372 



FARMERS' K E G I S T E R . 



Interest on 850 ... 



Labor in picking leaves, - 



Labor ofieeding worms, and reeling 



silic, .... - 

 Extra manure for land, 



Heturn. 

 60 lbs. ofsilk SSperlb. - 

 Deduct charges, - 



61 00 



25 00 



50 00 

 20 00 



8146 00 



250 00 

 146 00 



SI04 00 

 The labor here is undoubtedly iinderrcitcd. The 

 number of trees upon an acre, 3,000, is also under- 

 rated, unless upon the presumption that these 

 trees are counted belore ihey are laid down ; il' 

 laid down in a furrow they would be multiplied 

 many times. In Mr. McLean's case, there were 

 5,500 trees upon a quarter of an acre, or, 22,000 

 upon an acre. The price ofsilk is, in a considera- 

 ble decree, capricious. The quantity produced 

 upon an acre is matter of lair calculai.ion. I do 

 notrely with much confidence upon ihis siatemeni; 

 but I give this example Ibr the sake of showing 

 how difficult it \a, even with observmg men, to 

 arrive at any certain results. 



7. T. VV. Shepard, of Northampton, led worms 

 loan amount not known, l)ut supposed from 75,000 

 to 100,000. Commenced leeding about the mid- 

 dle of August ; and the worms wound in about 

 five weeks. The worms were oT tiie two crop 

 kind. About 2,150 lbs. of leaves were picked 

 fi'om small Alpine and white mulberry trees ; ail 

 the leaves were stripped off with many ofihe small 

 branches ; and owiUir to the latene?? of the season 

 many leaves were very rusty. All the labor of 

 picking loaves, tending the vvorm.*, and preparing 

 hushes lor winding, was perlbrmed by one man in 

 five weeks, e.xcept payinij a boy three dollars lor 

 picking leaves ; and the first two weeks, the man 

 was not engaged more than half the time. The 

 cocuons measured twelve bushels; one bushel 

 was saved fur seed ; and the remainder reeled by 

 a young girl, totally ignorant of the business, 

 havinir never reeled an ounce before. The amount 

 ofsilk reeled was eight pounds. Under the most fa- 

 vorable aspect, tfiecosi in this case, carmot be consi- 

 dered less than three dollars per lb. Ibr labor only. 

 Product of an acre. — Of ihe yield to an acre, 

 the most various calculations have been made. 

 I should deem myself poorly occupied to go into 

 the extravagances of some persons whose brains 

 on this subject seem to have been turned, if in 

 truth they had any brains to be turned ; and 

 Bhould, in the present condition of the silk culture, 

 deem it sale to rely only upon what has actually 

 been accomplished. 



Joseph Conant, ot'Man?fie!d, Connecticut, train- 

 ed to the culture of silk fnuii his childhood, and 

 upon whose intelligent and calm judgment I 

 Bhould place much reliance, says, that an acre ol 

 land may be expected to produce from thirty to 

 fifty pounds of silk. D. V. McLean obtained at 

 the rale of 48 lbs. ; or, allowing lor waste and 

 accident, at the rate of 50 lbs. to the acre. He 

 adds, that he should utterly despair of obtaining 

 104 or 128 lbs, to an acre. Mr. McLenn's pro- 

 duct, under the circumstances of the CHse, may be 

 regarded as a medium product; but how much 

 more may be obtained it would be idle to slate, 

 mntilsome exact experiments have determined this 



important point. I have before me various calcu- 

 lations of 100 lbs. 150 lbs. 167 lbs. 185 lbs. 333 

 lb-. 666 lbs , to an acre ; but 1 have little sympa- 

 thy in the hallucinations of those minds which 

 prefer moonlight to clear sunshine. Fifty pounds 

 of silk to an acre then affords the only saiti basis 

 on which at jiresent we may make our calculations 

 as to the profit of the business. 



Quantity of leaves to a pound. — There are some 

 other pointed connected with the culture ot silk, to 

 which it seems proper to reler. In ail cases of this 

 nature, well established facts are what we mainly 

 seek after. When I speak of well estaldished facts, 

 it will be understood that I do not estimate testi- 

 mony merely by the number ofwitnesses ; for with 

 respect to agricultural matters, as in other matters, 

 a large portion of mankind in what they stale only 

 echo the sentiments ol" others, and they perhaps 

 persons not very competent to teach ; and are 

 like parrots, who can utter only what they have 

 heard others eay. 



It is often slated that one hundred pounds of 

 leaves will leed worms which will make 1 lb. of 

 silk. Aaron Clapp, of Hart lord, states, that 80 

 lbs. of the Peroltet mulberry leaves will do it, and 

 this is asserted by many others. I do not learn 

 from Mr Clapp's conversation or his book, thai 

 this result has been reached by actual trial ; but 

 like the boy, who had learned his multiplication- 

 table, when asked if he had been through his arilh- 

 ineiic, replied that he had been so lar as to see 

 through. The problem, however, has perhaps 

 been more nearly solved by some others, and to 

 their authority we shall defer. 



R;il()h !!>torrs, of Mnnsfield. Connecticut, states, 

 that it rp(]uires 200 ibs. of the white mulberry 

 leaves for one pound oC silk. Joseph Conant of 

 the same place, says, (rom 100 to 120 lbs. ol leaves 

 will make one pound of silk. I cannot reconcile 

 the did'erence in tlie testimony of these two gen- 

 tlemen, both of whom are experienced in the silk 

 culture; but, by supposing that they have never 

 made an exact measurement in the case ; or that 

 the former in the weight of leaves included the 

 weight of small branches or twigs, which were 

 collected with the leaves. 



I have, however, two testimonies, which rest 

 upon exact measurement. Mr. McLean says, 

 that the whole number of worms fed upon his 

 quarter of an acre was 40,000. The weight of 

 leaves consumed, 2,576 lbs. Amount of cocoons 

 produced, 130 lbs., weighed just as taken from the 

 shelves, without sorting or flossinir. After they 

 were sorted and flossed ihere was 1 lb. of floss and 

 4 Ibs. deleclive cocoons, leaving 126 Ibs. of co- 

 coons. These produced 12 Ibs. of merchantable 

 reeled silk, 16 oz. to the lb., and 1 lb. wastage, 

 ends, &c. From the above stalemeiit it will be 

 seen, that it required between 19 and 20 lbs. of 

 leaves to make 1 lb. of cocoons. Of these cocoons, 

 without flossing or sorting, it required 10 Ibs. and 

 10 oz. to make 1 lb. of reeled silk. Alter they 

 were flossed and sorted, it required 10 lbs. «nil 5 

 oz., or .about 214 to 215 lbs. of leaves, to make 1 

 lb. of reeled silk. These were the leaves of Ihe 

 Perotlet mulberry. After making various allow- 

 ances lor waste leaves, Mr. McLean lhird<s il may 

 require 190 Ibs. of leaves to make 1 lb. of silk. 

 The first statement is the result of an actual trial ; 

 the latter is matter of opinion. 



Mr. Sliejiard, of Northamptom, in an experir 



