352 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6 



leaves ; but as the smaller quamities were obtainer] 

 from the leaves of the white mulberry, I believe 

 the proportion of 6.^ pounds oi' cocoons to one 

 quintal of leaves to bo very moderate. 3. The 

 quantity of leaves consumed by one ounce ofeggs 

 may average twenty quintals. The cultivators 

 vary much in their' estimates of the quantity of 

 leaves constimed by the worms which are born 

 irom one ounce of" eggs, the number of which ex- 

 ceeds 50,000 worms ; but we should consider that 

 the most experiments were made with the leaves 

 of the white mulberry. The following numbers 

 indicate the dillerent results : IQi qqis., 11 qqis. 

 88 lbs ; 13 qqIs. 20 lbs., 16 qqls., 19 qqIs., 20 qqIs., 

 and even 25 quintals of leaves, for one ounce of 

 eo-gs. In view of these experiments I believe 

 nTj'self sufficiently liberal in conceding 20 qqls. of 

 leaves for one ounce of eggs. 4. The quantity of 

 cocoons produced by one ounce ol" eggs must con- 

 sequently vary in proportion to the quantity of 

 leaves consumed, and according to my estimate 

 of 6^ lb. for 1 qql.x20=130 pounds of cocoons 

 from 1 oz. of eggs. The results of experiments 

 have varied from'50 to 60, 70, 92|, 97|, 116, 121, 

 123i, 140, and even 165 pounds cocoons to 1 oz. 

 eggs. 5. The medium quantity of net siik (i-om 

 1 lb. of cocoons may be estimated at one-tenth, or 

 1 lb. silk to 10 lb. cocoons. 



Recapitulation. 



1st fact. 1 mecale of mulberries yields 10 qqls. 

 leaves each crop, or 20 quintals on the two crops 

 for one year. 



2nd. 1 quintal of leaves gives 6^ pounds of co- 

 coons, which equals 130 lb. ibr two crops from one 

 mecate one year. 



3. 1 ounce of eggs consumes 20 qqls. of leaves, 

 or produce of one mecate for one year, equal half 

 ounce eggs ibr one crop of 10 quintals. 



4. 1 oi^unce of eggs will yield 130 pounds of co- 

 coons from one mecate, as noted in tact 2nd. 



5. 1 pound of cocoons yields one-tenth silk ; 

 i. e. 13 lb. silk from one mecate in two crops in 

 one year. 



And hence 5 mecates=100 quintals leaves== 

 650 lb. cocoons=65 lb. net silk, at ^5=325 dol- 

 lars, one year. Giving to the cultivator 75 dollars 

 for the leaves, calculated at 4 francs the quintal ; 

 to the raiser 107 dollars 6| shillings net for the co- 

 coons, or S1S2 61 gross, at 1^ francs the pound ; 

 to the reeler 142 dollars 1^ shillings net for the 

 silks, or S325. 



Hence — one mecate yields to the cultiva- 

 tor in leaves, in two crops, valued at 75 



cts.thelOOlb. 815 00 



To the rearer of 130 lb. cocoons from 

 those 2000 lb. leaves, gross ^36 56^ 

 cents, at 28J cts., or net - - - 21 56^ 

 To the reeler of 13 lb. of silk from those 

 130 lb. cocoons, gross 65 dollars, at ^5 

 ornet - - - - - - 28 43| 



But admitting that from each quintal of leaves 

 there should be obtained solely the minimum of 5 

 pounds of cocoons, and that both the leaves and 

 the cocoons should be sold in Yucatan at 33.i per 

 cent, less than their price in France, or what is the 

 same that the French should sell their leaves and 

 cocoons at 50 per cent, more i^an the people of 

 Yucatan; nevertheless, the business will still be 

 more profitable than any other cultivation in this 

 peninsula. At 50 cts. the 100 lb. leaves, and at 



18| cts. for 1 lb. cocoons, one mecale yields 10 

 dollars a year to the cultivator of the leaves ; and 

 i24 37^ gross, or 814 37,^- net to the rearer of the 

 cocoons ; and at ift3 33=| cis. for 1 lb. silk, it yields 

 $43 33^ gross, or $18 96 net to the reeler. 

 That is, $10 leaves+14 37^ net cocoons-f 18 96 

 net silk=$43 33^ cents. 



Henry Perrine." 

 Note by H. P. at Indian Key, 25th Jlpril, 1839. 



The last estimates proportioned to an English 

 acre will be ten times the number and value. 

 That is, one acre should yield in two crops 20,000 

 pounds of leaves, at halt^ a cent a pound=.S100; 

 of coconns 1300 pounds at ISi^ cents a pound= 

 •92 13 75 cts. gross, or $143 75 cts. net ; of silk 

 130 jiounds, at $3 33i=$433 33^ cts. gross, or 

 $189 60 cts. net. 



For one crop, leaves from one acre, gross $50 ; 

 cocoons $121 87i ; silk $216 66. 



To tlie Editor of the Fanners' Register. 



Indian Key. Tropical, Florida, ? 

 25 th j^pril, 1839. \ 



Sir — Having attentively examined the estimate 

 of the value of the mulberry and silk-culture, 

 by Dr. Wm. Gibbons, of Delaware, published in 

 your February No., on the 85-6 pages ; and, "as 

 doctors will disagree," bolievinor that all similar 

 •'estimates," however well calculated to promote 

 the sale of mulberry cuttings, will prove injurious 

 to the culture of silk-worms, I send you a counter 

 estimate, based on the quantity of leaves that may 

 commonly be raised by ordinary cultivation on ordi- 

 nary soils. So far as I can understand your opi- 

 nions, I believe they agree perfectly with mine in 

 the following positions. 1st, That the national 

 importance cf the combined propagation of the 

 mulberry and production of silk is not to be esti- 

 mated by the hypothesis that this branch of indus- 

 try will yield more profit than an equal aiiiouiit of 

 labor and capital employed in the culture of corn 

 or of cotton, 2nd, That the great national ad- 

 vantages of this new branch of industry will re- 

 sult fi-om the facts that it will as profitably employ 

 those poor soils and feeble persons that cannot be 

 profitably dedicated to the culture of corn or cotton, 

 or any of our old staples of agriculture. 3. That 

 as a small surface of the poorest soils cultivated 

 by the poorest man will yield leaves enough for 

 the feeblest persons in health, sex or age, of the 

 largest family to feed unto worms and to reel into 

 silk, the great national result will be to cover our 

 hitherto worthless soils with a dense population of 

 small cultivators, and of family manufacturers. 



In relation to the profit of raising mulberry 

 leaves alone, I long since, even in the tropical 

 climate of Yucatan, made the following esti- 

 mate, viz: that the intrinsic value of mulberry 

 leaves lor food for silk-ioorms is about equal to 

 their intrinsic value Ibr fodder for milk cows ! ! 

 As a collateral conclusion, 1 add that the de- 

 sideratum is not merely to get the species of^ 

 mulberry which will yield the greatest weight of 

 leaves to the surface of a single acre of the poor- 

 est lands, but also that which will yield the great- 

 est vveiizht of leaves to the labor of a single hour,^ 

 or pinrrle hand. Indeed, for the steril islands ot 

 Tropical Florida, I appreciate the value of the 

 morus nuilticaulis more highly as fodder for cows, 

 to convert into milk, than as food for worms to con- 



