old metliod, I have had 

 two furnaces constructed in better proportions than 

 Ibmierly: the winders watched with more atten- 

 tion; the water has l)een filtrated; the number of 

 threads have received a nev\^ measure more regu- 

 lar than Ibrmerly; their size has been better regu- 

 lated. All this care has given me products infi- 

 nitely more beautiful than in the preceding years. 



The first thing to be done, belbre you wind the 

 cocoons, is, to stifle the cr3'salides, to prevent 

 them from cutting through. You know that the 

 means made use of now to kill them is very long, 

 and often dangerous. The use of an oven is not 

 always at the disposal of those who produce silk 

 on a snaall scale; and, besides, from tlie want of 

 practice, or of intelligence, tliey run the rislc of 

 burning the cocoons by submitting them to a heat 

 too great, or by leav^ing the crysalides alive, if the 

 heat is not at the proper dem-ee, which is certain- 

 ly not easy to determine. Killing them by steam 

 is more used, and at the same time more sure; 

 nevertheless, it has the disadvantage of soakii:^g 

 the cocoons and softening them, so that (after the 

 operation) much heat is required lo dry tliem; aiKi | 

 when the weather does not permit exposure to the 

 sun, you must have recourse to a stove. It is also 

 known that this operation (by steam) deprives 

 the silk, particularly the white, of the beautiful 

 lustre so much desired by the manufacturers. 



I have used, this time, a stiller, constructed in a 

 manner extremely simple, which is, I believe, al- 

 together new in France. This was established 

 wilh us, under the design and direction of M. 

 Marchetti. The trial I have made of it has given 

 the most happy results. You can smother ten 

 times more cocoons in one daj^ (at the I'egular heat 

 of 70 degrees Reaumur) than by the common 

 waj', and economize firewood considerabl3^ 



I will now show you the account of the sale of 

 my silk of 1833. I shall take care to subtract the 

 expenses, and you may see the clear profit. 

 29^ kil. white silk at 63 fr. the kil. l,S39f. 60c. 

 2\^ inferior [doublon] silk at 18 



■fr. the kil. - - - - 44 95 



Deduction for portage. 



1,884 

 16 



55 



00 



l,868f 55c. 



Value of the different materials coming 

 from the remains of the filature, used 

 at my house, - - - 115 



00 



Sum realized. 



For the expense of manage- 

 ment, - 171 f 7.5c. 

 For the filature, 263 85 



l,983f 55 

 435 60 



Sum of the product of last raising, l,548f. 95 



To appreciate the advantages of the cultiva- 

 tion of the mulberry, one must only remember, 

 that this sum 1,548 fr. of profit (after deducting 

 all the expenses) is the product of leaves furnish- 

 ed by trees Virhich have occupied for 8 years on an 

 average, a piece of ground rather less than half 

 a hectare or at most two scierees, a local measure. 



Having given you the result of this labor in mo- 

 ney, permit mo to show you the goodness, and 



particularly, the beauty of the silks of Aveyron. 

 The tu'o loUowing facts are sufficient, 



M. Marchetti sent a samjjle of my silk to one 

 of hia countrymen of Italy: he received Irom To- 

 pombrone this answer; 



"1 have waited until now to-answer your inter- 

 esting letter of the 11th of September last, that I 

 might have the opinions of all my fHends (culti- 

 vators of silk) upon the sample. I will say in 

 the first place, that the silk of Rodez yields in 

 nothing to the best silk of the countries in Italy. 

 But what appears still more surprising, that Ro- 

 dez obtains a pound of silk fi-om a much less 

 quantity of cocoons. We may conclude that the 

 climate of that country is excellent lor mulberry 

 trees, since the leaves are juicy at the proper sea- 

 son, and the management "is excellent there." 



M. Bonnaves, merchant at Rodez, has had the 

 goodness to trouble himself with presenting and 

 selling at the market of Lyons the silk which I 

 have obtained; to accomplish this task better, he 

 has concerted with M. Benezech, also our coun- 

 tryman, and silk merchant in this last city. These 

 two fricnJs were desired to examine before the 

 sale, the good and bad qualities of this product of 

 Aveyron with the greatest severity. 



The verbal report of M. Bonnaves and the let- 

 ter of M. Benezech, which confirms it, will show 

 to what class the silks of this department belong, 

 when they are obtained everywhere with the care 

 which is pointed out to us. 



I copy this letter: 



''Lyons, 1st Feb., 1834. 



"M. A MANS Carrier — After your letter of 

 the 22d of last month, I was very anxious, at your 

 request, to show your produce in silk to very ex- 

 perienced connoisseurs, who have not hesitated to 

 do justice to the care which you have bestowed 

 on your filature this year. White silk is the most 

 sought after, and yours is of a perfect white; it 

 wants neither pliantness or strength. 



Take care to advise the silk raisers of the coun- 

 try not to allow the water to be too warm (for in 

 that case the lustre of the silk is injured) to cleanse 

 the large bunches, not to leave double cocoons, 

 and to recommend to the winders Avhen one co- 

 coon is wound to put in another, so that the thread 

 may always be the same size. The number of 

 4, 5, or 6 cocoons suit better than 8. If your share 

 had been wound from 4 cocoons, it would have 

 sold much higher. 



Have the goodness to make these observations 

 to your friends of Rodez, who have great need to 

 pay attention to them in their products. All this 

 negligence has caused their little shares of silk to 

 sell at only 58 fr. the kil. while yours sold at 63 fr. 



Mr. Bonnaves will put into your hands for your 

 part 1,868 fr. 55 c." 



The result of all these facts appear to me very 

 proper to enlighten the most obstinate minds, and 

 above all, to encourage those who recoil at the 

 difficulty of the management, and the trouble of 

 the filature. If they did me the honor to consult 

 me on this subject, I would rejjly that there is no 

 species of industry which is emploj'ed with as 

 much readiness as this, in all possible divisions, 

 and which leaves to each separate part a consid- 

 erable profit, having regard both to the employ- 

 ment of capital and to the labor which is required. 

 I would take for example my management of this 

 year and I would say to them, as Ibllows : 



