Vlll INTRODUCTION. 



forced into an apartment from beneath the floor, through nume- 

 rous openings by strong currents of air artificially produced, 

 which would, in a few moments of time, expel, through nume- 

 rous openings in the roof, the whole interior and impure heated 

 atmosphere of a vast apartment of silk- worms. Thus it is, that 

 in some parts of India, the apartments of the opulent are refreshed 

 by cool breezes artificially produced, a man standing at the door 

 with a vast fan. 



Already at this establishment, and by his extraordinary man- 

 agement, has M. Carnille Beauvais succeeded in producing thir- 

 teen pounds of silk from the same number of silk-worms which 

 in France usually produce but five pounds, and in Italy seven 

 and a half pounds, and in India twenty pounds ; and even in that 

 cold climate, he expects soon to be able to produce an equal 

 number of pounds. 



Through the politeness of Edward S. Rand, Esq., of Newbu- 

 ryport, I have been favored with the loan of a splendid Chinese 

 quarto volume, the property of Capt. David Wood, of that town, 

 and brought out by him from China. It is composed of twenty- 

 eight superb colored engravings on rice paper, which represent 

 every part of ihe process of cultivating the Mulberry, and of 

 raising silk, from the first planting of the mulberry, until the 

 reeled silk is wound off from the reel by hand, upon the distaff. 



.In those engravings, the plants are represented as kept low for 

 the convenience of gathering the leaves ; or, rising up in spring, 

 usually several stalks from the same root. The gathering of the 

 leaves commences in the first year. The trees being successively 

 stripped of their leaves during summer, in autumn the shrubs, 

 thus defoliated, are cut down for the production of a new, luxu- 

 riant and future crop of leaves. This is in perfect conformity to 

 the statements of Mr. Cushing, who resided in China many 

 years. In gathering the leaves, I observe that the footstalks arc 

 always left, and also a few small leaves on the summit, until the 

 last gathering of the season takes place, and previous to the plants 

 being cut down in autumn. 



The ninth Plate, is a representation of children and females 

 gathering the leaves in the manner above described, from the 

 young trees of a few feet in height, and of the first year's growth. 

 The tenth Plate, is a representation of the plantation thus 

 stripped of its verdure ; it shews also the modes and process of 

 the cultivation. 



The eleventh Plate, is a representation of the second gathering 

 of the leaves of the season, by females, from the trees, which are 

 now of a more advanced growth. 



The twelfth Plate, is a representation of the operation of cutting 

 down the plants, to near the surface of the earth, after they have 

 been completely defoliated for the last time of the season. 



Other modes of management in China are given in detail at 

 p. 58. 



