FARMERS' REGISTER 



403 



ever known in this country, we have iosl no 

 worms liom these eggs by disease. We have ne- 

 ver led wet leaves u we could help it; but theie 

 have been nuuiy days that we liave been obliged 

 to do so, or let our worms go wiihout lood ; no in- 

 jury was observed Irom u. i have gone by the di- 

 rections ot iVir. Gideon B. Snuili, ol Baltimore, 

 whenever 1 have been at a loss, and have lound 

 them always right. iVJy Iriend and relaiion, Mr. 

 'I'homas Hicks, also, has visiied us Irequenlly, and 

 has always given us advice and tnnls vviucti gave 

 us much assistance. 



By the first opportunity I will send you a sam- 

 ple ol" the cocoons, Ijutli ol the two-crop and birge 

 sulphur variety ; 'Z6i'2 ol ihe lormer, laKen as they 

 came, alter being tlussed, made a bustiel, and are 

 allowed to be me largest ever seen in this county. 



I have used no artiticial heai whatever ; the 

 worms have taken the hot and cold, wet and dry, 

 as God sent it. 1 liad the house stripped ot every 

 tinng to a mere hull, tixmg the windows wiin 

 blinds which 1 believe are peculiar to this county, 

 and no more trouble to make, and cost no mure, 

 than the coarsest shutter. Any house that will 

 keep out the sun and rain will sulhce tor the 

 healihlul accommoUaiion ot' the worm, always 

 taking care to have it well ventilated. 



Ol course it will be desirable lo know how nmcii 

 labor has been expended in our small establish- 

 ment. 1 am sorry 1 cannot be very precise on 

 tins point. My iaJy partners agreeu amongst 

 iliemselvts to lake the leeding, day ana day aboui. 

 Each had a woman and small boy about 12 years 

 old, who were amply sufficient lor ail purjjoses, 

 except when the worms had to be moved, or 

 thinned, or cleaned oti, or lixed to spin, or to ga- 

 ther iind cure the cocoons; and in their last stages 

 it reijuired more lielp to get leaveb and leed them. 

 1 liiink 1 can say, however, Willi ceriamiy, thai lor 

 hall the time the woman and buy wouid ne ample 

 to do every thing; and lor ihe other liad, douule 

 that lijrce would ue sufficient — lite cocoons alter 

 being taken do>vn to be nanded over lo oilier hands. 



1 nave slated that all the worms Iroin the Con- 

 necticut eggs were entirely and com|)leiely liealiliy. 

 But 1 think it right also to siate, that in my au- 

 sence liom home a parcel ol worms were placed 

 in the house, which had been presented to i..e la- 

 dies by a gentleman ol the neight>orhoud, which 

 had commenced hatching in Ins cellar, and ol 

 course were hatched out ol time and unexpectedly. 

 As soon as 1 was inlormed ol ii, 1 oiijecied to it 

 and expressed a wish ihat they should ue removed 

 Iruin tiie house, staling, at the same lime, the 

 warning I h.id received li'om books and persons 

 against leeding worms hatched either in a cellar 

 or ice-house ; but the ladies were loo tender heart- 

 ed lo throw away the hlile creatures, and they 

 were sullered to remain. There were some eiglii 

 or ten thousand ol' them, and they were kepi in 

 the garret ol' the house, lo tlieniselves. I'hey 

 looked well, and to every appearance were as 

 healthy as any in the house, uiuil they began to 

 spin. Then they began to turn yellow, and lo 

 sicken, and to die, and finally not one third ol 

 them spun a cocoon, and ihuse which did spin did 

 their work like invalids, in a lew days no one 

 could go into the room without Itielmg iickiish 

 about the stomach: it was a complete iailure. 

 Whilst 1 am on this subject, it will not be impro- 

 per to state that I have heard of three diH«rent in- 



stances in this vicinity of worms afflicted with 

 what we call the yellows, being icvived by immer- 

 sion in cold waier. (I suppose sprinkling would 

 do as well, but I beg the advocates ol these re- 

 spective creeds not to consider me us taking sidea 

 with either.) One liappened with Mr. Thomas 

 Hicks, who told me that they spun alter they had 

 been immersed. Their being put in water was with 

 no design to cure, but to kill them. A parcel in 

 Ihis place were thrown in ihe creek, and some 

 boys (licked some out, whicii spun good cocoons. 

 I Old not see ii, but the persons Irom whom 1 got 

 the inlbrmation are as respectable as any in the 

 country. The other case was, at Clack Robinson's, 

 esq., Robinson's Ferry, Warren county. North 

 Carolina. I liad it Irom Mr. R. liimsell. 



it may be desirable to know what others are 

 doing in Brunswick, i can only say what i have 

 heard, having mysell been too much confined to our 

 own, to see much ol'olher people's cocooneries. Iii 

 every instance where they have used eggs Irom a 

 ban stock, or of bad Keej*, ihey have lailed ; and 

 in every instance where they liave had eggs Irom 

 a good stock which have been well kept, they 

 have succeeded, i saw Dr. N. W. Lewis yester- 

 day, who told me that his first crop was a Iailure 

 Irom bad eggs; but having procured some good 

 eggs lor his oecond crop, he had complete snccese. 

 Mr. fiugh L. Perceval! inlonns me that he ob- 

 tained a parcel ol' eggs Irom a gentleman in this 

 couniy, (the one who presented the ladies with 

 ihe worms above, and some ot the same eggs,) in 

 February, and put tliern on ice ; that he hatched 

 them oul in May, and they liave done well — no 

 sick ones among ihem ; a proof that if ihese 

 eggs wh;ch have been extensively used here, had 

 been put on ice in January or February, instead of 

 being k: pt in a cellar, that all would liave suc- 

 ceeued who used them, lor they were Irom an un- 

 quesiionably healthy siock. Knowing that this 

 gcnileman had a large quantny of eggs from a 

 healihy slock, i look it upon myself once lo men- 

 tion to linn the imporiance ol pulling ihem on ice, 

 early. Ue remarked that he ihuught his cellar was 

 cold enough, and, i undersrand, kept them in ihe 

 cellar; and Mr. Percevall's lot is the only one of 

 which 1 have heard, which lias been siiccesisiiil. 

 John L. Wilkins. jr., esq., inl(>rms me iliat he has 

 had guod success, and is leeding largely, and is 

 preparing to leed on a very large scale. He will, 

 no doubt, as well as thfi others i have named, 

 give to you, and the public, the benefit of iiis ex- 

 periments. 



i lear i am taking up too much room for one 

 who is so green in ihis gieat business. I give ^uu 

 permission to leave oul any part which you may 

 think proper, lor i have no ambition to ajipear in 

 prini, and have taken no more pains in preparing 

 ihis than if i had wiitten it lor yourself individu- 

 ally. 



Before I conclude, however, I bpg leave lo say 

 to all who are going to embark in this business, 

 ihat alter iliey have provided a full supply of Ibod, 

 eirgs without sunt, from a healthy slock, and keep 

 ihem sound, wiih induslry and ailention, they 

 may reasonably expect to do well, and their own 

 exiterieiice will be their best iiisirucler. Let no 

 one Halter himsell, or herseli; that silk is lo be 

 made without labor, or attention. Oninipo'ence 

 has decreed that we must get our living by the 

 sweat of our brow ; and we can do nothing in thia 



