282 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



ing fact that ihe whole amount of labor required in 

 this rearing of the produce of 12 ounces of silk- 

 worm eggs consisted of 111 days' work, of which 

 those of men were 46, and those of women id5. 

 Now supposing the wages the same as thop*^ 

 set down in Bourdon's calculations, namely, 40 

 cents per day /"or men and 25 cents lor women, 

 then will the whole expenses of labor aniount to 

 .S34 G-'i, which is much below the expense of mur- 

 ing estimated by Bourdon, namely, ^53 lor feeding 

 the produce of only ten ounces of eggs. 



The 1,331 lbs. of cocoons, sold at 35 cents per 

 ]b, would brins S465 85, which sum, to those 

 growing their own trees, would afford a handsome 

 profit, even after allowing 50 or 100 per cent, 

 additional Ibr expense of labor, and saying nothing 

 of pren)iums or state bounties. Supposing the 

 cocoons reeleil off into good raw silk, and sold at 

 S5 per lb. the proceeds of the crop would be in- 

 creased to nearly §700. 



In esiimaiinnr the costs of raising silk in most 

 parts of Ihe United States, the main items are Ibr 

 Buitable buildings, fixtures, and labor, the chnrcre 

 (or land being a very insionificant item, as the 

 following facts will sufficiently prove : 



The Rev. J). V^. McLean, of New Jersey, ac- 

 tually raised last year upon one-fburlh of an acre 

 2576 lbs. of leaves from multicaulis trees produ- 

 ced by roots and cutiinss planted in April of the 

 same year, with which leaves he fed worms 

 enough to enable him to make twelve pounds of 

 reeled silk. He statec that his ground was by no 

 means rich, and the trees small, ihoucrh pretty 

 close together. At this rnte, more than 20.000 lbs. 

 of Ibliage can be obtained li-om two acres of mul- 

 ticaulis trees, the first year of plantinir. Here is a 

 fact of immense importance to us in the United 

 States, and, for the clear demonstration of which 

 to say nothing of other services he has rendered 

 his country, we (eel ours-^lves under great obliga- 

 tions to Mr. McLean. The multicaulis, and. In- 

 deed, any other variety of mulberry, will afford at 

 J east three times as much foliage the second year 

 as the first. 



The proportion of leaves consumed in M. Ma- 

 znde's feeding, to the cocoons produced, is about 

 15 to 1 ; the same which Dandolo gives as the 

 average consumption and product according to his 

 experience. We have seen, however, that M. 

 Beauvais has obtained, at Bergeries, near Paris, 

 1 III. of cocoons to 10 lbs. of leaves, which is a 

 saving of 50 per cent, both in foliage and the labor 

 of ca'hering and distributinrr. 



One of the most remarkable instances of suc- 

 cess reported by M. Bourdon is that obtained by 

 M. Planel, vice president of the tribunal of Va- 

 lence, and member of Ihe Atrricultiiral Society. 

 For many years his cocooneries had been almost 

 entirely swept by the muscardine. After the 

 adoption of the new system of ventilation, his 

 Avorms not only escaped the devastalinir disease, 

 hut afforded him 350 kilogrammes (770 lbs.) of 

 cocoons from six ounces of egirs, being at the rate 

 ofabout ISOlbs. ofcocoonsto theounce. The results 

 obtained in two rearings, conducted in the two 

 model cocooneries of Drome and Vaucluse, afford 

 strong evidences of the happy influences spread 

 by the system of Beauvais. Alanatred upon pre- 

 cisely the same principles, and under similar cir- 

 cumstances, as recards the interior of the cocoon- 

 ery, notwithstanding the difference in climate, 



they progressed with perfect unifbrmily. Each 

 aije had exactly the same duration — that is to say, 

 five days from the first, including the 36 hours of 

 moullin<r, or sleep ; three days for the second ; five 

 li)r the third ; five Ibr the fourth ; and six for the 

 fifth. The temperature during the whole time of 

 the rearinirs was maintained, as nearly as possible, 

 bptvveen 76 and 80 deir. Fahrenheit. The deHrees 

 of moisture varied Ir-om 78 to 85 deg. of De Saus- 

 sure's hygrometer. Twelve repasts per day were 

 civen in the first and second aires, eitrhl during 

 the thirti and fourth, and six in the filih age. 



The examples here cited will suffice to show the 

 advantages derived from the new system of rear- 

 in£r silk-worms, introduced into France by Beau- 

 vais and Darcet, founded chiefly upon Ihe com- 

 bined influences of a high and uniform tempera- 

 ture with increased frequency of repasts, and con- 

 stant renewal of the air. 



" It is true," (M. Bourdon observes in relation 

 to this system,) " that the cares and attentions are 

 multiplied ; that very frequent removals of the lit- 

 ter are absolutely necessary ; that the least neglect 

 in Ihe distribution of the repasts cannot fail to be 

 attended with serious consequencps. But, on the 

 other hand, the duration of the attentions and anx- 

 ious solicitudes of the feeder is abridged, the ill 

 eflects of changes in the weather diminished, the 

 means of producing refrigeration — always more 

 difficult to apply than those of procurinc warmth — 

 are provided. The renrinfrs mav be finished be- 

 fore the cominor on of the touffeit, especially in 

 late seasons. Finally, the tree, being sooner strip- 

 ped of its leaves, does not sufiisr so much as when 

 these are jrathered later." 



It is very evident that, as this forcing system of 

 rearing admits of no deficiency of lood, and no de- 

 lays in its distribution, a sufficiency of manual la- 

 bor must be at command, in order to carry it out 

 thorouijhly. We will introduce a very short de- 

 scription of the model establishment at Bergeries, 

 near Paris, which will jrive some distinct notions 

 of the means by which the objects contemplated 

 are accomplished. 



The apartment destined to the rearins of worms 

 is 72 feel (French) in length, by 22 wide, and 14 

 high. The furnaces and air chambers, Ibr heating 

 or cooling the air, are outside, and the warm or 

 cool air is introduced at pleasure through pipes or 

 flues, constructed of wood, and placed in or rather 

 under the floor. These flues are pierced with 

 holes at suitable distances, being made larger and 

 larger in arithmetical proportion as they recede 

 from ihe air chamber. Corresponding flues and 

 holes are placed above, all of which unite in one 

 general box communicating with a very large and 

 high chimney, from which the communication can 

 be cut ofl'at pleasure by means of a valve or damper. 



Before entering the chimney the upper flues 

 lead into a box or kind of main flue, above which 

 is another box provided with a ventilating fan or 

 wheel, which forces, or, as it were, pumps the air 

 from the cocoonery, when Ihe draught of the chim- 

 ney will not keep up a circulation sufiiciently ac- 

 tive. Before setting the ventilating wheel in mo- 

 tion, the valve in the main flue leading into the 

 chimney is of course closed. The air drawn out 

 of the cocoonery by Ihe wheel is forced into the 

 garret. Too much warmth, or the occurrence of 

 a bad odor in the apartment, is the usual signal tq 

 set the ventilating wheel in motion. 



