518 [Senate 



ered up by those who feel a solicitude for this branch of agriculture, 

 it may be of some service, especially to our Territory, in all that con- 

 cerns which you take so deep an interest. I therefore proceed with 

 pleasure to comply with a request you made before you left for Wash- 

 ington, to give you some information on the subject. The feeding of 

 silk- worms began to attract attention in this region in 1838 ; few 

 however, engaged in it. Mrs. D. that year fed a small number, by 

 way of amusement, which succeeded so well that we were induced to 

 continue it. In 18-39, we fed about 10,000 worms, and although 

 (from necessity) we kept them in a small, close and badly ventilated 

 room, they were throughout perfectly healthy, wound off well, and 

 made very fine cocoons, weighing about 275 to the pound. Encour- 

 aged by this, and believing that the culture might be carried on suc- 

 cessfully here, become a valuable branch of our agriculture, and bring 

 into requisition a large portion of our pine timbered lands, I deter- 

 mined to proceed with it, and in the spring of 1840 commenced the 

 erection of a building suited to the purpose, which I have since fin- 

 ished. That spring I had a large crop, (or family, as the French 

 writers w^ould perhaps more appropriately call it,) hatch out ; but 

 owing to the want of room for them made only about 40 bushels of 

 cocoons. This crop wound off in April. In the succeeding month of 

 May, I brought out another small crop from some choice eggs sent 

 me from the north, which turned out well. In June and July, I 

 brought out another crop of about 5,000 worms ; these were the sec- 

 ond crop of the small " white, two crop worms," a very hardy and 

 valuable variety ; and although we fed them in the attic story of my 

 new cocoonery amidst the noise and dust occasioned by the carpenters 

 and masons who were engaged in finishing it at the time, they were 

 exceedingly healthy and wound off well in the month of August very 

 handsomely. 



In 1841, we fed two crops of about 150,000 each, the first in 

 March and April, and the latter, which consisted of the two crop 

 worm, in May and June, and made about 100 bushels of cocoons. 

 There being no ice-house in this neighborhood, we could not avail 

 ourselves of the advantage of giving our eggs what is termed " a tem- 

 porary winter," so as to cause them to hatch again that season, and 

 were therefore compelled to forego further feeding until the ensuing 

 spring ; but during the month of March we brought out a crop of 

 about 300,000, which worked off very handsomely in April and May, 

 from which we made about 70 bushels of cocoons. Being too much 

 engaged wnth my professional pursuits to go north to procure reelers, 

 or the necessary apparatus for reeling, and having no knowledge of 

 that matter ourselves, except what we have derived from our experi- 

 ments, and little time to devote to it — we have most of our cocoons, 

 say about 200 bushels, yet on hand. We have, however, with such 

 apparatus as we could procure here, which is by no means the best, 

 reeled off enough to ascertain that our cocoons, which I think would 

 not suffer by a comparison with any made elsewhere, will make very 

 fine, strong and excellent silk. To satisfy you more fully upon this 



