216 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



known, as there are very different sizes of worms 

 of the different varieties, as well as of the healthy 

 and unhealthy stocks of each variety or kind. 



" If all the epochs of the rearing have been 

 passed through successfully, an ounce of eggs 

 may produce 100 or even reach 120 or 130 pounds 

 of cocoons. But such products as the last are 

 very rare ; and the culturist may consider himself 

 fortunate whose crop rises to the first named 

 amount ; for it often enough happens that there is 

 not obtained more than 80, or even 70 pounds. 

 As to the cocoons themselves, they are very fine 

 when 250 to 260 weigh a pound, poids de rnarc* 

 It results from observations made during many 

 years in the region long devoted to silk-culture, 

 that there are good crops of cocoons made when 

 the winds have prevailed from the north during 

 ihe lives of the worms, and that they have becii 

 but middling, or bad, when, during the same time, 

 the winds have blown olten from south, or south- 

 west." 



The silk region referred to in this passage, of 

 course, is the south of France; and there, from 

 the north, blows the land or dry wind, and from 

 the south, the moist wind from the Mediterranean, 

 and from the north-west, that from the Atlantic 

 ocean. We are well assured that there is not a 

 greater difference between prevalence of the best 

 and the worst of these different winds in France, 

 than there is in favor of the average dryness of the 

 air in the United States, and that of the best silk- 

 region of France. A most striking proof of this 

 assertion is presented in the following tabular 

 statement of the proportion ol" losses of worms 

 sustained in 39 rearings, compared with the very 

 inconsiderable losses of worms sustained in most 

 rearings in this country. 



"The space required by the worms [from an 

 ounce of eggs,] and the quantity of leaves they 

 will eat, depend mainly upon the number of 

 worms, [kept alive to maturity,] and that number 

 itself is according to the health of the worms, 

 which depends not solely upon the care taken ol' 

 them by the culturist, (which, it is true, he can 

 regulate well or ill,) but still more upon the state 

 of the external atmosphere, which it is always 

 difficult, not to say impossible, to modify the influ- 

 ence of upon the interior of the feeding apartment. 

 it may thence be inferred that it is difficult to fore- 

 see the quantity of worms that one will lose in 

 the course of a rearing ; for, however fortunate 

 it may be, there will always worms die, from one 

 cause or another. Dandolo appears to liave 

 achieved a degree of success unknown before his 

 labors ; but we should probably err if supposing 

 that it was easy to equal his results. The proof 

 of this is, that in making rearings of not large 

 quantity, and in which, consequently, (all other 

 chances being equal,) it is most easy to obtain 

 success, notwithstanding, it may be seen how va- 

 riable have been the results of 39 rearings." 



"in 7 cf these broods we have had a loss of 

 one-half the worms. 



* 255 to the French pound would be the same as 

 249 to the American pound.— Er>. 



" In 3, of two-filths. 



" 13. of one-third. 



" 8, of one-fourlh. 



" 4, of one-filth. 



" 1, of one-sixth. 



" 1, of one-seventh. 



" 1, of one-eighth. 



" 1, of one-ninth." 



If these 39 broods were all of equal size, and 

 each represented (for illustration) by the number 

 100, the entire loss above staled would be as 1236 

 of the original quantity 3900, or a loss of nearly 

 one-third, on a general average. We are sure 

 that an average loss of even half this amount in 

 Virginia, would be considered so disastrous as to 

 frighten the most zealous young culturist from the 

 business. Yet, these trials being of small broods, 

 and carefully attended to, (as may be inferred 

 from their being so carefully observed,) doubtless 

 the rate of loss must have been less than in Ihe 

 general business operations of silk-culture through- 

 out France. Thus, the author proceeds, immedi- 

 ately after the above passage : 



"According to this statement, when one pro- 

 ceeds with 10 ounces of eggs, for example, the 

 quantity of worms to be lodged and fed during the 

 filth age may vary from ten to fifty and even a 

 hundred thousand, if the total loss is of one-fifih, 

 or one-fourth, or one-third, or even of half, the 

 which, in great rearings is what happens the most 

 Jrequenily.^^ 



We will close this notice with two observations 

 on the last statements of the author, lor the pur- 

 pose of applying his facts to the operations of silk" 

 cullure in this country. 



First. We do not consider that, as yet, even a 

 single full and complete, and accurately observed 

 and reported experiment of rearing silk-worms 

 has been made in the United States, even on a 

 small scale ; nor have there been any operations 

 sufficiently regular, extensive, and long establish- 

 ed, to show the net profit to be counted on from the 

 business. Both these things we hope and expect 

 will be done during this now coming season, and, 

 thereby, this new culture be firmly established. 

 But without claiming that anything has yet been 

 done, except to obtain and diffuse light and in- 

 struction on the subject, there can be no question 

 of this important fact having been ascertained, 

 that silk-worms are incomparably healthier here 

 than in France ; and that a loss of worms there 

 which would be considered not incompatible with 

 an unusual degree of success, would here be an un- 

 usual loss, and indeed scarcely possible, with proper 

 and profitable care used throughout. This immense 

 advantage, caused by our drier climate, is more 

 than enough to outweigh all our disadvantages on 

 the score of our higher-priced labor, even if there 

 were in truth as much difference in that respect, 



