220 [Senate 



become punctured with insectsjand the juice oozes out, and the leaves 

 become spotted and rusty, and unfit for feedingto silk worms. This is 

 one objection to late feeding. The other is, that in most years, in this 

 region, we have frost early in Sept., which kills or injures the leaves. 

 I have made no experiments to convert the leaves of the mulberry 

 into paper, or successfully to separate the inner bark so as to be 

 wrought into fabrics. In regard to the culture of silk in this coun- 

 try, but little has been done. Some three or four in this town, and 

 a few in some of the adjoining towns, continue to produce some silk, 

 but most who commenced it became discouraged, on account of their 

 trees winter-killing, or being broken down by snow drifts during 

 winter. At the northerly part of the county there are several who 

 have had good success, and purpose to continue the business, and in- 

 crease it ; that part of the county being 7 to 800 feet lower than the 

 middle and southerly parts. The different kinds of the mulberry 

 grow much better, and endure the severity of the winters there. 



This part of the county, and much of those adjoining, is thought 

 to be too elevated for the successful culture of the mulberry, some 

 favorable locations excepted. It is better adapted to grazing, the 

 products of the dairy, and wool growing. What I have done in the 

 production of silk has been experimental, and the only discouraging 

 leature in relation to its being made a profitable business, added to 

 farming, and where the labor is performed by females and children, 

 is the frequent winter-killing of most kinds of the mulberry tree. 

 My new plant has as yet withstood the severity of our winters, (ex- 

 cept the unmatured parts,) but I have suffered much by having them 

 broken down by heavy snows, and snow drifts, and particularly so 

 the last winter, when snow accumulated to an unprecedented depth, 

 and lay until nearly the middle of April, thawing and becoming satu- 

 rated with water, and then freezing at nightto the branches and 

 main stock, while thawing continued at the bottom, which caused 

 the mass of snow to settle, and this broke the branches and main 

 stem badly. I had some 200 of my new kind, which were set for 

 standard trees, from two to four years growth, from layers which had 

 withstood the previous winters, which were entirely broken down in 

 this way; but I had suffered them to branch out within three and lour 

 feet from the ground with heavy tops, which exposed them to the 

 heavy snow drifts. Those that stood out of the drifts were not 

 broken, and were not killed by the winter. I can raise them into 

 standard trees here, by trimming them so that their branches shall be 

 above the accumulation of the snow. Their leaves are large and 

 heavy, and the worms feed on them with as much avidity as on any 

 other kind known to me, and grow as well, and have, in all cases, 

 been more healthy than worms fed on any other kind that I have, and 

 produce firm, heavy cocoons, and the quality of the silk has in all 

 cases been far superior in lustre to any I can produce from any other 

 kind of mulberry. In proof of which, I refer to the enclosed sam- 

 ple, which was produced by feeding silk worms on the leaves of the 

 tree above referred to, and such as I have produced from it every 

 year that I have used it, which is five. To whatever class of mul- 



