No. 124.] 257 



Charles G. Conkley, Martinsburgj Lewis Co.j JV. Y. — I give 

 you my experience in the silk culture for two years past. 



In 1S42, I hatched, about the middle of June, 100 eggs of the 

 sulphur variety. They grew well, were healthy, and wound up, in 

 about five weeks, 96 perfect cocoons — fed on the white and multi- 

 caulis. After the third moulting, cleaned every alternate day. About 

 the first of July I hatched, as near as I could estimate, 1,000 sulphur. 

 They grew well until about the third moulting ; ray feed giew short, 

 and owing to my ignorance in taking care of them, and neglecting 

 cleaning them, they became diseased, and died rapidly for three 

 days. I then changed them from their litter (which had accumulated 

 to the depth of 3 inches,) which checked the disease, but they never 

 wound a single perfect cocoon. A cold rain storm came on about 

 that time, and I attributed the disease to that ; but this year, to test 

 that question, I put about 20, at two days old, out upon a white 

 mulberry in my garden ; and I think it impossible for worms 

 to do better than they did (what the birds did not pick off,) up to the 

 time of their commencing to wind. At that time we had a cold rain, 

 which stiffened them so much that I carried them into the house. 



About the 20th of June, 1843, I commenced with 120 of the 

 drab peanut, fed mostly on multicaulis ; gave plenty of fresh air; 

 cleaned them after the third moulting every other day. They wound 

 112 perfect cocoons, six imperfect, though not bad, and two died 

 after going up. When these were about two weeks old, I hatched 

 about 2,000 sulphur ; they did well up to the third moulting, when I 

 neglected them, and they became diseased, and began to die. I im- 

 mediately cleaned them off, and sprinkled some new slaked lime 

 upon them, which almost entirely stopped the disease. I continued 

 that treatment until they wound up. They made about 700 first rate 

 cocoons, and about 100 poor ones. I hatched about 800 or 1,000 

 of the sulphur, at the same time I hatched the first, and gave them 

 the same treatment, and they wound 750 perfect cocoons. 



And now, from my two years' experience, 1 have come to the conclu- 

 sion, that three things are indispensably necessary for the successful 

 culture of silk. First, plenty of feed — it matters not so much what 

 kind, whether white or multicaulis. Second, plenty of fresh air, and 

 last, though not least, cleanliness and plenty of room, especially after the 

 third moulting. And with these, there is no more difficulty in raising 

 silk, than there is in raising sheep or pigs. 



I have kept my worms each year in a small chamber,with but two 

 windows, which would not admit sufficient air — temperature not regu- 

 lated at all — fed on a close surface — which, I think, on the whole, is 

 equally as good as branch-feeding on slats. I think the drab peanut is 

 decidedly the best, most hardy worm, and makes the most silk and the 

 best quality. 



The multicaulis is, I think, preferable to the white mulberry, for two 

 reasons — first, the leaves are so much larger, that it requires less labor 

 to gather feed, and the worms like tliem rather better. 



With regard to early and late feeding, I have succeeded best with the 

 first hatching, and I would recommend, in this section of the country at 



[Senate No. 124.J Hh 



