746 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. T2 



length; the basin and furnace are at such a dis- 

 tance, that the silk becouies dry by the time it is 

 wound on the reel; and by means of the traverse 

 bar, each filament is laid on in such a manner that 

 it never comes in contact with the preceding one, 

 except in crossing it. A commodity is thus pro- 

 duced, which, in the factory is unreeled with the 

 same facility that it was originally reeled, and 

 without any loss to the manufiacturer. An illus- 

 tration of the importance of such a standard was 

 happily adduced by Mr. Whitmar.^h, who said 

 that he recently saw a lot of silk in New York, of 

 very superior quality, which was brought from 

 Brussa near Constantinople, but lor which no pur- 

 chaser could be found, owing to the large size of 

 the skeins. They were eight or ten feet in diame- 

 ter, and so unwieldy that no machinery in this 

 country could work it up. 



One of the Icadinf; objects of the convention 

 was to form a " National Silk Society," to hold 

 its meetings annually at Philadelphia, Baltimore, 

 Washington, or some other nearly central place. 

 The next meeting is to take place m Washington, 

 on the "id Tuesday in December, 1839. All the 

 members of the convention are entitled to mem- 

 bership in the national society, by the payment 

 of one dollar per annum, or membership ihr life, 

 by the payment of" ten dollars at any one time ; 

 and, in future, members are to be admitted on the 

 same terms on the recommendation of the execu- 

 tive comn;iUee. Afier the Ibrmalion of the na- 

 tional silk society, and the appointment of the 

 executive commiltee to prepare buslnes.-: for its 

 action, a resolution was passed authorizing the 

 establishment of a paper to be devoted to the silk 

 culture, and to be called the "American Silk 

 Journal." It is to be published in Baltimore, un- 

 der the editorship of J. S. Skinner, Esq., so well 

 and favorably known to the agricultural commu- 

 nity, as the founder and editor of the old Ameri- 

 can Farmer. The first number will probably be 

 issued during the winter ; and as the members of 

 the silk society will make it the medium of their 

 communications on the subjects to which it is de- 

 voted, and as it will possess facilities for concen- 

 trating silk intelligence which no other paper 

 perhaps can enjoy in the same degree, it is anti- 

 cipated that its circulation as well as usefulness 

 will be verv expensive. It will probably be a 

 monthly of 16 to 32 paires, at one dollar per j'ear. 

 The surplus funds, after paying the printer and 

 paper maker, will, in the form of premiums, be 

 devoted to the encouragement, under proper reo-u- 

 lations, ot experiments going to establish the 

 value and practicability of various branches of 

 silk industry. The question, however, whether 

 there would be any " surplus funds," and, conse- 

 quently, whether this mode of encouragement 

 would not be very likely to fail, formed the subject 

 of considerable discussion in the committee, as 

 well as in the society. And to remove all doubt 

 on the subject, and to attain the ends which the 

 committee had so anxiously in view, a libera! and 

 very responsible gentleman of Massachusetts au- 

 thorized the committee to draw upon him for the 

 amount of any deficiency which might be found to 

 exist. The certainty, therefore, that liberal pre- 

 miums will be ofi'ered in a short time, will serve, 

 it is hoped, to stimulate many competitors to enter 

 the lists, not only from the north, but the south 

 also— where, if we have the disadvantages of in- 



experience, we have greatly the advantage in cli- 

 mate. If, in this laudable contest, a generous spi- 

 rit of emulation should be excited throughout the 

 country, a variety and extent of mformation will 

 be elicited, which will be interestii^g not only to 

 silk-growers, but to the community at large— and 

 which will serve to dispel all doubts in regard to 

 the value of the silk-culture. 



In addition to the establishment of a journal 

 and the publication of the proceedings, it was or- 

 dered that an address to the people of the United 

 States be published, the preparation of which was 

 entrusted to an able committee, of which Mr. 

 Smith, of Baltimore, is chairman. From the cha- 

 racter of Mr. Smith, as well as that of the other 

 members of the committee, the public may expect 

 not only a well written document, but one, in the 

 arguments and statement of which, every reliance 

 may be placed. 



The subject of bounties offered by the state le- 

 gislature was also discussed, and a resolution 

 was passed, recommending the propriety of ap- 

 plications to that effect, in states where no encou- 

 ragement has yet been given to the silk culture. 

 It was conceded, on all sides, that it would be im- 

 proper and inexpedient to make any application 

 to Congress; and, amongst other considerations, 

 perhaps not the least forcible which operated 

 affainst an adjournment of the convention to 

 Washington, was an apprehension, that it might 

 be supposed there was a desire to solicit congres- 

 sional action in furtherance of their object. But, 

 whilst the propriety of congrepsional lecislation 

 was repudiated, the propriety and beneficial ef- 

 fects of state encouragement were concurred in 

 with great unanimity. Not that the silk-culture 

 is supposed to stand in need of permanent foster- 

 ing and propping: up ; but now, in the infancy of 

 the business, when there is not sufficient skill and 

 experience in the country to insure, in all cases, 

 successful results, it would be manifestins nothing 

 more than a paternal regard for the promotion of 

 important interests, if state crovernments were to 

 enact such bounties as would provide against the 

 discouragements of total or even partial failures. 

 The operation of these bounties might and ought 

 to be limited to a few years, by the expiration of 

 which time, the necessary skill and information in 

 conducting the business, would be acquired — and 

 at the moment when the drafts on the treasury 

 might begin to be felt, they would cease by limi- 

 tation of the act. Such bounty laws have been 

 passed by a number of state legislatures ; and the 

 good effects have been already felt in the atten- 

 tion and emulation which have been thereby ex- 

 cited, whilst the inconveniences to the state ex- 

 chequers have been scarcely lelt. 



During one of the sessions of the convention, a 

 resolution was offered in compliment to the pio- 

 neers of the silk culture ; and particularly to G. B. 

 Smith, whose services were admitted by all to be 

 pre-eminent. This resolution was passed, not 

 only with entire unanimity, but in a manner 

 which must have been highly gratifying to the 

 feelings of a man of Mr. Smith's disinterestedness 

 and modest deportment. In connexion with this 

 expression of gra'itude, 1 take the liberty to ad- 

 vert to the deep interest which was manifested 

 by many members of the convention, in the suc- 

 cess of the " Smith fund," according to the pro- 

 position which you recently submitted in the 



