1«88] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



467, 



be inferred, not only the benefit and expediency, but 

 the economy, both in labor and expense, of knowing 

 how much food is necessary, and furnishing, by care- 

 ful selection and weighing, that precise allowance for 

 every day, and sometimes for every meal. 



It may well be, notwithstanding all the long-con- 

 tinued and laborious investigations of Dandolo, Bona- 

 foux, and other scientific culturists, that the most per- 

 fect rules of treatment may not yet have been disco- 

 vered. Indeed, improvements in this, as in other arts, 

 are made every year, and we entertain no doubt but 

 that the inventive faculties and enterprise of Ameri- 

 cans will soon produce as much improvement in silk- 

 culture, as in other old arts, derived from other coun- 

 tries. But still, the principle of the European method 

 will not be the less true, nor less important to be 

 observed in every laboratory, viz. that certain degrees 

 of temperature, and certain quantities of food, are best 

 for each of the various successive conditions of the 

 silk-worms. And if this prinoiple is correct, it can- 

 not be proper or safe to leave the degrees of tempera- 

 ture to be regulated by the chances of the varying 

 seasons ; and the proportions of food by guessing, or 

 even by weighing, without knowing the wants of the 

 worms at any particular time. 



It is not only the scientific silk-culturists of Italy 

 and France, who, in modern days, have maintained 

 the necessity for the artificial method of heating. The 

 like opinion has obtained in China, the natural region 

 of the silk-worm; and the like end has been reached, 

 (though by A-^ery different, and far less perfect means,) 

 in the practices which perhaps have prevailed in that 

 country for thousands of years. In the extracts from 

 the curious old Chinese work, published in the Farm- 

 ers' Register, it will be seen that artificial, and carefully 

 regulated heat, is directed to be maintained throughout 

 the rearing ; and though without thermometers, other 

 means are used to estimate, and thereby direct, the al- 

 lowance of heat. (See page 232, vol. VI, Farm- 

 ers' Register.) 



If the European rules are not absolutely false— if 

 obedience to them is in truth more beneficial than the 

 natural, simple, or chance-directed methods of rearin2 

 silk-worms — there can' be little doubt but that, to pur- 

 sue these, or other proper rules, strictly and carefully, 

 it will be found economical, in labor of attendance, in 

 quantity of food, in the good condition, and more rapid 

 maturity of the worms, in greater security against loss 

 by diseases and deaths, and in the products of all that 

 may live to form cocoons. 



But because approving of a very regular system in 

 a large and established silk business, it is not meant 

 that such regularity, or even any particular means, or 

 rules, are necessary to make first experiments, and to 

 meet with great success in the management of a small 

 number of worms. No one need wait to construct a 

 proper cocoonery, or to use any artificial _temperature, 

 to raise a few thousand worms. There will be waste 

 of labor in attendance, because of the want of system- 

 atic procedure— there will be a waste in the excess of 

 food given— and there may be a protracted or too 

 rapid feeding time. But the worms, by having plenty 



of room, and plenty of food, may be able to with- 

 stand the hurtful variations of temperature, and may 

 produce better cocoons than the average of regular 

 and large establishments. First attempts in feeding 

 silkworms ought always to be on a small scale; and in 

 such, it is of very little importaocG whether the cost 

 be greater than is necessary, or not, provided the new 

 culturist learns what is proper for future and larger 

 operations. Therefore, we would advise all who desire 

 to make silk, to begin as soon as they can command 

 enough of any eatable mulberry leaves for food, and 

 without any expensi\'e apparatus or regular and exact 

 system; but to conform to a proper system, by the 

 time their business becomes established, and upon a 

 much larger scale. 



Under the impressions stated abctve, we have thought 

 that, in the present general interest felt on the subject, 

 it would be an acceptable service to the agricultural 

 public, to furnish a correct translation from one of the 

 latest European treatises, which may be supposed 

 to contain the received opinions of the culturists of 

 the highest anthority, up to the time of the publica- 

 tion. For this p^irpose, we have chosen Morins' "Ma- 

 nuel de Vart d'elever et de soigner les vers-a-soie,' etc., 

 published in Paris, 1828; and have translated the por- 

 tion which directs the whole treatment, from the first 

 preparation for hatching the eggs, to the end of feeding 

 the worms, when they are ready to climb, and to spin 

 the cocoons. So far as given, the text of the author 

 has been rendered fully and almost literally ; as we are 

 not of the opinion that a translator has any right to take 

 any thing from, or add to, the argument, unless when 

 fully showing the fact and its extent, and the cause of 

 the privilege taken. Many parts of the directions are, 

 perhaps, unnecessarily minute, end others (especially 

 in regard to the first preparations for hatching the eggs, ) 

 may be totally useless. Of these the reader can judge 

 what is, or is not, useful; taking care to secure the 

 only important object, which is to have all the eggs to 

 hatch together, and at the proper time, and to know 

 the precise quantity hatched. 



The portion of the work which treats of the various 

 kinds of mulberry trees, and their culture, has been 

 omitted entirely, because the more recent introduction 

 and rapid extension of the culture of the more valua- 

 ble morus multicaulis, or Chinrse mulberry, will near- 

 ly supersede all other and older kinds in this country. 

 Also, the portion of the original work which directs 

 the formation of the "hedge," or shelter for the worms 

 when spinning their cocoons, has not been given, be- 

 cause better modes have already been discovered in 

 this country, which, as well as a plan of a good labora- 

 tory, will be particularly described in a future article. 

 This translation therefore embraces only the entire 

 hatching and feeding time. 



It was not until after this translation had been 

 written, that we obtained the first sight of the manual 

 of silk culture, prepared under the direction of the 

 secretary of the treasury, by order of the House of 

 Representatives, and published in 1828 (Document 

 158.) It was manifest, upon examination, that our 

 French author, Morin, and the translator, compiler, or 

 author of the manual prepared by direction of our go- 



