126 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



No. 2 



It. had been started by a single individual, who 

 was expected to undertake the entire manage- 

 ment, and on whose zeal, care, and judgment, all 

 the other subscribers of stock entirely relied, and 

 were willing to venture their money, though with- 

 out intending to give any of their own time or at- 

 tention. A change ofcircumstances prevented the 

 gentleman, on whom ail operations depended, from 

 undertaking the charge ; and, therefore, no action 

 was taken as to the scheme. 



"A company has been very recently made up 

 in this place to begin the business of mulberry and 

 silk culture, as soon as the proper season arrives; 

 and from our knowledge of the individuals who 

 have commenced this exterprise, we can safely 

 predict, that there will be nothing wanting to in- 

 sure success, if zeal, energy, intelligence, and 

 the investment of sufficient capital, can command 

 it. We rejoice most heartily in this movement, 

 and consider it as the germ of liiture results of 

 incalculable value to this region. In all our 

 many efforts, made through this publication, to 

 urge the commencement and zealous prosecution 

 of silk-culture in Virginia, we have not pretended 

 to have any personal knowledge of the particulars 

 of the business, or the grounds on which to esti- 

 mate profits. But we have assumed this gene- 

 ral position, which we think cannot be shaken — 

 that if silk-culture is profitable in New England, 

 (as it undoubtedly is,) much more profitable must 

 it he in loioer and middle Virginia. We have su- 

 perior advantages, (for this purpose,) to our nor- 

 thern brethern, in our warmer climate and longer 

 summers, the very low prices of lands, and also in 

 ,a large amount of labor, altogether suitable, and 

 Avhich yields nodiing for other purposes. Lands 

 in the central region, exhausted and hilly, but 

 well suited for the ffrowth of the mulberry, may 

 be now bought at -92 or S3 the acre. For land 

 of much less value for silk-culture, the silk com- 

 panies of the north seldom pay less than ^100 

 the acre. So great is the difference in these res- 

 pects, that we have long entertained the opin- 

 ion, that by far the best course that a northern 

 silk company could take, would be to establish 

 its operations on a large scale on lands in Virginia. 



"There is an establishment already existing 

 in Petersburg, which is admirably suited to be 

 devoted in part to raising silk. This is the Poor 

 House farm. This establishment is unusually 

 well regulated, and has already every thing ne- 

 cessary to carry on the silk business on a large 

 scale, except the mulberrj' trees, and a cheap ad- 

 ditional building for a cocoonery. There is enough 

 and good land to plant — plenty of suitable labor, 

 there being usually 30 or more young or infirm 

 paupers, most of whom are fully competent to 

 attend to this light work, and whom it is impos- 

 sible now to employ, profitably, if at all; and 

 moreover, there is already existing that constant 

 and excellent supervision and strict attention, 

 which are indespensable to the success of the silk 

 business, and which it would be both costly and 

 difficult to obtain for a new establishment. Nor 

 would the adoption of this suggestion create a 

 rival to the silk company just formed. On the 

 contrary, every like experiment would serve to 

 aid and increase the lights, and to lessen, by shar- 

 ing the losses, caused by inexperience, of every 



other new establishment. There is no danger 

 of overstocking the silk market, even if silk were 

 cultivated on every farm in Virginia, between 

 the fills of the rivers and the mountains. 



" In all the northern states, individuals and so- 

 cieties are everywhere going into the silk-busi- 

 ness. Many and large capitals are already in- 

 vested — and every week there are annunciations 

 of other new undertakings. No one there ex- 

 presses even a doubt of the success and profit of 

 the business : and it should be remembered that 

 silk-culture has already been carried on profitably 

 for more than half a century in Connecticut. 



Wherever the white mulberry tree grows, (no 

 matter of what color the fruit maybe,) proprie- 

 tors ought to save the seeds of the present crop, 

 as largely as possible. There can be no crop 

 planted that will yield more profi(, for sale, than 

 the young trees, unless it be of the still more valu- 

 able Chinese mulberry. The white mulberry 

 grows abundantly along the shores and banks of 

 James River, and probably on all our tide-waters." 



In the same volume, p. 251, the following is the 

 first part of an editorial article on "j/nticipated 

 changes in the agriculture of the United States^ 



" Some considerable time has now passed since 

 we yielded, slowly and with difficulty, to the be- 

 lief, that the introduction of silk-culture in this 

 country would be extended widely and profitably: 

 and since adopting that opinion, we have made 

 continually repeated efibrts to impress on the peo- 

 ple of Virginia, and the other southern states, the 

 superiority of their facilities — in better climate, 

 cheaper land, and the surplus and now expensive 

 hands — for carrying on this new business, over 

 those of our northern countrymen, who have al- 

 ready proved the advantages to be derived, and 

 are investing large capitals in numerous adven- 

 tures for this object. In New England, where 

 most of these efforts are making, there is no su- 

 perfluity of labor. Fortunately, every poor fe- 

 male, and all persons infirm from either tender or 

 advanced age, may be, and usually are, employ- 

 ed profitably, according to their measure of bodi- 

 ly power. Yet si ill it is considered profitable to 

 divert much of this labor to the silk-business: 

 and that too, in a climate so rigorous that artificial 

 heat must be used fi-equentlyin rearing the worms, 

 and the best kinds of mulberries aie often greatly 

 injured, if not killed to the ground, by such severe 

 winters as the last. In Virginia, there is no dif- 

 ficulty as to climate — thousands of now unem- 

 ployed and expensive hands might be given to 

 the work — and lands, now unprofitable or neglec- 

 ted, and at very low prices, would serve as well 

 for planting, as those selling ten or twenty limes 

 as high in New England." 



At page 335, vol. iv, after giving the resolutions 

 of a public meeting in Loudoun, which recom- 

 mended the introduction of silk-culture at the poor- 

 house of that county, we added the following 

 comment: 



" We rejoice to see, in the above resolutions, a 

 movement on the plan which we have before re- 

 commended, and «till consider one of the safest 

 grounds on which to commence silk-culture in 

 Virginia. Each of our county and town poor- 

 house establishments furnishes enough of land, 

 labor, superintendence and capital, for this pur- 



