1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



147 



mulberries were genera/Zi/cuIiivaiecl, (not reixard- 

 ing exceptions to the general rule,) showed to him 

 where silk was deemed profitable ; where wine 

 was a common product, sliowed the region in 

 which the vine flourished ; and where neither ol 

 these were common, he inferred that the climate 

 forbade them both. According to such observa- 

 tions, he has drawn straight lines across the map 

 of France, separating what he calls the southern, 

 central, and northern regions. But instead of 

 these lines running, as perhaps would be supposed 

 by most persons, nearly from west to east, their 

 average direction is about norih-eastward. Thus, 

 the Hne drawn to show the northern boundary' of 

 the olive and mulberrj? region, thougli but short, 

 has ils eastern extremity more than 2^ degrees of 

 latitude more lo the north than its western ex- 

 tremity. 



For these reasons also, principally, if not entire- 

 ly, the climate of Piedmont and Lombardy is very 

 far better than that o( the ancient provinces of 

 Dauphiny and Provence, in France, lying imme- 

 diately westward, and within the same parallels 

 of latitude; and proceeding still (arther westward, 

 towards the ocean, Gascony, though more to the 

 south than Piedmont, is tbutid without the north- 

 ern boundary of silk-culiure, and unfit for that in- 

 dustry, as was then supposed by its cuilivators. 



Since Young wrote, great and valuable im- 

 provements in sillc-culturc have been made, by 

 Dan<ioioand Bonafousin Italy, Camiile-Beauvais, 

 Carrier, and others in France, by which, and es- 

 pecially by .substituting artificial (or natural tem- 

 perature, "the business has been successfully ex- 

 tended into regions formerly deemed much too 

 cold and adverse. But though we highly appre- 

 ciate these discoveries and labors, and have great 

 confidence in the superior profit of the artificial 

 eysiem, slill it is not this improved condition of 

 sillv-culture that shows the natural fitness of cli- 

 mate. It is therelbre that the limits oi" the silk 

 region, and the profits of the culture, as consider- 

 ed fifty years ago, fiumish a far more correct indi- 

 cation of climate, than the greatly improved and 

 still improving labors of (he present time. 



If it is indeed true that the climate of the Uni- 

 ted States is superior to that of southern Europe 

 for silk-culture, then there need be no difliculty in 

 admitting the fact, which so many difflsrent per- 

 sons have asserted, that the silk produced in this 

 country is decidedly superior in quality to that im- 

 ported from Europe. Arthur Young reports that 

 the French silk tlten manufactured at Lyons, was 

 lower in price by one-lliird, on account of ils infe- 

 rior qual-tj^, to the raw silk imported, (mostly from 

 Italy it may be presumed,)* and if such a vast dif- 

 ference be caused thereby climate, wema}^ well at- 

 tribute to that cause the admitted superiority of the 

 small quantity ofsilk produced in the Unitcd'Siates; 

 and believe that the effect, like the cause, will be 

 permanent. 



V. Early attempts at silk-culture in Virginia^ 

 and causes of their failure. 



We will now go back to the earliest attempts to 

 introduce silk-culture into Virginia,, and show the 

 causes which induced the efforts, and those which 

 brought total disappointment and failure. 



It was to the favorable opiiiion of silk-culiurG 



* Sse last arMcls of this No., page 1S9. 



I held by James I. of England, and his urgent re- 

 j commendation, that was owing the earliest legis- 

 lation in Virginia for its encouragement, and the 

 commencement of that policy which was adopted 

 so early by the colonial legislature, and adhered 

 to so long with no good effect.* 



The earliest legislation bj' the house of bur- 

 gesses, or representatives chosen by the people of 

 Virginia, was in 1621, fiiieen years only after the 

 first landing at Jamestown ; and two of the 

 acts of this first assembly were designed to main- 

 tain the policy of encouraging silk-culture, which 

 still earlier had been urged on the colony by the 

 advice and instructions oi'iiie kiuir. One of these 

 acts required that the native mulberry trees should 

 be preserved, when cutting down the other forest 

 growth for cultivation ; and the object of the other 

 was to induce and compel the planting of others, 

 Cor feeding silk-worms. These, with the many 

 subsequent enactments fur this purpose, or on this 

 subject, have been recently republished, or the 

 purport stated, in the last volume of the Farmer's 

 Register, to which the curious reader is relerred, 

 for the details.! It is enough to say here, that 

 for half a century it continued to be the policy of 

 the colonial assembl}', and the frequent subject of 

 legislation, to compel the planting of mulberry 

 trees, and to encourage the growth of silk. 



But all these many and long continued efforts 

 were fi'uitless. Silk never became a notable pro- 

 duct of the colon}", nor have we any account of its 

 having been exported in the smallest quantity, 

 save the tradition that Charles II. had worn a robe 

 of Virginian silk. The planting of the white 

 mulberry tree however, had been very generally 

 extended. One individual had 70,000 trees grow- 

 ing, for which he claimed and received the boun- 

 ty previously oflered by the colonial government. 

 But still no silk appears to have been made, at 

 least not m quantity sufficient to be noted as a 

 commodity of trade; and the onl}' evidence of the 

 encouragement so long offered lor this branch of 

 industry, which now remains visible, is presented 

 by the numerous white mulberry trees, the proge- 

 ny of the parent stock formerly brought from Eu- 

 rope, and which are thickl}' set, and growing like 

 native plants, on all the uncultivated spots (and 

 especiall}' where the soil is calcareous,) of the 

 banks of James and York rivers. 



This total failure of efforts so long and steadily 

 persevered in by government, maj' seem at first 

 view as showing conclusively that Virginia is al- 

 together unfit for profitable silk-culture, and that 

 the many efforts just now commenring by private 

 individuals, will liave no belter results. This 

 conclusion would be incorrectly deduced ; and it 

 is important to the well and vigorously conducting 

 of this new branch of industry, and to the inter- 

 e.sis of Virginia, therein involved, that correct 



* The great partiality of James for silken apparel, 

 and its great scarcity and hi^h price, are exemplified 

 in an amusinsj anecdote of this monarch. While he 

 was king of Scotland only, and being about to admit 

 to a first audience the English ambassador, he wrote a 

 letter (which is still preserved) to his subj'ct the 

 Earl of Mar, to request the loan of a pair of silk stock- 

 ings for the occasion ; "for" he adds, to en.'brce his 

 request, "you would not, sure, that your king should 

 appear like a scrub before strangers." 



t See notices on extracts of the oldest laws of Vir- 

 ginia in regard to silk-culture, at pp. G21, 712, 714, 

 716, 717, of vol, vi, Farmers' .Register. 



