1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



319 



23rd.— Took down all the cocoons made in the 

 dwelling house, and had a large number cleared 

 of floss, and weiglied, and various weighed parcels 

 of different kinds counted, of which the quantities 

 will be hereafter stated. The room then was en- 

 tirely cleaned, and contrary to what had been 

 feared, no offensive scent was left after removing 

 the last of the old litter. 



25th. Gathered ail the cocoons made by the 

 backward worms in the out house. They seemed 

 as good as those earlier made, and every worm 

 had spun here, as in every other case. The crum- 

 pled newspapers had served well for the fixing of 

 cocoons upon. 



No deaths from disease, or from any other than 

 violent and known causes, have occurred, except of 

 the three very young worms mentioned formerly. 

 Some v^rere crushed or injured by accidents; and 

 in the hurried general removal, many of them 

 fell from such heights that it was supposed they 

 might be injured ; and all such were thrown away, 

 lest, if kept, the subsequent deatli of any of them 

 might lead to error as to the cause. Some others 

 of them, buried in the litter after beginning to spin, 

 made very imperfect and worthless cocoons, or 

 none, and when uncovered and dislodged, though 

 all living, their advancement towards the chry- 

 salis state, and therefore the exhaustion of their 

 silk material, had gone too far for them to recom- 

 mence spinning cocoons, to any purpose. These 

 were also thrown away. Since the favorable issue 

 of the other worms, I regret that all of these two 

 discriptions had not been saved to themselves, and 

 the precise degree of necessary loss among them 

 observed; as 1 have reason to believe that much the 

 greater part of all of those thrown away because 

 of their having fallen from heights of 5 to 7 leet, 

 were in fact not materially hurt, and would have 

 spun well, if preserved. But, at that time, nearly 

 all the worms were supposed to be in great jeop- 

 ardy ; and so much trouble was required to save 

 the greater number, that ihere was no time lo expe- 

 riment with, or even to think of counting, the lew 

 hurt or exhausted, and thrown away. But 1 am 

 confident that all that were thrown away as doubt- 

 ful, and lost, for these and for all other causes, did 

 not amount to more than 100 out of the whole 

 rearing ; and that there were not more than 150 

 others of the whole, that spun cocoons so imper- 

 fect as to be unfit for any use. 



So much as to the losses ; now for the quality 

 and quantity of the product. 



As stated above, finally not one worm, even of 

 the slowest, failed to spin a cocoon. The whole 

 number of cocoons, after being stripped of their 

 floss (and more closely than was afterwards found 

 to be necessary,) amounted to 2 bushels and 2^ 

 pecks. Nearly all the amount was ascertained by 

 accurate measurement ; but a small proportion, 

 by estimate only. 



Of the quality of cocoons I know nothing ; 

 except that Dandolo says that 360 of the common 

 four-cast worms, (to which these belong,) are 

 required to weigh a pound. Of these, various 

 careful and fair trials gave the following results : 



Of 5i lbs of cocoons, stripped of the floss, and 

 taken without selection, (except that none were of 

 those spun among the litter,) the average number 

 to the pound was 326|. In two other trials, of 

 smaller quantities, in one case 336 were required 

 to make a pound, and in the other only 296. Of 



the cocoons spun in the litter (which altogether 

 were not quite a peck and a half,) 408, taken as 

 they came, made a pound. Of good and firm co- 

 coons, picked out to produce eggs, and from which 

 all double cocoons, (dupions) had been carefully 

 excluded, 267 weighed a pound. All these were 

 after the floss had been removed. The next 

 trial was with the floss on (which however weighs 

 very little,) and the best result of all, considering 

 the circumstances. Of the cocoons spun upon 

 the old newspapers by the most backward worms, 

 and taken as they came, 291 only made a pouud. 



While gathering my cocoons, Mr. Gay, the in- 

 ventor of the machinery for winding and twisting 

 silk, unexpectedly arrived in town to exhibit the 

 operation ; and he was much surprised, as well 

 gratified, to find, so eariy in the season, new co- 

 coons ready for him to operate on, and of such 

 good quality as he pronounced these to be, instead 

 of the very inferior parcels of last year's produce, 

 which he had brought with him for that purpose. 

 He said that these cocoons, taken together, were 

 far better than any he had ever seen made in 

 New Jersey or farther north; and, after flill trial, 

 he added that they were better than any he had 

 ever made, or reeled, and worth more by one third, 

 to the bushel, than what are considered good 

 northern cocoons. He bought all of my little crop 

 that I would spare, l^ bushels, at ^6 the bushel ; 

 and in half an hour, on this 25th of May, some of 

 it was undergoing the beautiful and very perfect 

 operations of winding, doubling, and soon after 

 of twisting, upon his admirable machine. 



Mr. Gay further told me that of a peck of co- 

 coons, first operated on by the machine, nearly all 

 were run off completel}', leaving the chrysalis 

 perfectly naked. All these which had any cover, 

 or even shred of the silk left on them, would not 

 have made a handful. 



But gratifying as is the general result, and un- 

 looked-for as" gratifying, (under all the adverse cir- 

 cumstances,) — and though there has been almost 

 no loss of worms by disease and death, and very 

 little in unmerchantable cocoons — still the great 

 number of cocoons defective in size, or firm- 

 ness, or both, (when compared with the best,) 

 alone would prove that there is yet plenty of room 

 for improvement and increase in the product. 

 The disadvantages necessarily suffered, and some 

 of the errors committed, are so evident as to need 

 no further pointing out than has been done by the 

 mere statement of procedure. And even though 

 the full extent of my wrong management may 

 not yet he known, nor the best remedies for those 

 evils and errors which are fully understood, still, I 

 have no doubt, but that even now — in the ordinary 

 wiNiiher of a later and proper time, with sufficient 

 and proper food, and suitable fixtures and method,, 

 and with the aid even of the little practical know- 

 ledge now gained — that nine-tenths of the loss of 

 value in product incurred in this experiment could 

 be avoided, and the labor and cost be diminished 

 in a far greater degree than the product would be 

 increased. Great as has been the trouble, and 

 small as is the return, if viewed as remuneration, 

 I consider the result as highly satisfactory, and 

 strongly encouraging to future and better conducted 

 operations. Edmund Ruffin. 



P. S. Afier the above statement had been com- 

 pleted, I received a letter from T. S. Pleasants, 



