No. 124. J 525 



Moses and Asenath Gouge, JYoi'thampton, Mass. — We present 

 the following statement, as the result of our experience in the silk 

 culture : 



1st. We have assisted feeding worms four or five years, but not 

 till the present year have we taken the whole charge and responsibi- 

 lity on ourselves. 



This year we took the whole charge and supervision of one of Dr. 

 Stebbins' feeding establishments, in this town j for which he paid us 

 a stipulated and satisfactory price by the pound (18 cents) for all the 

 cocoons we should raise for him. We and two boys were in the 

 business, and were w^ell paid, and should be w^illing to engage to 

 him again on the same teriBs, as it has given us a better return than 

 we could have realized from any other employment. Had the late 

 crops succeeded as well as the first, we should have made money fast 

 enough. 



2d. We feed th* worms on tables of boards and on hurdles, in two 

 long rooms, well lighted by windows on each side; but at the sug- 

 gestion of Dr. S., the glass windows v/ere removed, and a free cir- 

 culation of air day and night admitted to every part of the rooms, 

 from the sides and doors at the ends. 



3d. We have n«ver fed worms in an open shed or tent, and from 

 the saccess we had with the early crop this year, think that the 

 rooms were sufficiently ventilated for all purposes of open feeding 

 and health of the worms. We were not annoyed by the unpleasant 

 efBuvia of close rooms or the attendant sickness. Our worms were 

 fed whenever they would eat — from early morning to the close of 

 the day, in consequence of which we had a lot of large and heavy 

 cocoons, the admiration of all who saw them, and visitors were not 

 a few, purposely to see the sight. 



4th. We ha\^ formerly fed the sulphur, and the two-crop worm, 

 but they were not as profitable as the peanut variety, especially the 

 golden peanut, v.'hich w« feed this year and decidedly prefer. 



5th. In former years we have fed from a great variety of mul- 

 berry, through all the stages of feeding, and the leaves being chop- 

 ped fine, will answer for two or three weeks, but where the Canton 

 can be had, such we had this year, and the Asiatic, should want no 

 better leaf or branches. 



We think there is a decid-ed advantage in using fine chopped leaves 

 the first (wo or three weeks ; the whole leaves appear to smother the 

 worms. If the worms are carefully attended to in the early stages, 

 they will be more able to help themselves when fed with the branches 

 of the Canton and Asiatic. The half starved young of any species 

 tell the story. 



6th. We have had sufficient experience of feeding early and late 

 crops, to satisfy us that early feeding and the one crop system, is 

 the only safe and profitable course — cocoons of late crops, are usu- 

 ally very thin, soft and light, affording but little silk that is worth 

 reeling. If we had a million of worms to feed, we should prefer to 

 liave them hatched so early as to finish winding by the 4th, or the 

 middle of July at the ferihest. 



[Senate No. 124.J Dd 



