472 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 3 



even permitted to doubt as to the beauty and good- 

 ness of the siik obtained. The dealers to whom 

 it was presented judged it without prejudice, since 

 they were ignorant of its origin; and the price 

 which they were willing to put on it, indicates suf- 

 ficiently their favorable opinion of the quality. 



The only point which remains to examine, and 

 which is not the least essential, is to know if 

 raising silkworms by this substitute, presents as 

 much advantage as their being raised by the 

 leaves of the white mulberry. It is objected — 



1st. That upon a given suriace, the scorzone- 

 ra will not furnish as many leaves as the mul- 

 berry — 



2nd. That the scorzonera is a biennial plant, 

 of which the crops will be subject to many more 

 casualties than those of the mulberry. 



No comparative experiments having yet been 

 made, nothing can be affirmed as to the relative 

 quantity of leaves which a certain space would 

 yield. It would also be necessary to examine 

 whether if, with equal weights of leaves, the 

 mulberry would not iced a greater number of in- 

 sects than the scorzonera. Thus it may be seen 

 that I go in advance of the objections — lor this 

 latter point has not been made. 



Without wishing here to cut short the question, 

 and knowing the insufficiency of my date, I limit 

 myself to saying, that the scorzonera is not an 

 annual plant, but a perennial, which lasts six 

 years or more: that its culture is very easy, and 

 within the reach of all persons: that our landssuit 

 it perfectly, which is not the case with the mul- 

 berry: that the crop of its leaves is sheltered from 

 all irregularities of weather, not excepting late 

 frosts — so that one may commence the hatching of 

 silkworms by the month of March, long before 

 leaves of the mulberry can be had:* that we can, 

 without inconvenience, take many cuttings of 

 leaves from the scorzonera, commencing with the 

 month of March on the sowing of the preceding 

 autumn, and from the beginning of June of the 

 sowing of March. Thus no delay will be expe- 

 rienced by those who desire to begin silk culture, 

 and consequently, a new advantage is presented 

 over the mulberry, which, admitting the mode of 

 its cultivation to be the most favorable, requires 

 not less than five years of respite before permitting 

 a first gathering of leaves: even for that, it is ne- 

 cessary that the ground and the climate shall be 

 proper for its developement. 



Another advantage that the scorzonera offers 

 is the usefulness of its root, as a culinary vege- 

 table, during the two first years, and the excellent 

 winter food which it furnishes to cattle when its 

 greater age, and consequent degeneracy, forbid its 

 admission to the table. It is then not likely that 

 any one will think of continuing the same crop 

 beyond the third year, unless for the purpose of 

 obtaining a greater quantity of leaves. 



If all thesa considerations are maturely weighed, 

 it seems to me impossible that any one should de- 

 termine to give an entire preference to the mul- 

 berry, and to give up the scorzonera, by adopting 

 the opinion of M. Loiseleur Des!on<jchamps which 

 rejects it positively, in the name of the commission 

 of which he is the organ, and in these terms, page 

 202: ° [ ° 



"■The writer refers to the north of France. Ed. 

 Farm. Reg. 



"To what good purpose, besides, to seek to substi- 

 tute the mulberry by plants, which reason ought to 

 tell us do not equal it in quality?" 



And how will it be proved, especially by reason- 

 ing, that the leaves of the scorzonera are not in 

 our latitude, as good nourishment for silkworms 

 as those of the mulberry? Since the silk which 

 we have made yields in no respect to that of the 

 south of France, would it not be necessary, in the 

 first place, to prove that the mulberry transplanted 

 to the north, preserves all the qualities which it 

 had in the south? — and who will venture to under- 

 take to maintain such an argument, against all 

 probability? I leave it to the care of those who 

 will not fear to place themselves in opposition to 

 the laws of the creative power, which, in the har- 

 mony of the universe, has wisely 7 fixed each plant 

 under the climate most suitable to its perfection. 



I do not think that it will suit to substitute the 

 mulberry entirely by any plant whatever — particu- 

 larly where that tree fulfils the object proposed in 

 the rearing of silkworms. But it was desired to 

 make known to those whom it might interest, that 

 they might, in certain cases, derive a powerful aid 

 from the scorzonera — and to prove that, by its em- 

 ployment, we may hope to enrich the north of 

 France with a new branch of commerce in much 

 less time, and with more chances of success, than 

 in limiting ourselves to the resources which the 

 mulberry presents. * * * 



[If the scorzonera deserves the recommend-ation 

 given above, as food for silkworms, in a country where 

 that branch of industry has made great progress, and 

 where mulberry plantations are common, it will be far 

 more valuable ae a substitute in the commencement of 

 the business, where years must elapse before mulberry 

 leaves can be obtained from young plants. The sub- 

 stitute would not only (as in the north of France,) be 

 useful during transient and unusual times of scarcity, 

 caused by the destruction of the mulberry leaves by 

 late frosts, but while our mulberry nurseries are form- 

 ing, and before yielding their first crops. The re- 

 marks which we submitted in our last No. respecting 

 the use of the black or native mulberry leaves, are 

 still more applicable to the scorzonera; as this plant may 

 be produced in abundance in a single season, where 

 no mulberry leaves can be obtained. We are far from 

 believing that this, or any other plant, can furnish food 

 for silkworms as profitably as the mulberry tree: but 

 if (as is stated by our author,) the cocoons produced 

 from the scorzonera are of equally good quality, it is a 

 matter of very little importance to the new silk cultu- 

 rist whether an acre of land may be the most profita- 

 ble in the one plant, or the other, when both are in 

 perfection. He might learn the proper management, 

 and get over the inevitable errors and losses of a new 

 beginner while using scorzonera as food, and before 

 his mulberry trees were old enough to furnish leaves. 

 From the proofs adduced, there would seem to have 

 been no doubt of what the author asserted of the value 

 of this new food for silkworms; but it must be con- 

 fessed that there is a reason for supposing that objec- 

 tions have since been found, from the silence on the 

 subject since 1830. We have met with nothing for, or 



