498 [Senate 



gaged in the business for two years. The first, I made 39 pounds of 

 cocoons, which I had manufactured by a lady near us, who made of 

 them 1,000 skeins, which were pronounced by tailors a first rate arti- 

 cle, equal in every respect to the Italian, except in gloss. The fibre 

 was stronger and better, and found a ready sale at $3 per hundred at 

 the stores, and it there retailed at four cents per skein. This crop 

 will bring about $35. I shall increase my orchard next spring to 

 twice its present extent. The bounty received in this county last 

 year was $162. 



JosiAH Everett, Otisco, Onondaga co.jJf. Y., has about two acres 

 of the white Italian trees, set in rows about one rod apart and about 

 eight feet in the row; has this year raised 47 pounds of cocoons, very 

 fine ; first crop hatched the 1st of June ; second crop, last of June, 

 twice as large, nearly all died; the nights were very cold ; fed in an 

 upper room, lathed and plastered, with the windows up and blinds 

 closed much of the time. (We hope soon to hear from the last at- 

 tempt to raise silk worms in plastered rooms. It is unnecessary to 

 say it cannot be done. — A. C. V. E.) 



J. M. SuMMY and D. Eberly, Manheim^ Lancaster co.j Penn. — 

 Questions answered in order. 



No. of years engaged 6 



Acres of land employed before 1844 3J 



Now planted and prepared for planting 13 



No. of pounds of cocoons prior to 1844 3366 



No. of pounds of cocoons in 1844 1500 



Capital invested $500 



Cost in 1844 not known, as the planting and re-planting were all 

 done by the same hands, and we are not yet near through, as we have 

 been reeling considerably for our neighbors. 



John Borden, Brooklyn^ Ohio. — We have raised this year 170 

 pounds of cocoons, being but one half our usual crop. The reason of 

 our failure was an untimely hatching of our eggs, in the cellar, occa- 

 sioned by extreme warm weather in April. I had previously removed 

 my eggs to an ice house for our second crop, which was the only crop 

 we raised, there being no eggs in this vicinity we could get. I should 

 advise every silk grower to put all his eggs in an ice house before the 

 warm weather commences. 



For nine years we have been invariably successful, with the excep- 

 tion of the first and present years. We have had about 350 pounds, 

 annually. We have two acres of trees in close drill ; the rows four 

 feet apart. Our cocoons cost us about $1.25 per bushel. There is 

 no market in this part of the State ; hence we reel our own cocoons 

 and send the raw silk to New-York for market. Nett proceeds from 

 $1 to $1.50 per bushel. The greatest and the only difficulty is, 

 the disease of the worms, which I contend is entirely unnecessary and 

 may be avoided by proper care. (Open sheds, or tents, will do the 

 thing. A, C. V. E.) 



Timothy Wheelwright, Wells, Gogunquet P. 0., J\Ie. — I have 

 been engaged five years, and always had good success. My object 

 has been to test the feasibility of the culture. I have been obliged to 



