BS 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



he gathered 2,576 lbs. of leaves, sufficient, as his 

 experiment showed, for a lull supply lor 40,000 

 worms. These worms gave him 130 lbs. ol' co- 

 coons, from vvhicli he procured 12 lbs. of mer- 

 chaniable raw silk, together with 1 lb. of wastage 

 and 1 lb. of floss silk, with a residue of 4 lbs. of 

 ■deleciive cocoons. We quote now from the letter 

 of the Rev, Mr. McLean itself. 



" The above shows us 48 lb. of reeled silk, 16 

 oz. to the lb., as the product of an acre. If this 

 is worth, as I understand it now is, ^6 per lb., 

 then the gross proceeds of an acre will be .^288; 

 the first year, let it be remembered, or if it should 

 be worth but ^4.50 per lb., which is undoubtedly 

 the safest price at which to rale it, the gross pro- 

 ceeds of an acre will then be ^216. 



In regard to the cost of production, it is confi- 

 dently asserted by many, that it can be produced 

 for ^2 per lb. Mine cost me much more than 

 this; my experience, however, satisfies me that it 

 can be produced lor ^2.25 per lb., and I incline to 

 the belief that it may be produced lor .^2. Pro- 

 duced on the farm in a small way, the cost will he 

 next to nothing — the whole produce will be clear 

 gain. Now lake the product of an acre as above 

 stated at ^288, and allow this to be made nt an 

 expense of ^2 per lb., you have a net profit of 

 $192 per acre ! ! Allow the cost of production to 

 be ,^2.25, and you still have a net profit of ^180. 

 Again, lake the product at §216 (allowing the 

 silk to be worth only 84.50 per lb.) and let the 

 cost of production be .§2, it gives a net profit of 

 $120 per acre ; but allow the cost of production to 

 be $2.25 per lb., the sum at which I know it can 

 be made, and it still affords us a net profit of $108. 

 I'his last I am persuaded, will be Ibund more 

 nearly to correspond with aciua! results. If the 

 price of the silk is more than $4.50 per !b., and 

 the cost of production los.s than $2.25, so much 

 the better for the culturist." 



We believe that any person can wiih entire 

 safety take these estimates as data on which to 

 Ibrm his expectaiions from the silk-raising. Thc}' 

 are the lowest which we have seen, and in several 

 items, we know from our own personal experience 

 and observations, that resulls have been obtained 

 more favorable than those stated iti Mr. McLean's 

 report. His trees, principally from roots, nverased 

 half a pound of leaves each ; while, in this slate 

 and in ordinary soil, we know from actual trial 

 that trees can be raised li'om cuttings of one bud, 

 from which more than a pound of leaver can be 

 gathered the first year. We procured this sum- 

 mer, at one gathering, even two poutids of leaves 

 from a tree grown from a single bud cutting plaiited 

 last spriuLT, b\it this was in soil unusually rich. 

 Again. Mr. McLean's cocoons required, of the 

 mammoth white, 317 of the average, and 238 of 

 the largest, to make a pound ; his sulphur cocoons 

 averaged 300, ar/d of ihe largest 247 were required 

 for a pound. We have seen in this state, the 

 f.ommon sul[diiir, raised without extraordinary 

 care, require liul 259 in llie average, and 134 of 

 the largest for a pound. And the JMessrs. Herr, 

 of Lancaster, Pa. have raised them this season so 

 as to require but 99 of the selected and 180 of the 

 avcratre for a jjound of cocoons. If woiild be 

 p'easiuLT to us lo enter more into details on this 

 siibjrct ; but we are l()rbid(!pn by thc limits of such 

 an address, and as the safest data, we rerur to the 

 residt.s o\' Mr. McLean's exp'eiiro'.'nt. Il should 



be borne in mind, however, that this was made 



the first year alter planting, and that for the profit 

 of subsequent years, we must add accordingly to 

 the increased size of Ihe trees. 



Fellow citizens of the commonwealth of Vir- 

 ginia : — A great enterjtrise is laid before you. It 

 proposes to save our country from those appalling 

 revulsions which threaten to be periodical and fre- 

 quent, leaving dread during their absence, and 

 when they come, prostrating every thing belbre 

 them. We have but one feasible security from 

 them, and that is by creaiinir a staple capable of 

 producing a balance of trade between Europe 

 and ourselves. Our imports of silk amount to 

 $20,000,000 annually. We can not only make 

 this silk at home, but by the same article we can 

 make England iind the continent of Europe annu- 

 ally our debtors to an amount between 30 and 50 

 millions of dollars. This may sound extravagant, 

 but we beg to remind you that in 1791, the quan- 

 tity of cotton exported from the United States was 

 but 188,316 lbs., and that it would have appeared 

 equally extravagant then to say that in 1838 the 

 exports would be upwards of 630,000,000 lbs. 

 The prospects, both lor success in raising, and for 

 profit in the silk culture, are now incomparably 

 better than they were as respects cotton in 1790, 

 when it too was looked upon by many with con- 

 tempt. If is already decided that we can make 

 silk, and of a quality that will insure it a ready sale 

 in Ibreign markets. Let us cherish and encourage 

 its cultivation. Let us press it into our service as 

 a matter of great national consequence, and break 

 oH'this degrading dependance on foreign creditors ; 

 this painful hanging by the eye-lids fill the next 

 steam ship arrives lo tells us — what ? that our liiils 

 are dishonored and our merchants bankrupt. Vir- 

 ginians ! this comtTionwealili was once the highest 

 in the list of our national confederacy. Shall we 

 retrograde while all others are advancing? Look 

 again at the streams of emigrants pouring west- 

 ward ; they say that our soil is hopelessly impov- 

 erished ; they are mistaken. This soil, these 

 sandy wastes may be turned into fruitful gardens, 

 and may be made to smile under a dense and 

 happy population. 



And the man of hunaane feelings, as this great 

 cause advances, will rejoice to see it, while prov- 

 ing a great blessing to the nation at large, still 

 more emphaiically the friend of the poor and the 

 infirm. It will give profitable employment to the 

 aged, to women and children, to many ihousands 

 who are now suffering all the ills of prolonged and 

 cheerless povertj^ 



Then let every good man and every well-wisher 

 of his country, n'we it an approvin<r look and a 

 helping hand. The cause is assuredly worthy of 

 both. 



Gko. Jokes. 

 B. Pollard. 



J. W. MURDAUGH. 



gs 

 nes- 



On motion, resolved, That the slated meetin 

 of this society shall be held on the first Wednes- 

 day in Febuary, May, August and November of 

 every year. 



Resolved, That the stated meeting of Novem 

 her shall be the annual meeting for the election o 

 officers and the exhibition of specimens in an} 

 branch of silk cullure or fiibrication. 



Rcp-olcnd, That (he corrcspondin 



of 

 any 



■jponding secretary be 



