No. 124.J 239 



P. S. What I have clone is merely an experiment to see if the 

 thing is practicable — am well convinced it will be profitable to those 

 who manage rightly. 



I have for several years read every thing I could get on the silk 

 business, and picked up all the information I could get elsewhere. I 

 mention this that you may see I shall look with much anxiety for 

 your report — intend, if received, it shall do not only me, but others 

 good. [Right, friend, lend it. J, R. B.J 



Simeon Pierson, Le Roy, JV. Y. — It is thirty-seven jears since I 

 came into tliis country, where I soon found the native mulberry 

 growing spontaneously, which led me to believe, as I now do, that 

 silk-worms may be grown in any clime where the mulberry grows 

 iTiaturally ; buithe want of eggs prevented my making any experiment 

 with them' till about 9 years ago. I then obtained some eggs of the 

 mammoth sulphur kind ; about the same time I obtained some of the 

 white Italian mulberry trees, the seed of which was from Middletown, 

 Conn., (and I think somewhat different and superior in quality to 

 many now growing in this vicinity ;) and previous to their growth I 

 fed worms from the native mulberry ; and after my white mulberry 

 trees were grown I fed on both. And 5 or 6 years ago the multicau- 

 lis was introduced in town, but I have not been able to this time to 

 discover that the worms manifest any preference, or show any par- 

 tiality, to any one kind. My wife and daughter, for amusement and 

 experiment, have fed a few thousand about every year since we ob- 

 tained the eggs. By information and observation, we have been led 

 to believe that the mammoth sulphur are less liable to disease than 

 most of the other kinds, although we have not tested them, having 

 fed the six weeks Nankin peanut. We have manufactured consider- 

 able sewing silk, some of which we have dyed different colors, which 

 for strength and lustre would not suffer in comparison with the im- 

 ported. We have never fed but one crop in a season ; we have gen- 

 erally commenced feeding about the 20th of June, in an upper cham- 

 ber, a tight room. After learning more of their customs and habits, 

 we have fed them in our wood-house chamber, where there was more 

 air, and where we found they did equally as well. We found they 

 would retire from the light of a window even in a cloudy day. We 

 have never used any artificial heat. I believe a succession of crops 

 may be fed during the season, by commencing, say, about the 20th 

 of May, and close 20th of September. The cause of failure in a 

 crop in many cases, I think may be attributed to the want of care 

 and attention in feeding during a cold storm, and frequently from 

 the want of a supply of foliage just before they wind. Another 

 cause, I think, may be attributed to the eggs having been obtained 

 from a sickly stock ; although we have never lost a crop from any 

 cause, but I know of some who have. 



I have never tried an experiment with the leaves or young shoots 

 by dew-rotting or otherwise, to ascertain whether paper or any silk 



