254 [Senate 



John Barrett, Ashhy^ Mass. — Took up most of his trees last fall, 

 and has been rather unfortunate ; many of them died, others were 

 injured. Has fed but few worms this season ; has now about three 

 acres set with trees, and intends to go on with the business, as he 

 feels confident it will afford him a good return for his labor. 



As to the questions, I can answer but a few, because I have kept 

 no statistics that are now at hand. 



1. Have fed worms, more or less, eight or ten years. The gene- 

 ral result has been satisfactory, though in some ot the cold seasons 

 did not do so well. 



2. I use an unfinished room in my house, which is finished outside, 

 temperature regulated some seasons by a stove, and others by the 

 winds and the sun, but always when I have used artificial heat have 

 succeeded the best. 



4. The name of the variety that I have I do not know ; it is 

 a large kind of worm ; have had others, but prefer this to any I have 

 seen. 



5. My trees are chiefly Cantons, and a few common whites. I find 

 the better they are cultivated, the better for the grower, the better for 

 the picker, for the feeder, and the worm. 



6. I prefer early feeding. 



We have manufactured all the silk we have raised into sewings. 

 My wife and a little girl of 14 have done the work principally. I 

 turn in a helping hand whenever I can. The amount of proceeds 

 varies from $20 to $100 in a season, just as I am able to give my 

 attention to it ; have from 6 to 8,000 trees, and mean to enlarge my 

 plantation. 



I see nothing now to prevent this branch of business becoming 

 equal to any other in this country, if it is properly managed. I will 

 just mention one little incident which occurred to me some six or 

 seven years ago, in regard to eggs. When the millers came out, 

 they were placed in a box, and set on a work-bench in the room where 

 they had been reared. Some of the roguish ones took a notion to 

 slip from their prison, and laid their eggs on the bench, unobserved 

 and unmolested. The next May, just at the time when the mulberry 

 began to show the leaf; my wife went into the room for some dried 

 apples, which she had put into a bag, and laid on the same bench ; 

 and to her surprise, found it covered with worms. She called to me, 

 and wished to know what they were. I told her they w^ere silk- 

 worms. There they had lain and been frozen as hard as rocks all 

 winter, and come out bright and early in the spring. I fed them, 

 and they did as well as any I had that season. Since then I have 

 had eggs frozen a number of times, and with the same results. 



John Maxam, Colerain, Mass. — We have fed all our mulberry 

 leaves to worm<! this season, with good success. The silk-worm's 

 cradle of Mr. Gill is worthy of notice. A few days prior to receiv- 

 ino- your favor, describing the cradle, for the want of room I had 

 suspended a rack, made by framing narrow strips of boards together, 



