246 [Senate 



I believe that 50 or 60 dollars may be had clear profit for every 

 acre of mulberries. 



I have on hand 30 or 40 lbs. of raw silk which I find great diffi- 

 culty in disposing of. There is no market for it in Philadelphia that 

 I know of. And to send it to New- York is uncertain and inconve- 

 nient. 



Our State gives a bounty of two dollars on the pound of reeled 

 silk — 15 cents per pound on cocoons, which does not pay for raising 

 them by one-fourth, 1 think 20 cts. per pound would pay the ex- 

 pense of raising them. I anticipate a great deal of pleasure in 

 reading the proceedings of the convention, and hope the result will 

 be auspicious to the growth and manufacture of silk in this country, 



Joseph Brnchley, Newport, Herkimer Co., JV. Y. — I did not re- 

 ceive the Silk Circular till late in September, therefore could not test 

 the uses of the leaf or bark of the mulberry as your Committee re- 

 quest. Before receiving it I had gathered and dried in the shade a 

 quantity of leaves to sustain my worms in case of damage to my 

 trees by frost, next May or June. I have never before tried the ex- 

 periment, but have no doubt of the result as the leaf retains its color, 

 and when raoistenefl, its taste. I have fed silk worms six years, gene- 

 rally in small numbers ; one year I fed in Ohio 200,000, but failed 

 for want of leaves ; we had but 15 bushels cocoons through their 

 4th age ; they were poorly fed on the leaves of the red mulberry 

 gathered from the woods. This is the first year I have fed wholly 

 from the multicaulis My cocoons did better than the same kind did 

 last year, fed on white mulberry. Name of the worm, Mirable 

 Jaune, Nankin color, and Sina Mirable, white : the best success I 

 ever had was with worms I got from Mr. Bean, of Philadelphia, a 

 small peanut shaped cocoon. He called them Sina Nankin. This 

 year my worms did not do as well as last; I hatched the middle of 

 July, last year the latter part of June. I fed in chambers with no 

 chance of ventilating to my mind, and about the time of winding in 

 August, we had one week of very warm and very wet weather, with 

 no air stirring, and one-half of my worms died. I have had very 

 good success but oncie. Never had a cocoonery, but shall next year; 

 this year fed one lot in an open shed ; they did better than the others 

 until the warm wet weather, they then shared the same fate. I think 

 that would answer in June, when the nights are warm. I believe a 

 cocoonery that can be thrown open or closely shut, with artificial 

 heat, is indispensable for late feeding. 



I have always manufactured my cocoons into sewing silk. I reel 

 them myself, and my wife or hired girl twists and doubles and twists it 

 on a common spinning wheel. I send you a few threads which are no 

 better than all I make A lady of this place purchased of me silk for 

 a pair of stockings; she took it to the stocking weaver of Utica, who 

 pronounced it a superior article, as good as he ever saw, and he learned 

 his trade in old England. The stockings were as handsome as I ever 

 saw, and so said others. With the present State bounty, I think I 



