1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



9^2 



confide fully in the correctness of M. Carrier's 

 estimates for the country in which his labors were 

 perlbrmed, they are necessarily unsuiled in several 

 respects to the circumstances of the United States, 

 in general, or Virginia in particular. This detracts 

 nothing from i/ie value of his practice and opinions; 

 but will require to be made by the American read- 

 er some allowances in the data, which of course 

 will affect the result. Thus, the prices stated lor 

 labor are much too low for this country. Those 

 for white mulberry plants are very low, in money- 

 price, compared to those now given here lor the 

 multicaulis mulberry. On the other hand, the loss 

 of the use of the white mulberry, for the first five 

 years of its growth, costs more than thrice the pur- 

 chase-money; and the rent of land in France is ten- 

 fold more costly than that of equal quality in Vir- 

 ginia. But all these differences of circumstances, 

 though they should be duly considered and allowed 

 (or, are not in the least objectionable. It is sufficient 

 for our purposes, and profits, if a certain amount 

 of labor, of land, of food, &c., can produce a cer- 

 tain amount of silk at Rodez; for our climate is 

 better for silk-culture, and therefore, the employ- 

 ment of the same means will produce equal, if not 

 still more valuable results. — Ed. F. R.] 



FIFTH LETTER FKOM M. ABIANS CAURIER, TO 

 M. BONAFOUS. 



Translated for the Farmers' Register. 



Jiodez, July 5th, 1833. 



I have presented to you, in my letter of the 30th 

 of last month, the principal circumstances of my 

 rearing of silk-worms of this year. I propose now 

 to show you what profits 1 should already have re- 

 alized therefrom, if I had been willmg to Ibrego that 

 to be derived from the winding of my cocoons. 



By July 2d, the worms of all the three divisions 

 [as stated in the preceding letter,] were fixed on 

 the hedge. The backward worms were but very 

 few ; and, with some care, cocoons were obtained 

 from almost the whole of the worms. 



On the 8th, four persons were employed in gath- 

 ering the cocoons Irom the broom which had re- 

 ceived the worms of the advanced division. This 

 labor occupied the whole day. 



On the lOtli and r2ih, respectively, the same 

 persons performed the like operation for the two 

 later divisions. There were (bund on the broom a 

 very fijw dead worms, of the kind called capelans 

 in the south, because of their black color. I shall 

 give hereafter the reason of this rare fact. 



On each day of gathering, the cocoons were 

 weighed with minute precision. The weights 

 were as follows : 



July 8th, 1st division, 356 lbs. 



10th, 2d do 292 



12th, 3d do 280 



Total, 928 lbs. 



The cocoons collected were placed upon the 

 same hurdles which had served fbr the feeding, 

 (but after having been cleaned and again covered 

 with paper.) They occu|)ied six shelves of 27 Itict 

 long, and 4 broad. The thickness of the cocoons 



was about three inches. It is, as 1 was told, the 

 best mode of preserving them, by preventing their 

 being heated, which happens when they are heap- 

 ed. These cocoons have been examined, with the 

 greatest attention, b}' experienced connoisseurs. It 

 results from this verification, that they are of very 

 equal sizes, almost all depressed around the 

 centre, and well furnished with silk to the extre- 

 mities, a circumstance very favorable to a good 

 winding ; in pressing them between the fingers, 

 there was some difficulty to indent them. Their 

 color is of the whiteness of snow, and their texture 

 extremely fine. Taken at hazard, and on many 

 parts of the hurdles, it was found that it took 203 

 cocoons to weigh a pound.* 



I will observe to you, sir, and I shall do It with 

 pride, that we have already arrived at equalling in 

 products the model-rearings of Count Dandolo. 

 We have obtained 123^- pounds of cocoons from 

 the ounce of eggs; and, according to the tables 

 which accompanied his excellent work, his crop, 

 in each of these years, barely reached 121 pounds 

 from the ounce of eggs. 



I do not pretend to believe that we shall be always 

 equally favored ; for 1 think, and ought therefore 

 to say, that many fortunate circumstances con- 

 curred at this time, to cause such success. These 

 were, the fine weather, and the abundance and 

 excellence of the leaves fbr the one part, and for 

 the other, the favorable position of the new labo- 

 ratory, the increase of currents of air, a better ar- 

 rangement of the hurdles, and perhaps, also, the 

 management better understood than formerly. 



Elsewhere, however, still better products have 

 been obtained; and it is gratitying to me to in- 

 form you of a rearing made in this department, of 

 which the result proves that we are very favora- 

 bly situated to profit by silk-culture. Madame 

 Loirette, of Millau, has raised this spring the silk- 

 worms proceeding from 5 ounces of eggs; and has 

 obtained 700 pounds of cocoons, or 140 pounds to 

 the ounce. This lady, whose intelligence and zeal 

 are already properly appreciated, has a claim to 

 the gratitude of tlie country, fbr the good exam- 

 ple she has offijreil, in making, every year, very 

 careful and well conducted rearings of silk-worms. 



I now reach the essential part of my letter, to 

 that which will fix, I doubt not, the attention of 

 my countrymen. 



After being satisfied that mulberry trees can 

 prosper in our country, and that the climate is fa- 

 vorable to raising silk-worms, the capital object of 

 the proprietor is to know whatexpense will be re- 

 quisite for him to incur, in undertaking this cul- 

 ture, and what are the profits which he may ex- 

 pect to obtain. To fix this properly, it is only ne- 

 cessary to make an estimate. Mine will be here 

 presented. 



In 1829, the seventh year of my planung, I 

 showed, (in a note addressed to you, Sept. 15th,) 

 that the clear profit of my rearing silk-worms at 

 that time, had been 33^ per cent, upon the capi- 

 tal employed fbr the purchase and planting of the 

 mulberry trees, the use of manure, rent and til- 

 lase of the land. Now 1 shall make the account 



* This great weight, as well as the length of all the 

 ages of the worms, prove tliat they were of a larger 

 kind than the common; and, as we believe, less pro- 

 fitable.— Ep. F. R, 



