116 



Clark and Carrier as the counterpart. Both of them will 

 be found to fall very far short of what we may in truth 

 accomplish in our climate, if we do but proceed aright. 



The plan of forming plantations with the mulberry 

 trees at an extended distance asunder, I reject* as in- 

 consistent with economy when we consider the pro- 

 longed outlay, and the delay of the forty years which 

 may be necessary completely to cover the ground, with 

 trees of enormous size, difficult alike of management 

 and of access. 



A Dwarf Mulberry tree plantation, of a single acre, 

 with the trees set in rows eight feet asunder, and two 

 and a half feet apart in the row, will contain 2160 trees ; 

 each tree at six or seven years of age, with the best of 

 cultivation, will produce, as has been estimated, ten 

 pounds of leaves in a season. And ten pounds of leaves 

 yielded by each single tree, will produce 250 cocoons 

 or the 21,600 pounds of leaves which are produced on 

 an acre, will yield 540,000 cocoons and 3000 cocoons 

 will produce one pound of reeled silk, which will make 

 the amount equal to 180 pounds, to the acre or a 

 plantation of 100 acres will yield 18,000 pounds of silk, 

 and this silk, when well reeled, at the very low estimate 

 of four dollars a pound, would bring $72,000 gross 

 amount per annum ; but an acre composed of but half 

 this number of trees, set five feet apart in the row, 

 might require full nine or ten years to produce this same 

 quantity. 



If any there be who might suspect that I had esti- 

 mated the quantity of green leaves, the produce of an 

 acre, at six or seven years of age, too high at 21,600 

 pounds, I might refer them to the estimate of Mr. 

 D'.Homergue, and perhaps some others, who have calcu- 

 lated the produce of the leaves of an acre of mulberry 

 trees of seven years of age, at more than four times the 

 amount which 1 have stated. 



Let it also be noticed, that in allowing ten pounds of 

 leaves for 250 cocoons of the size I have named, I may 



